lead in developing this report to identify and recommend opportunities for the Agency to contribute to Improving Management of Fisheries to Enhance Conservation, Ecosystem Health
and Productivity. The report provides information on why small-scale fisheries are important and on the relationship of small-scale fisheries to biodiversity conservation. It also describes issues
affecting the sustainability of fisheries and its associated threats to biodiversity. It includes a review of past and current activities of both USAID and others in order to identify strategic
opportunities for which USAID may hold a competitive advantage. The final component of the assessment report offers specific recommendations for action at global, regional, and national
levels.
10. Cross-Cutting Elements
10.1 Gender Mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming is a priority cross-cutting theme within SUCCESS as well as within CRC’s overall program portfolio. For example, in on-the-ground activities in Tanzania, the
Program is working with women to pilot bivalve grow-outs and half-pearl farming in Fumba. In Bagamoyo, more than half of the seaweed farmers are women. In both Ecuador and Nicaragua,
women comprise the majority of the cockle harvesters in the Program sites and, therefore, women make up a large share of key stakeholder groups and targeted program beneficiaries. The
SUCCESS Program expects to see improved gender equity through livelihood development as the Program’s microenterprise activities focus on—although are not limited to—women and
vulnerable groups. Equity is an important principle and enabling condition of integrated coastal management ICM. Therefore, the expectation is that this support for livelihoods for women and
vulnerable groups will not only build their income and their sense of empowerment, but will also improve their overall awareness of ICM and increase their willingness and interest in
participating more fully in other aspects of the Program’s ICM planning and implementation activities. The microenterprise learning agenda explores to what extent this expectation is being
met. In this reporting period, women comprised 33 of those individuals participating in coastal resources and conservation planning initiatives, 60 of those individuals who were trained and
75 of persons benefiting from natural resources based enterprises. Over the life of the project, 41 of the individuals trained, 47 of the individuals participating in coastal resources and
conservation planning initiatives, and 69 of persons benefiting from natural resources based enterprises have been women.
10.2 Health and HIVAIDS
Health and HIVAIDS are emerging issues within the CRC portfolio. As part of the SUCCESS learning agenda, the question of seaweed farming as an alternative livelihood activity has been
examined in a preliminary report of the Tanzania livelihood assessment conducted this quarter. In a comparison of two forms of seaweed farming, the report concludes that the higher value
“cottonni” variety of seaweed is likely a better alternative for HIVAIDS affected households compared to the “spinosum” variety as it requires less labor for the same level of earnings. Less
labor intensive livelihoods has been recommended as a coping strategy for HIVAIDS affected households. The cottonni variety of seaweed is promoted in the National Seaweed Development
Strategy, but this strategy is experiencing problems due to greater complexities of growing this variety of seaweed. Trials of alternative technologies for cottonni seaweed conducted by
SUCCESS have demonstrated new farming methods that resolve earlier problems with cottonni farming. Diffusion and adoption of this new technology will make cottonni farming a more
realistic alternative for HIVAIDS affected households.
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In Nicaragua, illnesses such as hepatitis as diarrhea are common in coastal communities. SUCCESS has been investigating whether the consumption of cockles from estuaries may be a
contributing factor to these health problems. Preliminary results of a study to assess water quality in cockle growing areas for E. coli contamination have documented levels well above US
standards for safe harvest and consumption of shellfish. This information will help in setting the stage for further discussions concerning management of shellfish beds to ensure safe and sanitary
harvests.
Priorities for Next Quarter April 1 – June 30, 2007
• Assess gender impacts as part of the overall analysis of the microenterprise study in
Tanzania.
11. Volunteers
11.1 Background
The Coastal Resources Center has a long history of using volunteers in its international work. To date, the SUCCESS Program has assigned Volunteers for Prosperity VfP to Tanzania and
Ecuador. Field Program sites have also been successful in recruiting other volunteers who do not necessarily qualify under the VfP program, but who add great value in helping SUCCESS reach
its goals.
11.2 Report Period Accomplishments January 1 – March 31, 2007
A volunteer has been on assignment in Thailand since January 2007. Katie Wolff is volunteering with the SUCCESS Thailand project on assessing the water quality in Klong Naka, Thailand. Her
assignment will be complete in May 2007. Four volunteers have been identified for assignments in Nicaragua and Ecuador. In June 2007 one
volunteer, from the University Vermont, will be on assignment in Nicaragua as a natural resources management, fisheries and aquaculture development specialist. He will be assisting
CIDEA-UCA in developing a framework for an effective and financially sustainable coastal extension program. In July and August 2007, a volunteer from Grays Harbor College in
Washington, will be involved in water quality sampling in the Cojimies Estuary, specifically with shrimp farmers. Two volunteers will be on assignment in Nicaragua as Ornithologists in
November 2007. Their assignment is to train local tour guides and to write a field guide for distribution to local tour guides.
The Volunteer for Prosperity Global Giving Project has yielded 300.00 in on-line donations for volunteers on assignment in Tanzania. Currently advertising for a volunteer to assist in Small
Business Specialist with experience in costume jewelry trade is underway. Once a volunteer is hired the funds received will be used towards the costs of their assignment.
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