Small and low-cost fish, like sardines and mackerel, are recognized as being rich in micronutrients. They play an important role in preventing malnutrition of poor and undernourished people in developing countries. In combination with researchers from four ongoing projects in Africa and Asia, FAO is organizing a virtual seminar on the contribution of small, low-cost fish to food security on February 15th and 16th, 2021.
In line with 2025 global nutrition targets The Global Nutrition Report 2020 calls on societal parties to “to step up efforts to address malnutrition in all its forms and tackle injustices in food and health systems”. It points out that progress towards this end is slow as well as highly unfair, with developing countries bearing the brunt of the problem. Fish is noted as one of the most nutrient-dense foods, for which more public investment is required. Small fish, particularly when consumed whole, are very rich in micronutrients and aid in the absorption of nutrients from plant-based foods with which they are eaten. Small fish are still a relatively ‘cheap’ food in most countries of the world when compared to other animal-sourced foods, and can be purchased in small quantities, making them more accessible to the poor.
The event is a follow-up on the theme of World Food Day 2020, ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.’
This 3-stage event focuses on the contribution of the class of what are commonly known as ‘small fish’ (mainly epipelagic forage fish) to the food and nutrition security of poor and undernourished populations of the developing world. Small fish species are numerous in oceans and freshwater environments, and often make up the less expensive varieties of products in aquatic food marketplaces. They frequently end up on the plates of low-income households.
We take a food system approach to examine the role of the various segments of the small fish value chain in meeting the four dimensions of food and nutrition security – availability, accessibility, quality (utilization) and stability. We recognize the direct nutritional contributions of small fish, but also the indirect contributions, through employment, that participation in small fish value chains provide. While our ambition is global in scope, the evidence presented derives from a more limited set of country settings in South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Four ongoing international research projects on the role of small fish in providing food and nutrition security provide empirical inputs and analyses, as do a set of relevant FAO-led efforts.
Participation in the virtual seminar will be free to everyone. Please visit https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdriedfishmatters.org%2FSmallFishSeminar&data=04%7C01%7CJ.M.Bavinck%40uva.nl%7Cbfc61fcbd41d4f21a24808d8930fe3df%7Ca0f1cacd618c4403b94576fb3d6874e5%7C1%7C0%7C637421043741058077%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=x5s0YfFXtN525AVs5HL9s4XlL0iwIDoXqBEChe4B7G0%3D&reserved=0to pre-register for the event.
Introductory video: https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdCCUj0BTbBw&data=04%7C01%7CJ.M.Bavinck%40uva.nl%7Cbfc61fcbd41d4f21a24808d8930fe3df%7Ca0f1cacd618c4403b94576fb3d6874e5%7C1%7C0%7C637421043741058077%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=m5FUfpb5%2FSitgTQx4%2Fmj67LKrFxPdWIUuivz56ng%2Fls%3D&reserved=0