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Food supply

Ugandan Women Play a Crucial Role in the Fish Value Chain

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Ugandan women, particularly on Lake Victoria, represent between 70 and 87 percent of fish workers, predominantly involved in artisanal fish processing and trade. While they have traditionally been relegated to shore-based activities, efforts by women-based programs and different actors have encouraged their participation in fish farming and other aspects of the industry. Women's initiatives in the fish sector have transformed Uganda's food system, contributing to ending poverty and hunger through healthy and sustainable diets and equitable livelihoods.

Key Takeaways:

  • Women occupy a central place in the fishing sector in Uganda, with a significant role in post-harvest activities such as processing and trading, contributing to household food security and economic empowerment.
  • Women's involvement in fishing dates back to colonial times due to economic pressures, but recent efforts have led to a shift towards women taking on roles traditionally held by men.
  • Small-scale fisheries play a crucial role in transforming Uganda's food system, contributing to ending poverty and hunger through healthy and sustainable diets and equitable livelihoods.
  • Women depend on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods, with over 300,000 women estimated to depend on this sector.
  • Research indicates that women often bear a disproportionate work burden, with uncompensated domestic and care work, combined with work within the community, resulting in a triple work burden.
  • Women have formed groups at the community level, affiliated with the national Ugandan Association and the African Association, to concretize their success in the fishing sector.
  • The Uganda National Women's Fish Organisation (UNWFO) has been operational since 2019, providing a platform for knowledge sharing, capacity building, and advocacy for women and youth in sustainable fish production and trade.
  • The association has helped women acquire skills in international standards of fish value addition and bookkeeping, and is lobbying for support from development partners and the government to establish child-care centers and shelters for women in the fish value chain.

Statistics:

  • 70-87 percent of fish workers in Uganda are women (Source: Background information).
  • Over 300,000 women in Uganda depend on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods (Source: Gender equality is key in the context of Uganda).
  • 2 million registered members of the Uganda National Women's Fish Organisation (UNWFO) are from diverse regions of Uganda (Source: Ms. Rita Amolo Kintu, UNWFO General Secretary).
  • 384 small groups across the country are affiliated with the association (Source: Ms. Rita Amolo Kintu, UNWFO General Secretary).
  • Shs100, 000 (approximately USD 27) is the subscription fee for individual membership (Source: Ms. Rita Amolo Kintu, UNWFO General Secretary).

Sources:

  • Background information
  • Gender equality is key in the context of Uganda
  • Ms. Rita Amolo Kintu, Uganda National Women's Fish Organisation (UNWFO) General Secretary

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