FAO restores fishing based-livelihoods by rehabilitating fishery sector facilities in Yemen

19 July 2020, Sana’a, Yemen –The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), and authorities in the coastal district of Dhubab in Taiz governorate, inaugurated early July a fishery landing site, which was rehabilitated and equipped by FAO with support from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre (KSrelief) under the project “Emergency agricultural livelihoods support to the most vulnerable households in Yemen.”

This intervention will improve the living conditions for more than 8 400 nearby households in the fishing community who depend on the sea to secure their livelihoods. These facilities, in both coastal districts of Dhubab and Al Mokha, will help alleviate the suffering of fisher folk, enabling them to launch and return from nearby and safe landing sites. Previously fishers in the area had to travel long distances to reach remote landing sites to fish and sell their catch.

The rehabilited facilities will provide a proper workplace for fish products marketing and protection from spoilage or contamination by providing solar powered-cold storage. The improved cold chain aims at boosting the level of production and income of fishers, while contributing to reduced high rates of malnutrition, especially among children, and pregnant or lactating women in targeted coastal areas.

While this project will help support fisher folks, the sector’s needs are huge. FAO calls for increased support to restore remaining fisheries infrastructure to boost the sector’s productivity.

“Most fisheries facilities and infrastructure are either in disrepair or have been suspended due to the conflict, affecting the livelihoods of more than half a million people living in coastal areas who depend on the sea to provide food and money for their families,” said Dr Hussein Gadain, FAO Representative in Yemen. “By returning more fishing assets to service, the economic situation would improve in Yemen’s coastal areas, which are home to roughly 3 million people, improving the lives of many Yemeni families who have been living in difficult conditions for years.”

The fisheries sector, including fisheries and fish marketing, plays a critical role in Yemen’s food security. The sector provides food, livelihoods and sustained income, especially for the most vulnerable fishers, as well as providing essential nutrients. In Yemen, fisheries is the third most important agricultural subsector, contributing up to 3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product before the conflict.

The project “Emergency agricultural livelihoods support to the most vulnerable households in Yemen” is carried out by FAO in six governorates throughout the country, including Abyan, Lahj, Al Dhale’e, Taiz, Hajja and Amran. The project aims to enhance food security and livelihoods for 70 000 households in Yemen according to the livelihood needs of the population living in the rural areas through three types of interventions including poultry production and cash support, improving animal and agricultural production and improving livelihoods conditions of vulnerable groups living in coastal areas through rehabilitation of productive fishery infrastructure.

FAO and KSrelief work with partners in relevant line ministries and organizations to reduce acute food insecurity and diversify income among vulnerable rural households in districts at risk of famine in Yemen.