Migration and collectives/networks as pathways out of poverty. Gendered vulnerabilities and capabilities of fishing communities in Asia.

The interdisciplinary and cross-country research project ?Migration and Collectives/Networks as Pathways out of Poverty: Gendered Vulnerabilities and Capabilities amongst Poor Fishing Communities in Asia?, conducted by researchers in Cambodia, India, Norway, Sri Lanka, and the UK, studied the movements and well-being of fishers in South and Southeast Asia and how their movements are being affected by changing state policies, increased market exposure and unstable environmental situations. The purpose of the project was to provide a critical understanding of extensive changes in livelihood strategies that have taken place in fishing communities in recent decades, and in the interface of the depletion of aquatic resources, technological change, climate change, and social conflicts, as well as how these processes have impacted poverty and well-being. Migration and mobility in fishing communities in the three study countries, Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka, have been motivated both by stresses, such as seasonal or unpredictable weather patterns, a gradual decline in fish resources and the need to earn a living in the off-season for fishing, and by shocks, ranging from fuel price hikes to natural and manmade disasters, such as the tsunami of 2004 and violent ethnic conflict. Despite such stresses and shocks, fishers and their households continue for the most part to continue with their fisheries-related livelihoods, which are relatively more lucrative than agricultural livelihoods and in the absence of other viable options. Cross-cultural knowledge has been generated on the topic of fisheries: previous fishery studies have not included the role of mobility and migration in fisheries and have only to a very limited degree incorporated a gender studies component. Furthermore, mixed-methods approach (econometric analysis based on quantitative information and survey data in combination with ethnographic country studies based on mixed qualitative methods) in the project has strengthened the relevancy of the findings. Three major conclusions may be drawn from the country studies. First, across the countries, while poverty is the main cause of migration for some people and communities, for others it is not. In India and Sri Lanka, migration is driven by a multiplicity of factors and therefore does not necessarily take people out of poverty, although it might help some to stay out of poverty. In Cambodia, it was found that migration was not a pathway out of poverty but a way to sustain fishing livelihoods. Second, the benefits and costs of migration are distributed differentially among women and men, ethnic groups, castes, and classes in the different study locations in the three countries. Third, social networks are critical in enabling and disabling migration, but collective action based on these networks is sporadic and its effectiveness depends on the strength of bridging and linking networks, and the way fishing communities are defined by the government. Some major outputs can be emphasized: 1. Book: Lund, R., Kusakabe, K., Rao, N. and Weeratunge, N. (eds.) Forthcoming: Fisherfolk in Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka: Migration, Gender and Well-being. New Delhi: Routledge. The book will be a major milestone in the project. 2. Stakeholder workshops: Policy recommendations were discussed with representatives of various country stakeholders. 3. Pilot projects: Each country team formulated pilot projects with local research participants, which turned out to be a major dissemination strategy (brought visibility, facilitated learning and action locally). Participation through stakeholder workshops and pilot projects? dissemination activities took place throughout the project period, and thus facilitated ongoing discussion of research plans, fieldwork and results. Ministries (particularly the fisheries ministries in the respective countries), community organizations and NGOs all took an active part in these activities, particularly in shaping ways of utilizing the results. Policy briefs (all countries) and media coverage (in local newspapers in Cambodia and India) ensured dissemination to a wider audience. The local partners (CIRD, FishMarc, ICE) are planning further actions of advocacy, policy dialogues, and research.

Cross-cultural knowledge has been generated on the role of gender and mobility/migration in fisheries A mixed-methods approach (econometric analysis based on survey data in combination with ethnographic country studies based on mixed qualitative methods) strengthened the relevancy of the findings. Academic learning for local think-tanks and junior researchers through writing, international exposure at seminars and conferences. Book: Lund, R., Kusakabe, K., Rao, N. and Weeratunge, N. (eds.) Forthcoming: Fisherfolk in Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka: Migration, Gender and Well-being. New Delhi: Routledge. Stakeholder workshops: Policy recommendations were discussed with local authority representatives, ministries, NGOs. Pilot projects were formulated pilot projects with local research participants (brought visibility, facilitated learning and action locally). The local partners (CIRD, FishMarc, ICE) are planning further actions of advocacy, policy dialogues, and research.

This research proposal seeks to improve understanding of the situations in which migration is a potential route out of poverty for women and men in fishing communities in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and two states of India. Fishing communities in these countries are amongst the poorest, most vulnerable and socially excluded. Often one of a portfolio of livelihoods, fishing is affected by a range of environmental (resource depletion, seasonality, natural disasters, climate variability) and political-economic (market, state/policy, conflict) dynamics which fishing households respond to by participating in internal seasonal labor migration or international labor migration. Migration as a livelihood strategy can include households moving to better fishing grounds seasonally, moving away from fishing/aquaculture by accessing alternative livelihoods, moving into fishing seasonally from agriculture, or subsidizing fishing/aquaculture activities through remittances. The economic costs and benefits to women and men from this migration process are better known than the social/relational and subjective gains and losses. The research aims to generate an innovative, gendered analysis of economic, social and subjective dimensions of poverty and wellbeing in fishing communities through a multi-locational analysis comparing place of origin and place of destination, and across three different geographical regions, with participation of workers' groups in each location. A fuller understanding of the differentiated experience of poverty and inequality of women and men, their strategies for making a living, including the role of fishing within a diversified livelihood portfolio, as well as their aspirations for future stability and growth, can provide a deeper understanding of migration as a potential pathway out of poverty. The research will also explore the relationship between resource conflicts, migration and poverty in fishing communities, focusing on ongoing and post-war vulnerabilities.