Opportunities for blue economic empowerment and COVID-19 resilience of fisher women in Kenya

Seaweed and fish farming have opened new livelihood opportunities for women and men in Kenya in recent years. However, structural and socio-cultural barriers prevent women's access to inputs, value addition, finance, skills, and market access. These challenges have deepened due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will contribute towards a resilient and inclusive recovery by providing evidence on how the “blue economy” (based on marine and coastal resources) can be harnessed to drive sustainable recovery efforts and how supportive policies and investments can be directed to those that need it the most.

The project will test and adopt climate-smart integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) of seaweeds and fish to improve livelihoods and resilience of fisher women in Kenya’s coastal region, with case studies in Kwale and Kilifi counties. It will engage beach management units, technological institutions, women’s groups, the private sector, and policymakers to study, co-design, and deploy model IMTA farms, and use them as platforms to gain practical insights. It will promote knowledge translation, dissemination, and learning for IMTA systems upscaling, climate change, and COVID-19 response strategies for the local community in Kwale and Kilifi counties, as well as other coastal communities in Kenya.