In 2002, the Philippines Government signed a Partnership Agreement with the NACA-STREAM Initiative. The initial focal point for STREAM work is Western Visayas, including the Sapian Bay and Banate Bay areas where BFAR Region 6, the STREAM country host, has on-going engagements, and also areas within Regions 6 and 7 where marine ornamentals collection and trading occur. The key disadvantaged groups for whom aquatic resources are a source of livelihood are the primary stakeholders for the initiative.

Although Vietnam has long been listed among the poorest countries of the world, it has recently made large strides in reducing poverty and improving food security. However, the dramatic gains in poverty reduction in Vietnam still remain quite fragile. There is growing evidence to indicate that dependence on aquatic resources is correlated to poverty, and that aquatic resources constitute an important component of wider livelihoods strategies (largely from the Mekong Delta, Central Coast and the Northern Mountains).

This assessment is intended to address the concern that the ecological and livelihood functions and values of rice fields and adjoining wetlands are not fully appreciated in development planning. A participatory assessment was conducted in Attapeu Province, Lao PDR to determine the role of aquatic resources in the nutritional status of people engaged in rural livelihoods and to determine any opportunities, constraints or threats that may exist concerning the management of aquatic resources and future development in the province.

The purpose of the workshop was to develop and document mechanisms for training in livelihoods approaches and analysis, and to build national capacity to conduct livelihoods analysis. The workshop in Ranchi was a joint India-Nepal event. A central element of the workshop was a visit to the Jabarrah community, where participants learnt about the community’s livelihoods. In addition to gaining information about the Jabarrah community itself, participants also had important insights into how best to conduct livelihoods analyses.

This study aims to provide an overview of media currently used in Vietnam, with particular focus on use of media for extension purposes, to explore access to information, and information exchange between stakeholder groups and institutions within the aquatic resources and fisheries sectors, to investigate the information needs of rural communities involved in fisheries and aquatic resources management and to make recommendations for increasing the efficiency of communication with different stakeholders.

This is the report of the “DLF/NACA-STREAM/FAO National Workshop on Livelihoods Approaches and Analysis” that was conducted in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 8-12 March 2004. The purpose of the workshop was to develop and document mechanisms for training in livelihoods approaches and analysis, and to build national capacity to conduct livelihoods analysis. The workshop in Vientiane was the first STREAM event in Lao PDR.

The aim of this report is to provide brief profiles of the main stakeholders within the aquatic resources and fisheries sectors in Western Visayas, to describe their access to information, and the communication between and within stakeholder groups, organisations and institutions within the sector. The report goes on to identify current needs and key action points which might maximise efficient communication.

This is the report of the “BFAR/NACA-STREAM/FAO Workshop on Livelihoods Approaches and Analysis” held in Iloilo City, Philippines from 24-28 November 2003. The main purpose of the workshop was to develop and document mechanisms for training in livelihoods approaches and analysis, and to build national capacity to conduct livelihoods analysis. The workshop in Iloilo was the first in a series which will take place in other countries in the region.

Wild-harvest fisheries for live reef fish are largely over-exploited or unsustainable. Sustainable aquaculture – such as that of groupers – is one option for meeting increasing demand for reef fish as well as potentially maintaining livelihoods of coastal communities. This report draws upon secondary literature, media sources and four diverse case studies from at-risk reef fisheries, to frame a strategy for encouraging sustainable aquaculture as an alternative to destructive fishing practices. It was commissioned by the APEC Secretariat.

The Second SPARK-STREAM Workshop on Livelihoods and Languages took place in Tagaytay City, Philippines, from 12-14 June 2003. The outputs of the workshop included drafts of a language-specific “Guide to Learning and Communicating about Livelihoods”, drafts of articles for STREAM Journal and SPARK Newsletter, identification of priorities and practical follow-up for capacity-building in carrying out participatory livelihoods analysis and the development of follow-up plans.

The purpose of this workshop was to build shared understandings of participatory livelihoods concepts and approaches, with emphases on the approaches as ways of thinking and working, and on learning from concrete examples from the experiences of STREAM in Cambodia and Vietnam, and SPARK in the Philippines. One outcome from the first workshop, was that between the two workshops participants would carry out follow-up tasks appropriate to their context.

Sulawesi has the largest coral reef area in Indonesia, at the epicenter of worldwide marine biodiversity, but is one of the areas most threatened in Southeast Asia by destructive fishing practices. This case study reviews the potential for aquaculture to provide alternative livelihoods for fishers within the context of an integrated, community-based coastal management plan with involvement of local communities empowered to control and steward their resources so that they can conserve and utilise them sustainably.

This case study describes the present status and trends, and provides recommendations for the improvement of aquatic resources management within Hon Mun Marine Protected Area (MPA), Nha Trang Bay, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. The case study also evaluates options for improving the livelihoods of local villagers through the development of ecologically sustainable aquaculture and fisheries, which include diversification following careful selection and trial of appropriate culture species, and application of “best practice” culture methods.

This study characterised the coral reef fisheries in Tubigon, Bohol, Philippines, and sought to derive lessons from the management interventions to eliminate unsustainable fishing practices and improve coastal livelihoods employed by various groups in Tubigon. The study investigated whether recent advances in aquaculture of grouper and reef fisheries had helped improve coastal community livelihoods and prevent unsustainable and destructive practices, and whether there was a role for the private sector in eliminating unsustainable fishing practices and improving coastal livelihoods.

The workshop objectives were to understand a process for transacting institutional and policy change, provide feedback to “finalise” six case studies which document experiences of rural aquaculture services provision from the perspectives of representative recipient and provider groups, to review emerging “indicators of progress” to feed into a consensus-building process and to provide input into a subsequent Policy Review Workshop. It contributed to giving people a voice in policy-making processes that have an impact on their livelihoods.

The six case studies published here grew in concept and content throughout the Project period. To follow the progress of the Case Studies, excerpts have been taken from previous Project documents, and adapted for the purpose of showing how they changed from an initial idea to the form in which they appear here and were presented finally at the Policy Review Workshop in Noida, Delhi, in April 2003. Each of the studies is different in focus and format. 

The aim of the Policy Review Workshop, as with all project activities, was “contributing to ‘giving people a voice’ in policy-making processes that have an impact on their livelihoods”. The workshop objectives included: Through six case studies, stakeholder statements and a street-play, understand the experiences of rural aquaculture services provision from the perspectives of recipients and providers; review the process for transacting policy change and lessons learnt; and make recommendations for policy change based on project outcomes.

This report, at the request of NRSP, highlights “research learning and new thinking” arising from project R8100. It considers the project’s process from a strategic viewpoint, which is summarised in a conceptual matrix. The main features of the process’s overall strategy considered in more detail are a strategy for bringing through the voices of poor people – described as facilitated advocacy, with the role played by the project being one of “making it easier for people to speak for themselves”.

The meetings and this document discuss the lessons learnt by project R8100 and consider how the follow on project might take these forward. This document combines the minutes of the Delhi meetings and the Stakeholder meeting in Ranchi, and captures as stories the summary of project R8100 and the visit to Jabarrah. The objectives of R8334 are presented, with comments on these recorded, and the project flow chart and proposed revisions to it are included.

Three consecutive State-level Communications Strategy Workshops were held in the capitals of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal states. The aim of the workshops, as with all project activities, was to “contribute to ‘giving people a voice’ in policy-making processes that have an impact on their livelihoods.” The specific objectives were to review and orient participants to the project’s four outputs and to draft a state-level communications strategy, including ideas for a monitoring and evaluation process.