Development approaches are constantly evolving, acting on and utilising lessons learnt from past experiences. As a result, “good governance” approaches are currently topical, an intrinsic component of which is how rural poor people can participate in policy-making processes. By reviewing lessons learnt, and considering these with examples from within and outside India, an indication can be given of the most appropriate ways to begin to affect policy, although a specific blueprint will not be suggested.

This Learning Workshop on Livelihoods Analysis was held in Long An Province, Vietnam from 19-20 November 2002. It was part of an ongoing series of activities that will inform the implementation of the Ministry of Fisheries Strategy on Sustainable Aquaculture for Poverty Alleviation under the Vietnamese Government’s Hunger Eradication and Poverty Reduction (HEPR) Program. The recruitment in October of Nguyen Song Ha, STREAM Vietnam Communications Hub Manager, improved preparations within the Vietnamese national context.

A scoping Meeting on “Sustainable Aquaculture for Poverty Alleviation” was held in Hanoi , 23-25 May 2000. The meeting was held to review the role of aquaculture development (freshwater, brackish water and marine environments) in poverty alleviation and hunger eradication in Vietnam, to identify strategies for the more effective application of aquaculture and aquatic resources management to poverty alleviation, to review a draft framework for a programme on sustainable aquaculture for poverty alleviation and to prepare an appropriate action plan.

This System Requirement Report describes national level requirements for data collection and sharing mechanisms for fisheries co-management in the Philippines. It also provides a broad picture of the following for the national fisheries management level in the Philippines.

This report presents an overview of the state of aquatic resources in the Philippines, its performance and importance in the Philippine economy, and explores the situation of poverty in the "aquatic resources sector." The report describes the policy environment that guides the action of key actors in the sector. A general analysis of some trends in relation to factors that keep the poor from participating and benefiting from aquatic resource management is also provided.

In this issue:

Aquaculture and food security in Iraq. Natural breeding in captivity - conservation of the threatened freshwater featherback Notopterus notopterus. Culture of Penaeus japonicus. Enzymes for sustainable aquaculture. Review of global tilapia farming practices. Fish culture in Yucatan, Mexico. Shrimp farm project planning, preparation and implementation. Coping with low shrimp prices. Efficiencies in barramundi culture. The innovative contributions of women in aquaculture. Marine finfish section. What's new on the web. Aquaculture calendar.

This report provides a background to the issues of focusing aquaculture on poverty alleviation based on the conclusions of an FAO/NACA Expert Consultation, which was organised in order to provide field-level professionals in Asia with a unique opportunity to come together to share experience on working in the field of poverty alleviation and aquaculture, and to prepare a platform for future networking.

In this issue: An experience with group formation in Jabarrah, West Bengal. Aquaculture self-help groups in rural West Bengal. Lessons learned for Fulwar Toli from an exposure visit to Jabarrah. Livelihood intervention by Fish Farmers Development Agency - a success story from Mayurbhanj, Orissa. Understanding of assets-based livelihoods through participatory rural appraisal to eliminate hunger. Poverty ranking tools in PRA - experiences of EIRFP in addressing vulnerability. This edition is also available in Vietnamese, Khmer, Ilonggo and Oriya.

Knowledge of community fisheries and their capacity is a pre-requisite for co-management. This report illustrates the development of a pilot data collection, sharing and interrogation mechanisms for key information in support of co-management, identifying information requirements and procedures for the transmission and sharing of information between relevant stakeholders. A combination of focus group interviews with the community committee and village leaders, and participatory rural appraisal was used as a means of information compilation.

In this issue: Livelihood improvements through fisheries in the Pode community in Pokhara, Nepal. Women's participation in coastal resources management and livelihoods in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Supporting people's efforts and interactions in coastal resources management in Indonesia. Planning for a community fisheries M&E system. Identifying needs and recommendations for efficient stakeholder communications through an information access survey. IEC Seminar-Workshop in Support of Fisheries Ordinance Implementation in Roxas City, Philippines. About the STREAM Journal. About STREAM.