Like most renewable natural resources, fisheries are highly susceptible to overexploitation. Fuelled by weak governance and management arrangements combined with the increasing global demand for and trade in fish products, this represents a significant yet little understood cost to developing states’ economies which they can ill-afford to neglect.

Renewable resources from marine and coastal ecosystems, particularly fisheries, are valuable assets. With relatively modest investment combined with political determination, their inherent wealth can be unlocked and so help growth and poverty reduction.

Obstacles stopping countries from benefiting from fisheries:

* Poor planning capacity and awareness of options
* Little understanding of the potential economic value of fisheries
* Weak institutional capacity in public and private sectors
* Lack of fisheries policy and management arrangements
* Ineffective and non-conducive legal and fiscal climate for private investment
* Poor access to markets and barriers to trade
* Culture of corruption and non-compliance.

Illegal fishing

Illegal fishing is a massive global problem. Losses from illegal fishing are likely to amount to around $23 billion globally and more than $1 billion to sub-Saharan Africa. It also has a negative impact on the environment and on the livelihoods of current and future generations of poor people who depend on fisheries resources. Illegal fishing undermines the rule of law at national and international levels and distorts global markets by depressing prices for commodities that are particularly important to the economies of developing countries.

Agriculture is central to the economies of many poor countries and the lives of many poor people. Agriculture creates jobs and income, and helps the rest of the economy to grow by boosting demand for local goods and services. For every $1 of farm income in Zambia, a further $1.50 of income is generated in other businesses. But to expand agriculture, governments need to guarantee land ownership, make sure that regulation, standards and subsidies are appropriate, and ensure that land is used sustainably so it continues to be productive. They also need to invest in infrastructure (for irrigation and to get goods to market) and innovation (including adaptation to climate change); and promote access to rural financial services.

Nearly 2.5 billion people live on less than $2 a day, and more than 1 billion suffer from chronic hunger. We believe that progress is possible—on a large scale and in very poor countries. Approximately 1 billion people live in chronic hunger and more than 1 billion live in extreme poverty. Many are small farmers in the developing world. Their success or failure determines whether they have enough to eat, are able to send their children to school, and can earn any money to save.

Small farmers in the developing world face many challenges:

* Their soil is often degraded from overuse.
* They lack quality seeds, fertilizer, irrigation, and other farming supplies.
* Their crops are threatened by diseases, pests, and drought.
* When small farmers do manage to grow a good crop, they frequently lack access to markets.

Funders have sharply cut their international aid to agricultural development over the past few decades.
The majority of agricultural research and technology doesn’t reach or benefit small farmers in the developing world. In sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture employs two-thirds of the population but accounts for only 4 percent of government spending.

There is little support for women, who at times do the majority of the work.
In developing countries, women do up to 80 percent of the work on farms, like the planting, harvesting, and processing. They are responsible for both producing the food and preparing it for their families. Yet women farmers receive only 5 percent of extension services and are underrepresented in training programs. There are also few women in agricultural research and policy-making positions.

Improvements in agriculture help people in poverty improve their lives.When small farmers are able to get more out of their land and labor, their families eat better, earn more money, and lead healthier lives. In Asia and Latin America, improvements in rice and wheat crops several decades ago doubled yields, saved hundreds of millions of lives, and contributed to long-term economic growth. This “Green Revolution” showed it is possible to reduce hunger and poverty on a large scale but demonstrated the importance of focusing on the environment and the needs of small farmers.

The proposal to challenge poverty reduction.

Making the transition to a more diverse and faster growing economy is the key to sustained poverty reduction for the world’s poorest countries. But it is increasing agricultural productivity that has allowed poor countries to make the initial step on to the ladder leading to prosperity. This is particularly the case for labour-intensive, small-scale agriculture with its strong links to growth in other areas. No poor country has ever successfully reduced poverty through agriculture alone, but almost none have achieved it without first increasing agricultural productivity.

Reversing recent disappointing trends in agricultural performance is critical if poor countries are to escape the trap of slow growth and poverty. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where growth in agricultural output has barely kept pace with population. Productivity has stagnated, slowing wider economic growth and exacerbating poverty with it. In Asia, where so much of the green revolution took place, the rate of growth of agricultural productivity has begun to slow with serious consequences for further poverty reduction.

Nevertheless, while a second green revolution on the scale of Asia’s may not be possible today, evidence suggests that farmers in Africa and other priority areas can overcome these challenges and achieve significant improvements in productivity. A major change in agriculture’s performance in the world’s poorest countries is possible and must be achieved if millions of people are to escape poverty.

Now is the time to act and stop our empty talk and promises. How long are we going to stand a site and look? We can make a diffrence in the lives of many by acting positively now.