Agriculture Development and Poverty Reduction in the Maldives Abdulla Naseer Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture , Maldives
Nov 11, 2014
Agriculture Development and Poverty Reduction in the Maldives
Abdulla NaseerMinistry of Fisheries and Agriculture ,Maldives
The islands…
Chain of very small islands in the Indian Ocean
1200 small coral islands Combined land area of all islands:
300 sq km
Island use About 200 islands are inhabited Approximately 150 islands developed for
tourism and other industries 35 Islands are leased for commercial
farming Remaining islands are used mainly for
agriculture and fishery related activities Smallest inhabited island: 4 ha (fishing
community) Largest inhabited island: 500 ha (farming
community)
Population
Population: 320,000 Under 18 : 100,000 Old age +65: 15,000 GDP (2010): 906 million US$ Per capita GDP: 2,834 US$ Fisheries and Agriculture
contribution: 5%
Population distribution on Islands
A third of the population (100,000) lives in Male’
75 islands = <500 people 105 islands = 500 – 2000 population 12 islands = 2000 – 5000 3 islands = 5000 – 10000 1 island = 10000 plus
Fisheries Sector Tuna Fishing: over 100,000 MT of fish
landed annually Over 1000 tuna pole and line boats Fishing method utilizes a high workforce
by design – other methods banned Fish processing by small holder fishers 10,000 to 15,000 fishermen and small
holder processors Women participation high in fish
processing
Catch Share systems and fishing method
These are key to the income distribution poverty alleviation in rural fisher communities
Fishing boats employ a complex traditional system of sharing the catch
A good catch means everyone benefits
Usually the boat owner gets a larger share
Pole and line method maintains a large fishing population
Fish processing
Small holder fishers Mostly women involved Home kitchen Dry and packaging Large sector in reduction of poverty Currently affected by commercial
operators
Fish processing concessions
No taxation or royalties levied from small holder fish processors
These concessions to small holders are sometimes abused by larger middlemen affecting small holder activities
Small holder fishers are at risk of losing advantages to such activities
Fisheries Development
In the past 3 decades the fisheries sector has developed with much concessions
Loans have been provided for boats and engines consistently
The sector has grown constantly under government inputs in the form of boat building, freezing and canning facilities
Fisheries Development
Exemption of duties for imports of materials and equipment
Investments in fish purchasing centers
Fisheries developed fast with open access
Policy shifts now to management and sustainability
Fisheries Policy changes
Loans have moved from Government to Banks
Local market development Development of Urbanized Islands
and privatization. Health and education developed at
these centers
Agriculture Sector
Agriculture crops: water melons, bananas, taro, leafy vegetables, pumpkins,
Mangoes, breadfruit, coconut products
Most fruits and vegetables are imported.
Farming done on small plots of land: average size: 5-10,000 sq ft
Poor soil and heavy use of fertilizers Traditional methods
The “tsunami effect”
Since the tsunami agriculture production has increased notably
Agri inputs were provided to all tsunami affected island
Training programs were conducted Many projects were launched with
FAO, IFAD, ADB, WB assistance amongst many others.
Few of these are ongoing 5 years on
Agriculture development
Fishing the dominant sector has stabilized at a 100,00 MTs
Agriculture output is increasing and much effort need to be put in to develop agriculture.
Process of overall development has shrunk the agriculture sectors.
The contribution to GDP from fisheries and agriculture has declined with tourism development
Agriculture has the potential to expand in terms poverty alleviation and GDP contribution
Economic development on islands Growth of island economies are largely
related to fishing and farming in most islands
Backyard gardens/farming very important for income generation
Market accessibility is the main constraint Very few established markets Housing, health and education are
strongly related to the agriculture sectors - fishing
Tourism and Agriculture
Tourism started in the early 70’s Fishing was the dominant economic
activity then Since then revenue from Tourism has
taken over Agriculture sectors. Tourism created many jobs but not
for small farmers and fishers Tourism was also to create new
markets for local produce
Negative impacts of Tourism Conflicts between fishers and tourism
industry Tourism related bans of fish species The one island one resort concept Resorts grow their own fruits and
vegetables Resorts also operate their own fishing
boats Overall loss of income for communities
Development effects
Loss of farms and fishing seem to be the norm with economic diversification on islands
3 of the most developed islands now do little farming or fishing
Urban development paves the way for competition for land
Activities such as construction and other industries quickly take over
Island specialization
Specialized rural farmer and fisher communities exist and they are very successful in overall development of the island
One island where water melons are the key crop grow amongst few others.
Islands where only a certain type of fishery is practiced: eg lobster fishing.
Many advantages of this type of specializations. Becomes the driving force for overall
development of health, education and housing
Decentralization
Under the decentralization law new island councils will be elected in the next few months.
The new decentralized administration will have profound effects on agriculture development
Assistance need to be provided for the councils to manage agriculture
New concepts
Ways to overcome constraints to markets and trading
Cooperatives and community based producer organizations
Met with skepticism and limited successes
Overall a very difficult concept to sell for small holder fishers and farmers
New approaches
Training Laws and regulations Community based efforts Promoting Integrated approaches NGO involvement – new concepts Training centers being developed Linkages between commercial
operators and small holder farmers Supply contracts
Need for Legislation and regulation
No agriculture law Agriculture related laws are now
being drafted with assistance from FAO
Fisheries Law is under review Agriculture related Land issues are
difficult to be address due to lack of legislation
The way ahead
Training and skills development Sustainable fisheries management Quality assurance Value chain development –
Thank you