Uncovering human social networks in coping with Lake Chilwa recessions in Malawi.

This paper provides an in-depth understanding of social dynamics in the form of kinship ties in matrilineal societies. It unpacks gender roles and relationships at the community level to understand how social structures, created by the pattern of relations, enhance or hinder coping initiatives during lake recessions in the Lake Chilwa socio-ecological system. Using qualitative and quantitative methods including in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and household questionnaires, this paper provides insights into how people in the Lake Chilwa social-ecological system prepare for and cope with Lake Chilwa water recessions by capitalising on their social networks. The findings have shown that during lake recessions poor households in the Lake Chilwa socio-ecological system are cushioned by fellow households through lineage networks. There is strong tradition secured through kinship ties where the generic term 'mwambo wathu' (our tradition) embraces a group of formative norms enforced via a series of rules and rituals. Based in a matrilineal system, women have strong rights over land allocation and use in which the female sorority group 'mbumba' is very stable. There is a great deal of reciprocity and food redistribution among the households. This self-organization provides deeper meaning about how people assimilate the dynamics affecting their social and natural environments. Specifically the findings provide evidence on how households, communities and their livelihoods in Africa are reconstructed as natural resources fluctuate.

A photovoice assessment for illuminating the role of inland fisheries to livelihoods and the local challenges experienced through the lens of fishers in a climate-driven lake of Malawi.

Small-scale inland capture fisheries provide an important source of nutritious food, employment and income to millions of people in developing countries, particularly in rural environments where limited alternatives exist. However, the sector is one of most under-valued fisheries sectors and is increasingly experiencing environmental change. This study adopts a Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and investigates how important a fluctuating inland fishery is to livelihoods, and how local perceptions on challenges corresponds to global evidence. Through an innovative participatory method; photovoice, the lived experiences and perceptions of fishers are depicted. The findings illuminate the valuable role of the sector to food and nutrition security and the complex nexus with vulnerability to climate change. The study responds to the call for more local level assessments of the impacts of climate change on inland fisheries in data-limited environments, and the value of the sector in underpinning the Sustainable Development Goals.

Proximity to small-scale inland and coastal fisheries is associated with improved income and food security.

Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative data from three sub-Saharan Africa countries (Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda) to investigate how both proximity to and engagement with small-scale fisheries are associated with household poverty and food insecurity. Results from the analysis suggest that households engaged in small-scale fisheries were 9 percentage points less likely to be poor than households engaged only in agriculture. Households living in proximity to small-scale fisheries (average distance 2.7 km) were 12.6 percentage points more likely to achieve adequate food security and were 15 percentage points less likely to be income poor, compared to the most distant households. Households distant from fishing grounds (>5 km) were 1.5 times more likely to consume dried fish compared to households living close. Conserving the flow of benefits from small-scale fisheries is important for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals in the region.

HIV and AIDS vulnerability in fishing communities in Mangochi district, Malawi.

The fisheries sector contributes significantly to Malawi's national economy and to the livelihoods of the poor as certain activities in the sector have relatively low barriers to entry. Various studies have shown that the fisheries sector suffers from high HIV prevalence in many low-income countries. In Malawi, HIV prevalence as well as the causes and impact of HIV infections among fisherfolk are yet to be assessed. Participatory action research was conducted in Mangochi District, in the southern part of Lake Malawi, between December 2007 and January 2008, to identify critical HIV-risk points along the value-chain for the Lake Sardine or usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) fishery. Data were collected through interviews with key informants and from focus group discussions at the community, institution, district and market levels. An analysis of vulnerability resulted in the formulation of mechanisms to redress HIV and AIDS prevention and mitigation at each point of vulnerability. The findings show that HIV and AIDS vulnerability in the fishery's market-chain is highest where fish processing and trading influence sexual relationships between fishermen and female fish traders. The period of high usipa catches (December to March) coincides with a period of food shortage and fishing offers income-generating opportunities for many food-insecure households. This increases competition in processing and trading fish, a socio-economic situation that may result in increased instances of transactional sex. The interactions along the usipa fishery's market-chain, from rural to urban settings, also favour the transmission of HIV from areas of high prevalence to areas with otherwise low HIV risk.