This conference of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) focused on ‘Global Challenges, (G)Local Solutions’, a core concern of Mundus maris. Hosted by the University of Antwerp and the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) in Belgium, the conference brought together several hundred scholars and practitioners from around the globe, including many students from what is often termed the ‘Global South’. They were all grappling with making sense of how to respond most effectively to climate change, resource over-extraction, war mongering, refugee crises, and the many injustices that divide people when cooperation offers greatest hope for solutions.

Cornelia E Nauen of Mundus maris presented work on small-scale fisheries as an important of the future in West Africa. The presentation was co-authored by Stella Williams and Ayojesutomi Abiodun-Solanke from Nigeria. It drew on work by Mundus maris in the region and was further bolstered by a literature review.

The core message is that the Small-Scale Fisheries Academy with its inclusive learning-by-doing methods can change attitudes and confer greater self-confidence irrespective of formal education or status. The Academy space for safe, respectful, multi-actor dialogue relies heavily on visual facilitation and Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC). This has a demonstrated ability to strengthen agency among men and women in the different trades of the value chain.

The SSF Academy is all the more essential as overfishing, poor management and tolerating fishing for fish meal as animal feed for export, rather than for food, is aggravating the crisis. These practices are among the major drivers of intertwined environmental and social crises requiring urgent corrective measures. Many years of top-down management approaches have shown not to work. So, working with the men and women directly concerned and knowledgeable about local conditions, is a must. It is also the most promising way towards regeneration of the resource and the livelihoods in coastal areas as their recognition and active participation enhances voluntary compliance with rules.

The talk triggered quite some interest. It was a fortunate coincidence that the SSF Academy in Ghana had gotten off to a successful start so that a fresh example could be cited in the discussion. See the slides here.

Cornelia delivered the talk in a so-called ‘harvesting panel’ titled ‘The Role of Participatory Research in Connecting Local and Global Agendas: Fostering and Including Diverse Voices for Sustainable Futures’. It addressed a wide range of topics from ground action against plastic pollution to inclusive and participator education in the UK and in Southern Africa. The panelists participating on-site seized the opportunity for more exchanges.

This huge conference with presentations, round-tables, and keynotes addressing a vast area of contemporary challenges on the road to more sustainable sharing of the Blue Planet, had large numbers of parallel sessions forcing hard choices for participants, whether on-site or online. It was definitely worth participating and coming away with new inspirations. The conference website is accessible here.