both cases they told that they husbands and families approved of them working. Two furthermore mentioned, “My family is proud of me to work”. For one of the women, it was her first job whereas the two others had worked before. 5.3 Consumption of fish Although not clearly stated among it objectives, it is considered a positive side effect of the project if the consumption of fish can be boosted in Berbera and Somaliland at large. First of all, it provides an excellent opportunity to increase market potential, while it also has additional advantages in terms of food security and nutritional value. With this in mind, the questionnaire contained a section on “Fish consumption” asking households about the number of meals containing fish per week, as well as which types of meat are most consumed in the household. The rationale for including these questions is to have a baseline foundation against which to compare when the same questions will be applied in the mid-‐term review and end of project final impact assessment (2017)18. With regard to the first question of “How many meals per week (average) served in the household contain fish” the answers were: Table 4: Household consumption of fish
No of meals/week containing fish 0 meals/week 1-‐3 meals/week 4-‐6 meals/week 7-‐9 meals/week Above 10 meals/week
Answers (total 56) 0 29 20 5 2
As can be seen from the table, majority (26) of households eat 1-‐3 meals/week containing fish, but a noticeable large part (20) eats fish 4-‐6 meals/week. According to the report on the fishing industry, cultural norms in Somalia and Somaliland have framed fishing as an inferior industry in the past. This has also meant that fish meat was considered to be of a ‘lower status’ than others. However, according to the report, there has been a shift that has seen a greater acceptance of fish and fishermen. Much of this has to do with Somalis increasingly recognizing the health benefits of eating fish. Local doctors, the government, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have promoted the healthfulness of fish. In such a volatile environment that is often affected by drought and famine, the importance of dietary diversity is gaining salience19. 18
The selection of respondents is somehow biased because they were selected as beneficiaries and therefore already working in the fishing industry. For some the fish is part of their salary, and not something they have prioritised to buy. Furthermore the awareness of fish and its nutritional assets are probably more familiar to this group than the population at large. 19 Michael Smith: Industry Analysis: Fishing in Somaliland, Shuraako, March 2013.
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