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In most developing countries, the majority of people involved with seaweed farming are women. Their immense contribution
to the industry has been widely demonstrated and evaluated in successful examples/case studies. These ‘seaweed
women’ have made significant advances in the sustainability of seaweed farming for more than four decades and their
dedication, patience and resilience illustrate tenacity in the face of crises. The roles of women are complex, including handson
farming activities as well as small-scale processing to produce value-added products based on the seaweed biomass
cultivated. We detail the role of women in seaweed aquaculture in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO, including Africa and
India) and South-East Asia. In Africa, there are significantly more women than men employed, and their roles are more
varied, whilst in South-East Asia, men and women are involved in almost equal numbers at the various levels of the seaweed
industry. Seaweed farming in SE Asia is carried out by family-owned businesses which involve all working age members of
the family, be it nuclear or extended family members, as compared with the WIO region. Five case studies of individual
women are provided to show how they have been and continue to be the pillars of the seaweed farming industry. Economic
gains from seaweed farming in both regions have provided positive and favourable changes in the quality of life (e.g. food,
shelter, clothing, health care and social acceptance) of the family members involved. The case studies point to the
commitment of women as the driving force of the seaweed industry, adding value to seaweeds, especially in the WIO.
With such women spearheading the seaweed industry, the benefits will continue to be shared with whole families as well as
other community members, as mothers are strong anchors of the families in many communities in developing countries. |
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