Capacity Development (CD) is one of the key enablers of the impact pathways for the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) on Fish Agri-food systems (FISH) and one of the key performance indicators for the program’s success. The global trend in agricultural research and innovation fora is to strengthen the focus on CD as necessary for realizing the impact on the ground.

CD in projects contributing globally to Sustainable Development can help researchers, institutions and fishermen and farmers to discover and develop their own expertise and confidence. However, it is through CD interventions directly from the communities and organizations in these countries, on these territories, that actions can affect and reduce poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation.

The Capacity Development Workshop will be held in WorldFish’s Headquarters on the 23rd and 24th of May, 2019. The workshop goal is to assess the capacity development activities supported by the FISH CRP program and to establish formally a Capacity Development Community of Practice (CoP) in WorldFish. The workshop will stimulate scientific dialogue around the framework to establish a coordinated approach to capacity development activities and will assess them by trying to respond to ‘what is needed’, ‘what is available and adequate to meet the needs’, ‘what is missing or needs improvement in order to meet the needs’ and ‘what actions are needed.’

The FISH CRP, being a multi-centre research program, makes strength in its geographical representation and its scientific research relevant by fostering the leap from individual learning to sustainable livelihood outcomes and impacts through an integrated cross-country CD approach paying particular attention to gender and youth issues and women’s empowerment.

The FISH theory of change (ToC) centres on the role of multidisciplinary research addressing the challenges outlined for the priority geographies, and the steps from research to development outcomes. It is in response to clearly identify needs of poor producers and consumers of fish along with those women and men whose livelihoods depend upon aquaculture and SSF value chains. Impact pathways for the delivery of outcomes stem from research in sustainable aquaculture and sustaining small-scale fisheries, both focusing on securing sustainable supplies of fish, improving livelihoods of fisheries and farmers and ensuring a contribution of fish to the nutrition and health of the poor.

Capacity development implemented along FISH impact pathways will contribute to enhanced institutional capacity in the public sector and private research organizations and improved capacity of women and youth to participate in decision-making.