The “Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture Development and Watershed Development Project” consists of four components which include:

• Sustainable capture fisheries and watershed management
• Aquaculture development
• Fish value chain strengthening
• Project management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation.

The project promotes diversification from capture fisheries to aquaculture ventures, and hence increased production and incomes. It contributes towards increased livelihoods and employment opportunities, reduction of local fish prices, increased export of commercial fish species, and increased fish production to meet food and nutritional security.

The project contributes towards poverty reduction through improved fish commodity value addition and increased consumption, strengthened nutritional security, and greater climate resilience in Malawi.

The project’s benefits include:

• sustained income from fisheries
• increased recovery of stocks through multispecies and watershed management
• employment opportunities through processing and value addition activities
• increased local access to fish protein consumption.

The estimated number of direct project beneficiaries is 20,000 fishers, fish farmers, students, and value chain entrepreneurs of which 50% will be women in the targeted regions. Indirect beneficiaries are estimated at 250,000 of which the 40:60 Gender Policy ratio of either sex is considered indicating greater involvement of women where necessary.