Despite the high social importance of fisheries within Maldivian culture, there is only limited understanding of women’s contribution to the sector.

A recent research in Lh. Naifaru indicated that women are very active in one-by-one supply chains, taking responsibility for processing and selling tuna products. In comparison to this vital role that women play in the tuna fisheries, they face substantial challenges in terms of poor access to market information, unreliable buyers, and limited institutional support. They also face financial instability, a lack of transparency in tuna markets and a lack of visibility as key agents of development. They are often forced to handover their products to be sold by an intermediary at a reduced rate.

The project aims to streamline efforts to strengthen women’s role in the fishery industry through assistance in the following areas:

• Design and implementation of gender responsive solutions to the needs of female tuna producers
• Create a gender sensitive ICT platform to enable women tuna producers to engage fully in the market place.