Illustration : Rosine Nsimire (Alliance pour la vie), Alessandro Musetta – Agathe, the matriarch above the water is a mixed-media digital publication documenting the experiences of artisanal fisherwomen from Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In a quickly altering world, beset by conflict and billionaire oligarchs, fishing livelihoods stay ignored in coverage discussions. US President Trump’s ‘drill child drill’ agenda, worldwide extractivism, neo-protectionist nature enclosure by way of 30by30 (International Biodiversity Framework), government-backed aquaculture growth, and profit-driven mega initiatives proceed eroding fisher peoples’ territories and livelihoods.
The rise of the unconventional proper has led some governments to scale back or eradicate improvement support, and philanthropy holds larger sway in figuring out what and who will get assist, additional deteriorating the funding panorama. As NGOs and fisher actions more and more depend on funding from philanthropy, this will result in co-optation of some organizations’ political agendas and create division between these sustaining meals sovereignty ideas and people following funder-directed focuses like 30by30, ‘blue meals’ and ‘blue transformations’.
Fisher actions should unite to debate political positions and ways. Following the Worldwide Planning Committee for Meals Sovereignty’s (IPC) resolution to keep away from endorsing the UN Meals Methods Summit, related positions could also be wanted on different imposed agendas. Fisher actions must set their very own agenda, and actively form the route of the bigger meals sovereignty motion. The third Nyéléni International Discussion board in September 2025 in Sri Lanka presents such a chance: to place fisheries on the agenda, construct solidarity with different small meals producers, meals employees and local weather actions, and advance the meals sovereignty wrestle.
