Oxfam America

Fish Trade, Food, and Income Security:

An overview of the constraints and barriers faced by small-scale fishers, farmers, and traders in the Lower Mekong Basin

Research Paper

Published: December 2005

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Publication Summary

As riparian governments advoate freer trade and develop physical infrastructure, trade networks, including for aquatic living animals, trade will likely become more efficient through largers investment by fewer traders. Whether this trade efficiency and economic growth are accompanied with a progressive distributional change, among farmers and fishers, is currently under debate. Without a clearer policy agenda that reflects the diversity and social nature of fish trade relations at the local levels, the ability of fishers, farmers, and traders to secure their food and income may be compromised.