Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the association between proximity to and engagement with small-scale fisheries and household poverty and food insecurity using nationally representative data from Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. Results suggest that households engaged in small-scale fisheries were 9 percentage points less likely to be poor than households engaged only in agriculture. Households near small-scale fisheries were 12.6 percentage points more likely to achieve adequate food security and 15 percentage points less likely to be income poor. Households distant from fishing grounds were 1.5 times more likely to consume dried fish. Conserving benefits from small-scale fisheries is crucial for meeting Sustainable Development Goals in the region.

Fiona A. Simmance, Gianluigi Nico, Simon Funge-Smith, Xavier Basurto, Nicole Franz, Shwu J. Teoh, Kendra A. Byrd, Jeppe Kolding, Molly Ahern, Philippa J. Cohen, Bonface Nankwenya, Edith Gondwe, John Virdin, Sloans Chimatiro, Joseph Nagoli, Emmanuel Kaunda, Shakuntala H. Thilsted, David J. Mills