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Celebrating Success: AIT Graduates Masters in Gender and Development Studies

Achieving a Master of Science degree is a significant milestone in academia. We are delighted to share the news that four Dried Fish Matters students, A Myint Zu, Nang Lun Kham Synt, Uon Sokmoly, and Myo Zaw Aung, have successfully completed their Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), all under the expert guidance of Professor Kyoko Kusakabe. We extend our warmest congratulations to these trailblazers for their outstanding achievements.

Each of the students brings to light crucial findings from their research projects. A Myint Zu’s study takes us to Myanmar’s dried fish industry, emphasizing women’s vital yet often overlooked role. Despite relentless stresses, from political upheaval and conflict to the COVID-19 pandemic and energy crises causing operational and financial hardship, these small-scale dried fish producers have showcased remarkable resilience, adapting and diversifying sales methods and income sources in the face of challenges. Nang Lu Kham Synt’s (Ying’s) research sheds light on the dried fish consumption of Myanmar migrants in Thailand, showcasing their continued attachment to traditional dried fish preferences. Regardless of gender, these migrants continue to savour the tastes of home, highlighting the symbol of convenience, homesickness, and storability associated with dried fish. Uon Sokmoly’s work immerses us in Cambodia’s rich tradition of fish processing, particularly Prahok, revealing how government-led relocations are shaping the choices of women Prahok makers. The study underscores the intricate interplay between tradition, gender norms, and individual choices in the evolving world of Cambodian Prahok makers around Tonle Sap Lake. Lastly, Myo Zaw Aung’s research delves into Myanmar’s shrimp paste industry, uncovering gender-based limitations and advocating for informed policies to bridge the gender gap, fostering economic independence for women. These studies collectively shed light on pressing issues, from resilience in adversity to preserving tradition and pursuing gender equity. In the following weeks, we will share further details of each of the students’ remarkable research findings with you.

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Congratulations to Professor Dr. Mirza Taslima Sultana for receiving a Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award at the University of California, Berkeley!

Professor Dr. Mirza Taslima Sultana from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, has been awarded the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program 2023-24. This US State Department award is for a nine-month visiting scholar position in UC Berkeley’s Department of Gender and Women Studies. Dr. Taslima will be conducting research on “Gender-based Trolling and the Public: Impact and Activism in Bangladesh and the United States.” Professor Taslima has been working on this issue for the last two years. Men, women, non-binary, or LGBTQ people are experiencing trolling; however, almost everywhere, the language of troll is very gendered. Furthermore, the extent of trolling and the resulting marginalization are not the same everywhere. Also, differences exist in addressing the problem legally. In this study, she plans to compare how trolling is shaping the public sphere in Bangladesh, where the idea of democracy is relatively new, and the USA, where democracy has been practiced for a long time. Dr. Taslima will explore how activists are addressing the issue and supporting trolling victims in these two countries. She has already done her field research for the study in Bangladesh; she will now undertake her research in the USA. 

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Research

Two major new papers by DFM co-investigators on fish and nutrition

Ben Belton and Shakuntala Thilsted are co-authors on two major new papers that assess the contexts that shape how fish and aquatic products influence nutritional and economic outcomes for producers and consumers in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Bangladesh paper looks at the importance of integrated aquaculture for economic and nutrition security. The Myanmar paper (a DFM output) analyzes the changing context of animal sourced foods, including aquatic foods, in Myanmar diets through analysis of nationally representative household consumption surveys.

Ignowski, Liz, Ben Belton, Hazrat Ali, and Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted. 2023. ‘Integrated Aquatic and Terrestrial Food Production Enhances Micronutrient and Economic Productivity for Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems’. Nature Food, September. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00840-8.

Scott, Jessica M., Ben Belton, Kristi Mahrt, Shakuntala H. Thilsted, and Jessica R. Bogard. 2023. ‘Food Systems Transformation, Animal-Source Foods Consumption, Inequality, and Nutrition in Myanmar’. Food Security, August. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01380-6.

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Two new DFM publications – July-August 2023

DFM is delighted to announce important new publications on the co-production of knowledge and just transitions in West Bengal’s dried fish sector and on the place of fish in nutrition transitions in Myanmar. Congratulations to the Ghosh, Mukherjee, Belton, Thilsted, and the other authors involved!

Ghosh, Raktima, Jenia Mukherjee, Aishik Bandyopadhyay, Subhradeep Chatterjee, Anuradha Choudry, Poulami Ghosh, Souradip Pathak, Amrita Sen, and Priyadarsini Sinha. 2023. ‘Analyzing Scenarios and Designing Initiatives toward Just Transitions: Coproducing Knowledge with(in) the Dried Fish Sector in the Indian Sundarbans’. Frontiers in Water 5. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2023.1043628.

Scott, Jessica M., Ben Belton, Kristi Mahrt, Shakuntala H. Thilsted, and Jessica R. Bogard. 2023. ‘Food Systems Transformation, Animal-Source Foods Consumption, Inequality, and Nutrition in Myanmar’. Food Security, August. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01380-6.

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Recent DFM Publications

We would like to highlight five recent articles published by members of Dried Fish Matters.

Implications of utilization shifts of marine fish in India: a macro‑level empirical analysis is a collaboration between multiple members of DFM lead authored by Prasanna Surathkal. Accepted in December 2022, the article analyzes structural changes in aquaculture production that suggest an increase in the ratio of fish-for-feed to fish for human consumption. Results from the analysis indicate that the fish meal and fish oil (FMFO) market gains are made likely at the cost of the dried fish segment.

Small Fish Consumption in Rural Myanmar disaggregates fish consumption data based on quantity, species, and size of fish eaten, a level of detailed analysis rarely achieved in governmental level food consumption surveys. A contribution by Dr. Rizaldo and Dr. Belton of World Fish and Wae Win Khaing, a PhD student at the University of Manitoba, the research found that women in the Ayeyarwady Region in Myanmar tend to consume larger amounts of small fish which may contain higher level of micronutrients.

A social wellbeing approach to the gendered impacts of fisheries transition in Gujarat, India was authored by Dr. Rajib Biswal, a post-doctoral fellow at Memorial University, and Dr. Johnson of University of Manitoba, uses a social wellbeing approach to look at the gendered livelihoods effects of 70 years of fisheries development in the town of Saiyad Rajpara, Gujarat. The move away from a local subsistence economy to a market-oriented economy led to material improvements, but a more mixed effects on the social and subjective wellbeing of the residents. On aggregate, women’s wellbeing has improved in comparison to men’s during this period.

A popular article published in The News Minute by our partners in Karnataka, Dr. Jyotishi, Prasanna Surathkal of Azim Premji Foundation, and Dr. Bhatta of Snehakunja Trust highlights the effects of investments in private and large-scale fish production and the ever-increasing encroachment on the livelihoods of small-scale fish producers and processors. The article explains three areas of encroachment: development of ports and eco-tourism areas as physical space dispossession; underrepresentation in policy development as political and legal dispossessions; and finally, increasing focus on fishmeal production as livelihood dispossession.

Gendered dimensions of social wellbeing within dried fish value chains: insights from Sri Lanka is the latest publication in Dried Fish Matters. The publication, led by Dr. Galappaththi, looks at a central question in DFM, specifically on the subjective, relational, and material wellbeing contribution of the dried fish value chain. The research argued that these value chains are especially important in contributing to the wellbeing of marginalized people, especially women.

References by order of appearance

Surathkal, P., Jyotishi, A., Bhatta, R., Scholtens, J., Johnson, D., Mondal, G., & Gupta, P. (2023). Implications of utilization shifts of marine fish in India: a macro‑level empirical analysis. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09752-5

Rizaldo, Q. V., Khaing, W. W., & Belton, B. (2023). Small fish consumption in rural Myanmar. Maritime Studies, 22(13). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00304-6

Biswal, R., & Johnson, D. S. (2023). A social wellbeing approach to the gendered impacts of fisheries transition in Gujarat, India. Maritime Studies, 22. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00299-0

Jyotishi, A., Surathkal, P., & Bhatta, R. (2023, April 13). Tragedy of the commons: In Karnataka, small-scale fishers are losing their foothold. The News Minute. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/tragedy-commons-karnataka-small-scale-fishers-are-losing-their-foothold-175830

Galappaththi, M., N. Weeratunge, D. Armitage, and A.M. Collins. “Gendered Dimensions of Social Wellbeing within Dried Fish Value Chains: Insights from Sri Lanka.” Ocean and Coastal Management 240 (June 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106658.

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The Passing of Dr. Mostafa Hossain

Dr. Mostafa Ali Reza Hossain – or Ranu, as he was known to many friends – was born on 16th March, 1967 in the district of Chapainawabgonj in Northwest Bangladesh. Mostafa completed a BSc in Fisheries from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in 1990, and an MSc and PhD from the University of Stirling, UK, in 1998, where he studied optimal rearing conditions for catfish. He subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship on fish biodiversity in Kyoto University, Japan, and a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Washington, USA, conducting innovative research on microplastics pollution in freshwater ecosystems.

From 1992, Mostafa worked at BAU’s Department of Aquaculture, serving as a professor for much of his career, including 2 years as the Head of the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics. During this time, he led or contributed to around 20 research projects, authored close to 100 journal articles, books and book chapters, and supervised numerous Masters and PhD students. He also served as a general secretary of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Forum, and as a member of the committee responsible for compiling the IUCN red list for Bangladesh.

A recent photo taken in Cox’s Bazar. Photo taken by: Nahiduzzaman Md.

Mostafa was one of the foremost experts on freshwater fish taxonomy in Bangladesh. His passion for documenting and sharing knowledge on the fish fauna of Bangladesh led him to establish singlehandedly a Fish Museum and Biodiversity Center on the BAU campus, where one of the main exhibits is a series of beautiful photographs of freshwater fishes that Mostafa painstakingly compiled himself over a period of many years. To help conserve and restore freshwater biodiversity, Mostafa created an experimental fish sanctuary in a branch of the Old Brahmaputra close to BAU campus that successfully enhanced fish stocks in the surrounding area.

Alongside his deep appreciation for and understanding of fish biology and ecology, Mostafa was fascinated by people, including those dependent on fish for their livelihoods and sustenance. His empathy, inquisitiveness, intelligence, approachability, and gentle and dignified demeanor made him an exceptional field researcher, capable of striking up conversation with and eliciting deep information from people from all fields of life. His talents in both technical and qualitative research, along with his wide-ranging interests and intellectual curiosity made him a natural trans-disciplinarian, equally at home and happy thinking and talking about fish biology and aquatic ecology, farm management and fishing practices, or wellbeing and culture.

Mostafa was dedicated both to living a good life, and to improving the lives of others. He helped to set up and raise funds for a night school at BAU campus for orphans and working children. His warmth, energy, enthusiasm, and generosity of spirit also enriched the lives of the many students, colleagues and friends fortunate enough to have known him. He was widely considered a ‘walking encyclopedia’ – the first person to turn to for information in all matters related to fish – but also recognized for his wisdom and good counsel and kindness and care in all other matters. He was someone to be listened to and trusted and learned from and admired and emulated.

The Someshwari, one of Mostafa’s favorite rivers in Bangladesh. Photo taken by: Nahiduzzaman Md.

All these qualities made Mostafa central of the Dried Fish Matters project. His early research on dried fish value chains in Bangladesh with colleagues from WorldFish provided much of the initial inspiration for the DFM project proposal. He was a cornerstone of the DFM Bangladesh country team, as well as a regular and active participant in DFM global, where he was a source of encouragement for many members of the wider project team.

Mostafa’s life was cut tragically short on January 29, when he suffered a massive heart attack on BAU campus. He will be deeply missed by all of those whose life he touched, but his legacy will continue through his work, and the work of the very many people to whom he served as a mentor and an inspiration. He was a beautiful soul in life, and will always be remembered fondly, with great love, affection, and respect.

Obituary written by Ben Belton, Nahiduzzaman Md., Samsul Alam, and Shakuntala Thilsted on behalf of Dried Fish Matters

Mostafa with DFM friends and colleagues on the last day of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Conference, Cochin, November 23rd 2022
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DFM Student Wins SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship

Our sincerest congratulations to Colleen Cranmer for her success in winning a SSHRC Doctorate Fellowship. Colleen will be conducting research as part of the Dried Fish Matters project in Cambodia. Her current working title is ” The Dried Fish Economy in the Tonlé Sap Region of Cambodia. Understanding How Women Contribute to Rural Livelihood Resiliency in an Uncertain and Changing Environment”.

Colleen’s research will explore the dried fish economy in Cambodia; to understand how household livelihoods depend upon dried fish and what this could mean for their future under changing and uncertain conditions. Her research will use socio-ecological resilience thinking embedded with a gendered analysis to deepen the understanding of how socio-ecological changes affect different groups and the complexity of gender relations, power, and agency amongst resource users. The research will take place at Tonlé Sap Lake and Floodplain,  one of the world’s most productive, fish-abundant freshwater ecosystems. The Lake is experiencing numerous anthropogenic stressors, limiting livelihood capabilities for the millions of Cambodians living in the region. Fieldwork will include interviews with local people currently involved in fish processing, those who have left fish processing, and market questionnaires with those selling dried fish products.

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E-book Prelaunch Announcement

We are pleased to announce the upcoming E-book by the Dried Fish Matters Partnership which will celebrate the cultural value of dried fish as food, alongside its social and economic value for development and sustainability. The volume consists of essays, recipes, stories, and reflections contributed by members of our research partnership. It provides a commentary on why dried fish matters – to researchers, to the communities in which dried fish is produced and consumed, and to the gastronomic heritage of humanity.

The book will be released as part of the TBTI Global Book Series later this year. In the meantime, we offer an appetizer in the form of a video from Dried Fish Matters in celebration of Sustainable Gastronomy Day on June 18, 2022.

Learn more: http://toobigtoignore.net/dried-fish-matters-exploring-the-social-economy-of-dried-fish/

Link to the Sustainable Gastronomy Day video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6woaG8hVME

In addition to the book, we would also like to share a recipe that our colleague over at the Hungrylankan.com, Roshani Wickramasinghe made. Please enjoy the delicious dish, Dried Queenfish with Coconut Milk!