On 17th March 2026, the Dried Fish Matters (DFM) project convened its Working Group 3 (WG3) workshop on Policy, Governance, and Development at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Bringing together researchers from across South Asia, the workshop marked a key step toward developing a comparative regional synthesis of dried fish value chains.
As DFM moves toward its culmination, this workshop represents a major milestone in fulfilling Objective 4: to identify and promote priority policy recommendations and development interventions that enhance food and nutrition security, food safety, and sustainable, socially just livelihoods for vulnerable populations.
The workshop began by aligning participants around a shared goal: moving toward a structured journal publication that situates dried fish within broader policy, governance, and development debates.
A central conceptual session (online) led by Dr. C. Emdad Haque helped establish a common analytical framework, clarifying the interlinkages between policy, governance, and development. This laid the foundation for meaningful cross-country comparison.
Regional presentations from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh highlighted recurring challenges, including the limited policy visibility of dried fish, diverse governance arrangements, and its marginal positioning within development agendas. At the same time, strong comparative insights began to emerge across contexts.
Overall, the WG3 workshop represents a critical step in translating DFM’s research into policy-relevant knowledge and actionable insights, ensuring that dried fish is more effectively recognized within governance and development processes across South Asia.
As DFM transitions from knowledge generation to influence, this synthesis effort positions dried fish firmly within policy conversations where it has long been overlooked, yet remains vital for nutrition, livelihoods, and equitable food systems.