With International Women’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to share with you the stories and achievements of inspirational #WomenInAquaculture. From female empowerment to sustainability, these ladies are well and truly leading the way. With the House of Gharats’ new ‘Blue Fashion Silk Scarf Collection’ created from a sustainably farmed seaweed, it seemed only fitting for us to focus on seaweed farming and the role women play in the process.
The power of women in aquaculture
An overwhelming 70% of all aquaculture workers are female. These women are decision makers, collectors, scientists, traders and agents of change but still the vital part they play within the fishing and aquaculture industry is being overlooked.
Why? Simply put, women are fighting a hard and long fought battle against socio-cultural taboos and gender biased data which has removed them for the narrative. This needs to change, and it needs to change now.
Inequality in aquaculture stretches the length of the globe. From Asia and Africa to Europe, women continue to fight against cultural stereotypes, they fight for financial stability, for representation in decision making bodies and to become a visible part of the fishing industry.
Seaweed farming & female empowerment
Now that’s not a pairing you see every day. I know what you’re thinking, what does seaweed farming have to do with female empowerment. Just stick with us and all will become clear!
Across the coast of Asia and Africa it’s not unusual to see miles of seaweed farms stretching as far as the eye can see, but what is unusual is the people working on these farms. The majority are women. Not only that, they are entrepreneurs, they are change makers and they have been instrumental in shifting the gender power balance in aquaculture. Now that’s girl power.
Along the coast of Tamil Nadu, women have been harvesting seaweeds for decades. Everyday these women brave the odds to provide for their families. Instead of wet suits and oxygen tanks they dive into the depths of the ocean in nothing but their sarees, a mask and rubber shoes.
For many women seaweed farming has transformed their lives. In Zanzibar women are working together to provide a sustainable livelihood for their families. Social norms are changing, the gender balance is shifting and women are no longer restricted for simply being a woman.
Looking to the future
Once again women have been thrown onto the front line in the battle against climate change. It’s up to them to adapt, develop and drive change – and that is exactly what they are doing.
The rising ocean temperatures are killing seaweed, but these women are not going down without a fight. By working with researchers and scientists, local women are growing seaweed species which are able to survive in higher temperatures. Women are taking conservation into their own hands and winning. Their spirit, determination and power is contagious!
From sea to skin
At the House of Gharats female empowerment works hand in hand with sustainability. Working in collaboration with the Commonwealth Blue Charter initiative and Commonwealth Fashion Council we created the ‘Blue Fashion Silk Scarf Collection’ using ‘Seacell™ ’, a fibre made using sustainably farmed seaweed. It is our hope that sustainable seaweed farming continues to grow, this fibre has the potential to become an important resource not only for fashion but for the livelihoods of women across the world.
Women are adapting and with them we are changing the way the world views fashion. We are on a mission to change the world, one scarf at a time.
Have you ever heard of #seaweed silk?
See #BlueFashion designer @neishaagharat on how her design label branched out into marine-based fashion that is both beautiful & gentle on the 🌍
👉See her designs for yourself this week @FAO #Biodiversity2020 Atrium display | @FAOclimate pic.twitter.com/LHc0dTNln8— FisheriesAquaculture (@FAOfish) February 24, 2020
Wordsmith : Zoe Parsons