Integrating fisheries into irrigation planning and management: protecting and enhancing fisheries in irrigated areas
Policymakers and planners have tended to overlook artisanal fisheries?despite the fact that in rural areas, fisheries often contribute significantly to incomes and diets. An estimated 50 million people in developing countries derive income and food from inland fisheries. In locations as diverse as the Mekong, Amazon and Lake Chad basins, researchers found that rural households typically obtain 10 to 30 percent of their total income from inland fishing. And, particularly for poor households, fish is often the primary source of protein.