In the Maldives, “women are the ones that turn the fish into money”. However, women fisherfolk often struggle with delayed and unfair payment conditions, unreliable buyers and middlemen, and poor access to financial information, tools and training.

IPNLF Maldives came up with this game-changing solution that will connect women fisherfolk in Gemanafushi to an exclusive digital market platform to let them account for their own production and sales data, receive payments directly without a middleman, and conduct financial transactions online, build credit histories and access financial tools.

This innovation will give women fisherfolk direct marketing and branding control over their fish products and augment their commercial value. The platform, which will be accessible on mobile, will support transparency and traceability in the fisheries value chain and give consumers access to product information -- the woman who processed it, the island it originated, and potentially even the vessel and type of fishing gear that was used to catch the fish. 

IMPLEMENTATION STATUS: Progress summary as of November 2022 (PDF)