TRY Oyster Women’s Association is a community-based organization of over 500 women oyster and cockle harvesters in The Gambia working to raise their standard of living by improving their livelihoods. Mangroves are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on earth, but they are also in grave danger from development, deforestation, salt-panning, pollution and over-exploitation.
In a mangrove forest, an oyster takes 6 months to grow, attaching itself to the mangrove root system. Oyster harvesters in The Gambia gather the oysters from the mangrove roots using rudimentary tools. Often, these women cannot swim and therefore they their lives in small locally-crafted canoes in order to bring in a few dollars a day for their families. Oyster beds are also sharp and dangerous; a risky place for a person without proper shoes or gloves. After carefully gathering the oysters, the women traditionally steam (or grill them), remove their shells, and then sell them by the roadside for the equivalent of a few dollars per kilogram. These oyster harvesters face a number of serious challenges:
* They lack proper harvesting tools such as boats, boots, gloves, and life
jackets.
* Oyster harvesting is seasonal and only 4 months/year. Therefore, during the
off-season, the women often find themselves in extreme hardship and
indebtedness. These women are often the sole breadwinners in their families
and despite their hard work, they do not earn enough money to buy food,
clothing and transportation that their families need in order to survive.
* Oysters are gathered under dangerous conditions. Women have been injured
by animals and attacked (and murdered) by criminals. Many cannot swim and
are at risk of drowning.
* Oyster stocks and mangrove roots are at dire risk of being over-exploited. When harvesters lack proper education and understanding of sustainable
harvesting methods, they tend to harvest oysters too-often, resulting in
over-use of the mangrove forests and under-development of the oyster. Though TRY is working very hard to educate oyster harvesters on responsible
management of resources, some disagree with TRY’s efforts and refuse to
cooperate with the organization’s sustainable harvesting practices, resulting
in conflict and over-harvesting.
