Abstract :
Those engaged in fishing, especially in small scale fishing, are very susceptible to uncertainties. Women members of fisher families, who tend to be responsible for managing the family’s food, face the problems of uncertainty first, especially when income is threatened. This paper assesses the roles of fisherwomen in adapting to uncertainties in two coastal communities of northern Java, Indonesia. It developed indicators of uncertainties with respect to fisheries livelihoods and tested these indicators using a multi-dimensional scaling method based on a modified version of the Rapid Appraisal for Fisheries (Rapfish) method. This technique is used for the first time to analyse the role of women in dealing with uncertainty in fishing. The paper also describes how empowerment of local communities can be used as a cushion for absorbing income fluctuations due to uncertainties. The research concludes that development programmes should also take into account the uncertainty in fisheries from the women’s point of view. Governments should pay attention to the dynamic of all dimensions of uncertainties, especially the fisherwomen whose husbands are fishermen as this group suffers the most, directly and indirectly, from uncertainties in fishing and changing climate.
