Fish-based products in school canteens

Because of the very favorable hydro-climatic conditions, coasts in Mauritania are reputed to be among the richest in fish in the world. Small pelagic species are of great economic importance as they constitute the main marine catches and are an essential resource in alleviating poverty and food insecurity.

In consideration of this situation and given the growing interest in school feeding, the Mauritanian State has requested the assistance of its technical and financial partners for the implementation of a sustainable school feeding policy. This policy will serve as a basis for the development of a national program of school canteens based on local products. It is in this perspective that GIZ and PAM are implementing the pilot project called “Fish-based products in school canteens” in cooperation with the International Labor Office (ILO). This project is part of the PromoPêche program, an initiative of several donors to support the development of sustainable fishing in Mauritania.

The general objective of the project is to contribute, through Promo-Pêche, to achieving food security and mitigating poverty by strengthening the value chain of artisanal fishing products and the creation of decent jobs and by promoting a sustainable use of pelagic fish in Mauritania.

The specific objective is to support the National School Food Policy in achieving the expected impact to improve the food security of students in the most deprived areas; and in particular the food for 57,378 students in 153 school canteens according to the PAM-GIZ-PNAS agreements of 2021.de