ARE “KEEP LEARNING” HABITS IMPROVE FISHERMEN WELLBEING AND LITERACY LEVEL? A REVIEW

Abstract

The fishing industry is vital for the blue economy as it strongly supports a range of sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, fishermen -particularly small/middle-scale fishers in de- face government policy, climate changes, well-being, and literacy challenges. Literacy could be one of the opportunities for small-scale fishers to promote their well-being. This study aims to review third teen scholarly articles on the current literacy landscape and fishermen’s well-being by following the PRISMA standard. A systematic literature review was determined to described the two decades (2004 – 2024) of research related to literacy on fishermen’s economic well-being as a robust methodological framework guiding the procedures. As a result, the most studies were focused on the well-being of Small-Scale Fishers (SSF) or general fishermen rather than subsets like part-time fishermen, seasonal fishermen, or individuals who work as fishermen on a temporary basis. Research suggests that fishermen derive satisfaction from their profession, contributing to their happiness and overall well-being. The limited focus on continuous learning among fishermen is associated with widespread illiteracy, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Specific types of literacy, such as financial, digital, and computer literacy, offer potential benefits for fishermen and should be further explored in future research to advance the achievement of SDGs.

Keywords

• adult literacy
• education
• economic resource
• poverty
• environmental education
• policy