The ABALOBI initiative is an open, transdisciplinary and social learning endeavour, bringing together various stakeholders, with traditional fishers taking centre stage. ABALOBI, as a mobile app suite and programme, is aimed at social justice and poverty alleviation in the small-scale fisheries chain, transformation in the way they produce knowledge, stewardship of their marine resources, and resilience building in the face of climate change.

The concept of ABALOBI was born out of brainstorming sessions between the University of Cape Town researchers, the national Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and several small-scale fisher community representatives, following discussions on implementation of the Small Scale Fisheries Policy and United Nations FAO Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries

Small-scale fisheries (SSF), encompassing all activities along the value chain, play an especially important role in food security, poverty eradication, equitable development and sustainable resource utilisation. In Africa alone, marine and inland fisheries are estimated to contribute to the food security of 200 million Africans, and the income of 10 million engaged in after-catch commercial activities. With good governance practices these fisheries are suggested to possess greater capacity to meet the growing human demand for animal protein sustainably, than terrestrial sources. Nevertheless, these fisheries continue to be ineffectively regulated and data-limited, with many regional and international efforts still promoting top-down management and control measures. In many cases, such as in South Africa, approaches such as privatised use rights and no-take reserves have proven largely ineffective in addressing sustainability concerns, and are often socially unjust, with benefits accruing to the established industry and with limited participation by fishers themselves.