Projectdescription
The project seeks for the development of a fishing community in the Uraba Golf (Choco, Colombia) through education and training of the fisherman in a way that will teach them methods of environmentally responsible fishing and the protection of biodiversity, together with investigation and recovery of species, in order to benefit not only the fishing community but the environment too. The main idea is that fisherman will receive a green label that guarantees that the fish has been caught with environmentally responsible methods. In the same way, the restaurants that buy those fish will also receive a green label that certifies to the consumers that the fish they are eating is enviromentally responsible. The funds obtained from the sale of fish will be devoted to the fishing cooperative, so as well to social programs such as building new schools, improvement of fishing and housing recovery. All of this in order to create a culture of environmental awareness.
We will ensure that fisherman are using the techniques that they learn in this program, first by the monitoring that the ministry of agriculture will due periodically owing that it is the one in charge of giving the green label to the fisherman, and second the INCODER being the entity in charge of the training it is the one also in charge of evaluating that the fisherman are actually using the methods they learn during the training.
The cooperative has within its goals the scientific research of the different species, and how they contribute to the recovery of the environment.
Community description:
In the northwestern border of Colombia and Panama in the department of Choco you can find the municipality of Acandi, founded in 1887. The area is composed basically by rainforest with an annual average precipitation between 4,000 – 8,000 mm, the average temperature is 25.3 °C.
Before the colonization the region was inhabited by indigenous Kunas, today afro-colombian communities inhabit the land. The division of work within the community is: women are responsible for the home and children, while the men are out in search of daily living, dedicated to fishing of cagona (Kyphosus sectatrix), Cojinua (Caranx sp), Pargo rojo (Lutjanus spp.), common Sierra and carito (Papuan spp.), Atlantic Bonito (Euthynnus alleteratus), Agujeta (Tylosurus spp.), common lobster (Panilurus argus), Octopus, Parrot fish, among others, they also do heavy work where they remove marine and river deposits like sand and stones, some of them work on extensions of livestock or agricultural activities for their own families.
Now, this project is focused on the fishermen community, their life style is being affected because while time passes they have to travel further and spent longer out fishing to catch the same amount they used to years ago and when they come back to land not all the fish is sold. The improvement that this project permits will be the security of having fish commonly consumed available in the marine fishing area, and the security for the fishermen that all the catch will be sold if the way it’s done is sustainable. Adding to this the money obtained will help the reduce de 48% poverty found in the region, and to reduce the 48% of homes with unsatisfied basic necessities.
The improvement this project is going to bring the fishermen of the region is divided in three goals:
- Improve fishermen’s income by buying their environmental responsible fish.
- Improve the region’s environmental conditions by training fishermen in sustainable fishing methods, conditioning the purchase to its use.
- The money obtained by the fish sale to the restaurants interested in the acquisition of a green label will be reinvested in social work.
The training is going to be in charge of the “subgerencia de pesca del INCODER”, a governmental institution related with the agricultural, farming and rural development of the different communities of the country. Within this entity goals are the promotion and development of diffusion, training and assessment activities, including the enforcement of the fishing activity, for the sustainable development of resources.
We haven’t had any contact with the restaurants yet. Our goal is to contact them with a clear developing project, for that we need to have a previous agreement with the fishermen. However it is important to remark that there is a considerable interest in the consumers for environmental friendly products in commercial centers, big supermarkets. There are already some restaurants that work with environmental friendly products.
On the other hand, the Green Label already exists in Colombia. There are two, the first is awarded to the product for been obtained by environmental fishing means. Its granted by the “Ministerio de Agricultura de Colombia” according to resolution number 187 of 2006. The other green label is called the “Sello Ecologico Nacional” and is granted by resolution number 1555 of 2005 of “Ministero del Medio Ambiente”.
Project objectives
1. Educate the fishing population to develop sustainably fishing
2. Promote community development by reducing poverty giving them the chance to have their own business selling ambientally responsable fish.
3. Investigate about the zone´s most important species of fish by studying the amount of fish.
4. Encourage environmentally responsible consumption through joint work between the fishermen and restaurants
short term goals:
- Environmental responsible fishing Education
- Unify the fishermen in a work cooperative
- Establish relationships with restaurants interested in environmental friendly consumption.
- Replace and improve fishing methods.
Long term goals:
- Poverty decrease improving fishermen welfare by means of an increase of their income.
- Community welfare by means of investment of the cooperative incomes.
- Environmental welfare by means of sustainable fishing techniques.
- Environmental welfare by means of scientifical investigation of the region marine species.
- Implement environmental friendly consumption by means of social networks as facebook, where restaurants that work with us will be benefited receiving publicity about the green label.
Target group(s) of the project
The target group is the afrocolombian fish community living in the Uraba golf most specifically in Acandi , with a population of 4,487, who has struggle all their lives with poverty and hunger. With this Project we expect to give them a better quality of life through ambientally
responsible fish sale, giving them the opportunity not only to help the environment but to overcome all the social and economic problems creating a better community.
The group is going to be involved through the application of environmental responsible concepts obtained in such type of fishing training. Additionally, the associated work cooperative figure ensures that their members will be involved with the development of social work for the community.
Our plan is to first start with more or less 50 fishermen, later the fishermen who are interested in the idea can join us. On short term our goal is to have more or less 100 fishermen. On long term our goal is to group at least 300. Our final goal is to unite all the fishermen of the region.
In what way does this project contribute to reducing poverty?
The Project contributes to poverty reduction through the creation of a fishing cooperative that its financially sustainable with the funds generated from the fish sale,wich promotes ambientally responsable fishing, also promoting fish sale to fisherman giving them the opportunity to have their own sustainable business that generates economical and social prosperity.
Sustainability
Once the cooperative is established, the environmental responsible fish sale allows it to be self sufficient, it also contributes to the sustainable development of the region by giving environmental education to everyone of the community, giving incomes to fisherman that joins the agreement of environmentally responsible fishing and doing important social Works like building schools and libraries with funds obtained from selling fish to restaurants.
The fishing will be monitored by “INCODER” and our experts in biology and ecology. The competition will not be an issue about price but about quality, because our product will have a green label. This means that our customers are compromised with a better world. Reducing poverty and contributing to sea species conservation. This would be translated in a positive publicity to these restaurants via a green status acquisition and social networks such as facebook, classifying them as compromised with the planet conservation.
