Empowering Bolivian Women through sustainable small-scale pond Aquaculture

This project aims to reduce poverty and improve the well-being and gender equality for women and their families through equitable and sustainable aquaculture development. It responds to current issues around inadequate income sources social marginalization food insecurity and women’s unequal access to resources while consolidating previous success in the region through two phases of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (2011-2014; 2015-2018). The project uses the triangular model of cooperation between Bolivian Brazilian and Canadian partners including the Centre for Rural Agricultural Promotion (Bolivia); Ingenieria Marketing Gestion Consulting S.R.L. (Bolivia); Asociación de Productores Norte Integrado (Bolivian women-led aquaculture producer association); CIDRE (a Brazilian financial organization); Royal Roads University; University of Victoria (Gender Studies); and EMBRAPA (Brazilian state agricultural research and development company) to achieve sustainable results. Project activities include: (1) providing technical training for gender-responsible best aquaculture practices and pond management and technological innovations; (2) supporting women-led social entrepreneurship initiatives; (3) improving value-added production and marketing support; (4) supporting response protocols for facilitating access to local support groups (mitigating gender-based violence) and reducing participation barriers; (5) establishing a gender oversight committee for training and project review as well as an aquaculture roundtable; and (6) supporting training activities with producers in governance and equitable participation. The project benefits approximately 3 000 direct beneficiaries (including 60% women and girls) and 15 000 indirect beneficiaries (including at least 40% women) targeting ten municipalities in the Departments of Santa Cruz Cochabamba and Tarija.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) greater equity in access and control of sustainable aquaculture resources (inputs production income value-added products and benefits); (2) increased participation of women in decision-making and governance within their associations and the aquaculture sector; and (3) strengthened commitment of decision-makers to gender-equitable economic development particularly in aquaculture.