The Fish for Life program aims to improve the contribution of fish to food security and poverty reduction, particularly for indigenous women, children and families in the Bolivian Amazon.
Fish meat is nutritious and healthy, and as such it is essential in a balanced diet. In Bolivia, its consumption is low, and the fishing and fish farming sectors are facing various bottlenecks. Both fishing and fish farming have all the potential to offer quality national products and, at the same time, contribute to improving the living conditions of rural and indigenous communities through production and marketing, and complementing the diet of families with self-consumption.
What is our vision for the sector?
A developed and sustainable fishing and fish farming sector that contributes to the country's food security, which has achieved stimulation and horizontal participation of public and private actors, forming strategic alliances with joint and coordinated work, with access to financial services and technological innovations.
What is our mission?
We are a group of technical, multidisciplinary, specialized entities committed to the sustainable development of fishing and fish farming. We provide innovative services to promote the development and scaling of the fish farming and fishing sector.
How do we do it? Through applied research, the offer of financial services, the development of training processes and technical assistance, advice and strengthening of social capital, validation of productive technologies and articulation of multi-stakeholder platforms.
What do we do it for? To improve the conditions and livelihoods of the most vulnerable families and contribute to the development of aquaculture and fishing, ensuring the security and food sovereignty of the country.
Who do we do it for? For peasant families, indigenous populations and men and women producers in the Amazon region of Bolivia
Our values are: communication, transparency, coordination, equity, consistency, inclusion, responsibility.
Background
The result of a cooperation between Faunagua, the World Fisheries Trust and Agua Sustentable, Peces para la Vida began its activities in 2011, thanks to the support of the Canadian International Fund for Food Security Research (CIFSRF). Since its creation, with the objective of contributing to food security through the strengthening of fish value chains, it was established as an alliance between actors and institutions. During its first phase of activity (2011-2014), the project carried out numerous studies of the fishing and fish farming sector, managing to analyze and improve the production chain, strengthen the sectors in Bolivia and promote fish consumption. Phase 1 products and results are available on our website, and are marked with a yellow tick PPV1.
In 2015, Peces para la Vida entered its second operational phase, forming new alliances and consolidating its results with the aim of replicating and expanding the positive experiences identified.