PROMOTING COMMUNITY ENTERPRISES LINKED TO THE ARTISANAL FISHING CHAIN
The participatory development of processing units that are appropriate for local community production is essential to add value to socio-biodiversity products and ensure food sovereignty and security. This process involves the active collaboration of communities in the design, implementation and management of these units, ensuring that they meet specific needs and respect local traditional knowledge. The creation of these units not only enhances the quality and value of products, but also strengthens the local economy, promotes environmental and cultural sustainability, and ensures that communities maintain control over their resources and ways of life.
PROBLEM SOLVED
Fishing is an integral part of the cultural system and way of life of these populations, and is highly relevant to the continuity of the cultural heritage it represents. Furthermore, fishing ensures food and nutritional security and is an important source of local employment and income. Like family farming, artisanal fishing has historically been neglected in the country, becoming invisible due to the informal nature of the activity and the lack of adequate public policies. Bureaucratic obstacles and excessive conservationist caution have criminalized fishing, resulting in an ever-decreasing number of practitioners with ancestral knowledge in the field. This scenario has caused a progressive distancing from the culture linked to the sea.
SOLUTION ADOPTED
Through technical visits, sharing, exchanges and specialized advice on business management and development of traditional products, the aim is to enhance the artisanal fishing chain in traditional Caiçara communities, promoting two pilot projects in Almada and Trindade that can inspire other initiatives in the region.
RESULT ACHIEVED
Adding value to products generated by fishing in traditional Caiçara communities is a promising strategy for strengthening the way of life around fishing. Promoting community enterprises linked to the artisanal fishing chain is directly related to promoting a solidarity economy in the territory, strengthening cultural heritage and the associated way of life, maintaining people in traditional territories and making sustainable use of fishing resources. Structuring this production chain promotes a sense of community belonging, strengthens traditional cultures and the economy of fishing families, and expands and renews the capacity to fight and defend Caiçara territories.