Fish for Life II

Strengthening Food Security in Bolivia

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Fish for Life II: Strengthening Food Security in Bolivia

Fish for Life II is a vital initiative dedicated to enhancing the small-scale fishing and aquaculture sector in Bolivia. This project plays a crucial role in improving food security and reducing poverty, with a special focus on empowering women and indigenous populations.

The project promotes the adoption of Good Production and Environmental Practices to ensure the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture activities. Through a collaborative alliance of Bolivian and Canadian institutions, “Fish for Life II” provides technical and social information, creates opportunities for knowledge exchange, and facilitates access to financial services.

Key Objectives and Achievements

The main objective of the project is to enhance the contribution of Amazonian fish to poverty reduction and food security in Bolivia. The second phase of the project (2015-2018) focused on scaling up the most promising solutions to overcome challenges in the fish value chains. This resulted in:

Increased productivity, income, and food security for participating communities

The project has had a significant impact on improving the lives of many Bolivians. By focusing on enhancing the small-scale fishing and aquaculture sector, it directly contributes to improving food security and reducing poverty. A clear indicator of this success is that the number of families involved in fish farming nearly doubled, growing from 937 to 1,800 between 2014 and 2017. These efforts have led to greater economic stability, as highlighted by producers who have seen their quality of life improve through greater fish production and new ventures, such as restaurants.

Strengthened technical, organizational, and social capacities and networks

Through a collaborative alliance of Bolivian and Canadian institutions, the project works to build a stronger foundation for the fishing and aquaculture sector. It achieves this by providing essential technical and social information and creating valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange. This approach not only helps participants adopt Good Production and Environmental Practices but also helps to consolidate multi-stakeholder platforms. These platforms improve fish production and marketing strategies by connecting communities and creating strong networks.

Development of sustainable businesses, especially those owned by women and indigenous families

A key focus of the project is to support the creation and growth of sustainable family businesses. To achieve this, it has facilitated access to financial services, resulting in the disbursement of over $1.9 million in micro-credits to support vulnerable groups and family businesses between 2015 and 2017. The project has been particularly effective in the empowerment of women, who have found in fish farming a motivation to promote family unity and gain economic stability, as demonstrated by the success of families like Ana Aguilera’s, who now manage a restaurant specializing in grilled fish.

Where We Work

Bolivia is home to nearly 1,000 species of fish. By combining conservation with the sustainable use of these resources, we contributed to increased fish consumption and food security for Bolivians. This also helped to solidify the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 commercial and indigenous fishing families.

The Amazon

Our work in the Amazon region covered three key departments:

  • Beni and Pando: We worked in one municipality (Riberalta), five Indigenous and Rural Community Territories (TIOCs), and one Protected Area.
  • Santa Cruz: Our intervention extended across three municipalities: Yapacaní, San Carlos, and San Juan.
  • Cochabamba: We were present in two municipalities: Puerto Villarroel and Entre Rios.

Lake Titicaca

We also intervened in the Lake Titicaca region to support local fishing communities.

Our Vision and Mission

What is our vision for the sector?

Our vision is to see a developed and sustainable fishing and aquaculture sector that contributes to the nation’s food security. This is a sector that has stimulated the horizontal participation of both public and private actors, forming strategic alliances through joint and coordinated work. We envision a sector with broad access to financial services and technological innovations.

What is our mission?

We are a group of technical, multidisciplinary, and specialized entities committed to the sustainable development of fishing and aquaculture. We provide innovative services to promote the growth and scaling of the fish and fishing sector.

How do we do it?

We achieve our goals through a range of key activities, including:

  • Applied research
  • Offering financial services
  • Developing training and technical assistance
  • Advising and strengthening social capital
  • Validating productive technologies
  • Articulating multi-actor platforms

Why do we do it?

We work to improve the conditions and livelihoods of the most vulnerable families and to contribute to the overall development of aquaculture and fishing, while safeguarding the country’s food security and sovereignty.

For whom do we do it?

Our work is for peasant families, indigenous populations, and the men and women producers of the Amazon region of Bolivia.

“Our family's quality of life has improved greatly with fish production and with our restaurant specializing in grilled fish “Palacio del Tambaquí.” “We have economic stability.”

Ana Aguilera

“I was one of the first people to dedicate myself to fish farming. “As a woman, it is an honor to be taken into account and to be an example for other producers.”

Antonia Olpo Cruz

"The greatest satisfaction is that we have found economic stability, with the activity of raising and marketing fish.“

Juan Carlos Moreira

"To improve the price paid to fishermen for fish in Riberalta, we must work together to improve the quality of the product, starting from the catch."

Edson Suzaño

Discover Their Success Stories

Areas of Intervention

Amazonian Fisheries

Conducting technical and social studies to optimize the management of species such as the paiche.

Small-Scale Aquaculture:

Supporting the growth of the aquaculture sector in the Bolivian Amazon

Governance

Consolidating multi-stakeholder platforms to improve fish production and marketing strategies.

Financial Services

Developing and providing financial support mechanisms.

Gender

Strengthening the role of women in the fish value chains in Bolivia.

Environment

Mitigating the negative environmental impacts associated with commercial fishing and small-scale aquaculture.

The Project's Partners

Fish for Life I (2011-2014) was executed by three non-governmental institutions from Bolivia and Canada (FAUNAGUA, SUSTAINABLE WATER, WORLD FISHERIES TRUST), in partnership with more than 10 stakeholders and institutions from the fishing sector in Bolivia.

Fish for Life II (2015-2018) was executed by six institutions from Bolivia and Canada, in partnership with more than 20 stakeholders and institutions from the fishing and aquaculture sector, and in close collaboration with public actors.

The Fish for Life II project is supported by the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF), a program of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), carried out with the financial support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

Discover Our Story

Curious about how sustainable fishing can transform lives? The “Fish for Life II” project did exactly that in the Bolivian Amazon. Explore our website to discover a story of success and resilience. You’ll find our key achievements, the real impact we had on communities, and the voices of the people who helped build a more prosperous future.

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