Colombia
Colombia was part of the Sustainable Management of Bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean Trawl Fisheries (REBYC-II LAC) and the FAO Platoneras projects, which helped lay the groundwork for social protection initiatives in the country.
These projects, along with the SocPro4Fish project, made it possible to identify key stakeholders and their roles in both industrial and artisanal fisheries, as well as their limitations and threats. They also highlighted the need to better understand and expand social protection systems to support the sector.
The socio-economic analysis conducted through these initiatives showed that most workers across the fisheries value chain operate informally, earning daily incomes and lacking social benefits. Although Colombia has social protection mechanisms, small-scale fishers’ access to pension plans and health insurance is still very low and better understanding how to eliminate the barriers of access need to happen.
.jpg?sfvrsn=8ab9cdff_1 "DSC_1432.JPG (1)")
FAO's work
FAO's work in social protection within the fisheries and aquaculture sector was developed within the framework of the project "Social Protection for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SocPro4Fish) in Colombia," funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norway), implemented by FAO in partnership with the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR).
Evidence-based policy support
In Colombia, FAO works on conducting legislative, regulatory, and institutional studies on the social protection of small-scale fishers, fish-workers, and fish-farmers. Vulnerability and hazard analyses were undertaken in selected pilot sites, along with assessments of the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on small-scale fishers, fish-workers, and fish-farmers, identifying gaps in social protection responses. A pilot survey was designed to evaluate socio-economic conditions and deficiencies in existing social protection mechanisms, with plans to integrate this data into the Colombian Fishing Statistical Service (SEPEC). Social protection programmes in the artisanal fisheries and small-scale aquaculture sectors were assessed for their compliance with international labour standards and recommendations related to social protection.
FAO also provided regulatory and legal technical inputs for the development of SEDEVEDA, Colombia’s unemployment insurance scheme for closed fishing seasons. This included conducting 466 surveys across 12 sampling sites to collect data on social security coverage and the socio-economic conditions of artisanal fishers along the value chain.
FAO also assessed regulatory frameworks linking social protection and fisheries, reviewed the specifics of each fishing closed season, and mapped 10 closed areas for artisanal fishers. Socio-economic analyses were conducted using data on landings and collection points to assess fishers' income during both closed and open seasons. These efforts informed technical and legal recommendations for the regulation of SEDEVEDA, emphasizing the need for local-level regulation that accounts for the unique characteristics of fishing activities and ecosystems in each community.
Technical tools development
FAO SocPro4Fish project developed country-level roadmaps to design and implement social protection and risk management mechanisms within fisheries and aquaculture programs, ensuring alignment with government policies. Activities also include evaluating data systems used for social protection in the sector and proposing an integrated registry system. These mechanisms are being introduced and socialized in pilot communities of small-scale fishers and fish farmers.
FAO also provided guidance for the development of an interoperable information system to facilitate data exchange and communication, improve fishery resource monitoring and management, support evidence-based fisheries policy development, and increase resilience to shocks such as climate change.
Strengthened informal mechanisms
To strengthen informal social protection mechanisms, FAO is documenting the functioning of existing revolving funds in pilot areas and evaluating their socio-economic impact on small-scale aquaculture. A strategy is being developed to strengthen these funds, along with a feasibility analysis of fishery products (fish, crustaceans, and mollusks) and the status of organizations in pilot areas to facilitate access to public procurement and institutional purchases. A mechanism is also being designed to enhance the commercialization of fishery products from organizations, using seed capital that could be represented in fishery resources.
Inter-agency collaboration, knowledge exchange and dissemination
The Interinstitutional Group for Social Protection in Fisheries and Aquaculture (GIPRO) was established to promote inter-agency collaboration, knowledge sharing and advocacy with and across all fisheries stakeholders. This group is made up of key public and private entities in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and social protection in the country.
Upcoming activities
Work will continue through a new project, with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The project, titled “Promoting Fair, Climate-Resilient, and Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries through the Implementation of the SSF Guidelines,” aims to develop a National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) based on the SSF Guidelines to strengthen the small-scale fisheries sector. Expanding social protection, specifically through the country support to design its unemployment benefit during closed fishing season and to link small-scale fishers to public procurement processes will be a concrete action towards the development of the SSF National Plan of Action for small-scale fishers. The project will continue strengthening the current GIPRO inter-agency platform as it has the mandate to discuss social development in the fisheries sector.
FAO stories
