Transformative learning among communities and extension workers through an interdisciplinary “Dialogo de Saberes” approach: a case study of gender

and food security interventions in Bolivian Amazon fisheries.

Macnaughton, A., Ward, E., Coca, C., Rainville, T.K. and Carolsfeld, J.

Presented at: International Food Security Dialogue 2014May 2, 2014

Sponsored by:

Hosted by:

Session Theme: Enhancing Food Production, Gender Equity and Nutritional Security in a Changing World

Presentation overview

1. An Introduction to Fisheries in the Northern Bolivian Amazon2. Methods and tools3. Results

1. Baseline information: Household survey, Gender and Diversity Analysis: Capacities and Vulnerabilities

2. Integrated Value Chain Mapping3. ‘Dialogo de Saberes’ focus groups and workshops

5. Discussion

Study populationNorth Amazon Fishing Families

Urban: Riberalta city, 4 strata, based on poverty, migration and fishing participation

Rural: farmer and indigenous communities (TCO TIM II), fishing participation

An Introduction to Fisheries in the Northern Bolivian Amazon

• > 60% of Bolivia’s land area• 850 + documented fish species (more in under-studied reaches)• >10 000 est. people in full-time commercial fisheries (60% male, 40%

female), more in subsistence fishing (est. $ 7M/year)• 100% artisanal-level fleet, low tech with many bottlenecks• Diversity of fishers: Urban-based, campesinos and indigenous peoples

(Takana, Esse Ejja, Cavineño, Chacobo, Pacahuara, etc.)• Women at all levels of value-chain (fishing, owning boats,processing

and distributing), strongest presence in pre and post-harvest activities and subsistence.

• Some social stigma associated with fishing, but not gender specific• Being transformed by introduced species - paiche

Changing context: living with/through transition

• land reform• increased access • increasing demand • Infrastructure projects• changing climate and extreme weather• Introduced species

Imágenes extraídas de Miranda-Chumacero et al. (2010)

Main commercial species in Bolivian Amazon (to 1970s)

Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum (surubí)

Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum (chuncuina)

Colossoma macropomum (pacú)

Piaractus brachypomus (tambaquí)

paicheespecies nativas

Urban fisheries landings

(Riberalta-based boats)

Rural fisheries landings (indigenous

and campesino)

Total landings: 24 927 kg/month

20 %(25 spp.)

80 %65 %

(>60 spp)

35 %

Urban and rural commercial catch composition in the Bolivian North Amazon (low water season 2011)

Impacts of paiche on fishery production

Methods and Tools

1. Baseline information: 1. Household survey, 2. Fisheries Data Collection, 3. Gender and Diversity Analysis: Capacities and Vulnerabilities

2. Integrated Value Chain Analysis3. ‘Dialogo de Saberes’ focus groups and workshops

Household Survey: Determinants of Food Security

811 households

2 phasesLow water: 2011High water: 2012

HFIAS

DIETARY DIVERSITY

FISH CONSUMPTION

LIVELIHOODS

50%

RURAL (Indigenous + campesinos)

HFIAS

Food Insecurity CorrelatesBaker-French thesis, UBC

RURAL (Indígenas + campesinos)

  P-valueOdds Ratio Lower Upper

Self-identifies as indigenous (mother)(Binomial: si/no)

<0.01 2.87 1.71 4.83

Works in fishing/agriculture (mother)(Binomial: si/no)

0.02 0.43 0.21 0.86

Social Assistance recipient(Binomial: si/no)

0.03 0.43 0.20 0.92

Collection and consumption of forest products in past year(Binomial: si/no)

<0.01 3.85 1.92 7.69

Fisheries Data, gender and identity

• 5 communities• High-water and low-water • 154 fishers (16 F, 138 M) observed in landings records• 100% of regional women focus group participants (n=54) expressed

detailed knowledge of fishing techniques (learned from husbands, fathers, or occasionally mothers) and engaged in at least occasional fishing, especially during dry season.

• 0 of the same women considered themselves even part-time ‘fishers’.• Similarly, in individual interviews of men locally recognized as ‘fishers’,

and whose annual income was derived almost exclusively from fishing in the last year (n=28), >50% considered themselves ‘primarily farmers’ or ‘mixed farming and fishing’ livelihoods.

Division of labor in FishingRelative Participation

Activity Women Men Youth Comments

Net construction and mending xxx xxNot done by all women, some help husbands in this task

Clean & scale fish xxx xx xxPrimarily women older than 15 yrs; "we are the fisherwomen of fish products"

Prepare cooler xxx

Gutting xxx Mostly men

Salt xxx xxx Done by both

Scale fish xxx Scaling fish is more difficult

Put fish in cooler or freezer xxx

Take the fish to selling point XXX

Buy ice and materials in Riberalta XXX

Preparing fish for sale x

Sell fish xx xxxMen sell fish outside of community, most women don't drive

Sell fish in community xxx xx From 6 am to 1 pm

Manage finances xxx xxxWomen are responsible for children; Men act like they “don't even know if they have kids”

Gender and Diversity Analysis: Capacities and Vulnerabilities

Dimension Vulnerabilities Capacities

Material High Flood vulnerability (M, F)Limited livelihood options, high dependence on fishing (M, F)Lack of health services (M, F)Chronic infection due to untreated water, poor hygiene (M, F)

High diversity of fish resources availabile, relatively abundant (M, F)Communal access rights to land and aquatic resources rights (M, F)

Social Dependence on middlemen for ‘habilito’ loans to cover fixed and variable costs, lack of transparency, high exploitation (M, F) Not participating in financial transactions, dependence on men for income (since men take fish to port to sell) (F)

High levels of community solidarity (M, F) also with neighbouring communities (shared community association for fishing)

Attitudinal Defeatist attitudes regarding flooding vulnerability, lack of mitigation measures (F, M)Self-identification as ‘farmers’ (F, M)

Strong identity with community (M, F)Strong identity as ‘farmers’ (M, F)

Gender Transformative

Approaches in

Fisheries

Some conceptual references

Social learning:• Balbin (1986) – Dialogo de Saberes • Freire (1968) – Pedagogia dos oprimdos• Thiollent (1984) – Action Learning• Friedmann (1987) – “Planning as Social Learning”• O’Sullivan et al (2003) Experiential Transformative Learning

Gender analysis and approaches:• Moser (1993) Gender Planning and Development• Kabeer (1999) Gender and Empowerment• Kantor (2013) Gender Transformative Approach in Aquatic Agricultural

Systems (CGIAR-AAS)

Gender Transformative Approach Model (Kantor, 2013)

Practice• Engages with both women & men

• Addresses unequal power dynamics• Crosses scales

• Challenges oppressive norms• Integrates w/ practical interventions

OutcomesInclusive & Sustained

socio-ecological transformation

Gender Equitable system (social enabling

env.)

More & Better life choices for poor women

and men

ResearchUnderstands People & Social diversity in

their context

Dynamic and Iterative, Enables critical learning, reflection & questioning

Multi-scale

Points of Reflection

OPTIMIZACIÓN DE LA

CADENA DE VALOR

Investigación-acción

Indicadores de resultado

Indicadores de resultado

Indicadores de resultado

Indicadores de resultado

Indicadores de esfuerzo

Indicadores de esfuerzo

Which method works

better?

2011-2012 2013

Impossible to measure short-term results of

social learning

Integrated Participative Value Chain Analysis

‘Dialogo de Saberes’ in the Value Chain

Four levels of interaction and reflection – ‘para dentro’ (collective consciousness and group identity construction), ‘para fuera’ (consolidating identities and testing approaches in engagements and negotiations with other actors), ‘para arriba’ (intersection of technical-local and new knowledge) and ‘para bajo’ (knowledge application) including working together in hands-on projects in the community, generation of appropriate solutions for locally identified priorities and a focus on engaging families.

IPVCA – Economic Feasibility Study with El Sur communities

Indicators Numbers

Meetings 90+ planning and mobilizaiton meetings

Analysis workshops 7

Participants >90% of adults and adolescents from 3 indigenous communities, invited participants from additional 10 communities

Proportion female and male participants

60% female40% male

Numero de instituciones involucradas

5 institucionesResults indicators Metric

Improved income at producer level

New pricing table approved, considering production costs

Institutional strengthening

Change in Attitudes

Collective equipment purchase (netmaking supplies)

Resultado EVE

160 kg 160 kg 160 kg628,6 bs 628,6 bs 628,6 bs

5,53 bs 5,53 bs 5,53 bs12,60 bs 15,0 bs 17,0 bs

CENÁRIO ATUAL PROPUESTA 1

Precio Promedio de Venta al Comercializador

PROPUESTA 2RESULTADO DEL EVE

Volume do Pescado (mensual)Costos Fijos

Costos Variables

TABELA SÍNTESE VALORES UNIDAD DESCRIPCIÓNVolume de pesca 160 kg 40kg X 4 faenas = captura mensual Costos Fijos mensuales 628,6 bs TABLA DE DEPRECIACIÓNCostos Fijos /kg 3,9 Bs/kg costo fijo mensual / 12 meses Costos Variables/kg 5,53 bs/kg TABLA DE LOS COSTOS VARIABLES Costos Totales/kg 9,45 bs/kg costos fijos + costos variables Precio Promedio de Venta 12,60 bs/kg precio actual de la tabla Ganancia Liquida/kg 3,15 bs/kg precio promedio de venta - costos totalesGANANCIA LÍQUIDA/MÊS 503,4 bs/mês ganancia liquida/kg X 160 kg/mês

PRECIOS ACTUALES E PROPUESTA DE PRECIOS MAS JUSTOS

12,60 15,0 17,0

CATEGORIAS DE PESCADOCategoria 1Categoria 2Categoria 3PROMEDIO

13,23 15,00 17,007,67 10,00 12,00

PRECIOS ATUALES (Bs) PROPUESTA 1 (Bs) PROPUESTA 2 (Bs)16,90 20,00 22,00

“Dialogo de Saberes”Food Security Interventions,

• Integrated with other livelihood-focused interventions • Valuing local diversity• Strengthening support networks with

public health agency• Building self-confidence and community

organizing

• Local dietary diversity poster created by youth – “Families cooking together, healthy and diverse!”

• School gardens – engaging families• Community-school workshops (everyone

participates)• Practical training in hygiene and processing for use

at-home and in commercial fishing (everyone)• Improved knowledge regarding breastfeeding, infant

and young child feeding and development, recognizing signs of infection, treatment options (women and men)

“Dialogo de Saberes”

Results

Results- 95% workshop participation rate - New link with Municipal Health Network- Increased attention from municipal heath services

(50% increase in frequency of community visits)- 100% of women and men engaged in discussion

about women’s and men’s health rights- 90% of families implement kitchen gardens for

improved dietary diversity and additional income

Three levels of workshop and focus group activity:

Key features that made a difference

Learning together with local people about their priorities for development

Trust-building and integrated entry points that promote opportunities for inclusive participation in areas that might otherwise be assumed to be ‘for men’ or ‘for women’

Creating spaces for leadership development and empowerment through the co-production of knowledge and valuing of contributions of women, men and families,

Including special initiatives to identify the strategic contributions and needs of women in the fisheries and aquaculture value chains; and

Applying locally-adapted training and learning-by-doing capacity building to address bottlenecks, (fisheries management, improved hygiene and processing, recognition and and ultimately, to improve food security.

valuing the participation of females, social organization

Gender Transformative Approach Model (Kantor, 2013)

Practice• Engages with both women & men

• Addresses unequal power dynamics• Crosses scales

• Challenges oppressive norms• Integrates w/ practical interventions

OutcomesInclusive & Sustained

socio-ecological transformation

Gender Equitable system (social enabling

env.)

More & Better life choices for poor women

and men

ResearchUnderstands People & Social diversity in

their context

Dynamic and Iterative, Enables critical learning, reflection & questioning

Multi-scale

Reflection questions• How can social learning or gender transformative

approaches using action-learning tools better assist in building enabling social environment during the baseline assessment stage? How to measure contributions at this stage?

Thank you!

alison@worldfish.orgwww.pecesvida.org