The Interelos Institute has just signed the contract for its participation in the Fair and Sustainable Fishing Project of the Association of Rural Producers of Carauari (ASPROC), contemplated by the JBS Fund for the Amazon. The institute will carry out a study of the production base and added value of the fish chain, mainly analyzing the feasibility of acquiring a vessel for certified fish processing, based on the systematization of socioeconomic and environmental knowledge.
It is important to emphasize that one of the great economic potentials for sustainable development in the Amazon region is precisely the fish production chain. The Middle Juruá Region, located in southwest Amazon, is crossed by the Juruá River, which rises in Peru and flows into the Solimões River, in approximately 3,000 kilometers of course, yielding the title of the most winding river in the world and one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. region. In addition to serving as a waterway, part of its riverside population survives from fishing. ASPROC has a collective commercial arrangement for the managed arapaima that involves 10 different communities, the production is taken for processing in an outsourced agro-industry in the municipality of Carauari. With the support of the JBS Fund, the association intends to acquire a certified vessel to strengthen the arapaima and other species extractive chain.
In general, the work that Interelos will develop aims to optimize the operational efficiency of ASPROC for the promotion of community-based fisheries management. Wagner D'Onofrio, a consultant at the institute, has been working on socio-economic projects for over 10 years and emphasizes the importance of the methodology: “We have a multidisciplinary team, we understand management, agro-industry, market, systematization and modeling. So we look at what the community needs are and we allocate our people simultaneously.” In this way, the study will work on four multidisciplinary fronts, seeking systematic, socioeconomic and environmental solutions:
1) Market analysis of the fish chain;
2) Survey of data from ASPROC's community production base;
3) Diagnosis of the technical, operational and financial feasibility of two fish processing units, in Carauari and by boat for the ASPROC operation;
4) Support for the ASPROC management system.
Permeating these four fronts, work will also be developed focused on Human Rights with a transversal approach, applied through three strategies: prevention, protection and promotion. The analysis of the social context seeks to achieve the development of specific strategies for the realization of Human Rights throughout the fish chain. Eduardo Nicácio, consultant at Interelos and responsible for the Human Rights front, emphasizes: “As it is a region with a history of precariousness and numerous contexts of violation of rights, this study will also be an instrument of analysis and intervention, as we recognize the urgency of protection to social groups that are in a situation of vulnerability. There is no way to be inclusive without caring for human rights.”
In this way, the front seeks to prevent violations, promoting greater community involvement with the theme. “The perspective of human rights education is fundamental for Interelos. Educating a community to engage in this cause generates people prepared to exercise citizenship”, says Eduardo, pointing out that one of the differentials of this work will be the involvement of women, young people, the elderly, traditional communities and people with disabilities in the development stages of the chain. from fishing. In all, 450 families from 55 communities will benefit.
Initiatives of this magnitude are one of the solutions for the conservation of biodiversity and economic development in the Amazon region, since the strengthening of extractive chains can reduce the environmental impact, promote improved production and, above all, strengthen the well-being of communities.