Abstract

The Small-Scale Women in Fishery Learning Exchange, facilitated by CoopeSoliDar R.L. in July 2017, strengthened the capacities of women in fisheries from several Caribbean countries as well as their Costa Rican hosts and counterparts. The Caribbean women, selected by the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO) learned from experiences in Costa Rica, while contributing their knowledge on Caribbean artisanal fishery value chains. The women were from the fishery sectors in Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Belize. They shared experiences with the women from the Tarcoles Fishing Coopera-tive and Chomes Mollusks Cooperative. They visited Consorcio Por La Mar, and had a close look at the co-management process of Cahuita National Park and the South Caribbean Diving Centre: Embajadores del Mar. This knowledge exchange sought to build links and shared experiences among women from fishing communities from personal, economic and political/organizational empowerment perspectives, strengthening bridges among islands of the Caribbean and Costa Rica. It was designed with a participatory approach, favouring a horizontal transmission of knowledge. Each experience showcased significant and different aspects of learning such as social, economic, cultural and organisational present in Costa Rica’s artisanal fisheries, with special emphasis on women. The visitors shared their perceptions, recommendations and learning, maintaining a two-way communication with the women from Costa Rica. The women co-designed an Innovation Plan that was formulated along the sharing and learning exchange route. In this way they could progressively include new visions and strategies observed on site visits. Parallel to the site visits there was the design of artistic material representing the discussions and learning. It was shared with a wider audience through social media.

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