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August 16, 2005 Food security and environmental recovery for the Arroyo de Piedra Community (Cartagena-Colombia)
Since Peace Boat’s first visit to Colombia in 2002, we have been cooperating with the local environmental group Kontiki and the network of afro-descendant communities, Jorge Artel, in the development of an integrated coastal area plan for the village of Arroyo de Piedra.

It is especially visible in the Cartagena region that tourist-oriented development in this highly historical and beautiful town has been far from balanced. Besides endemic social problems such as a lack of public services, poverty and unemployment, wild and uncontrolled tourist development has produced enormous pressure on the environment.

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View of new part of Cartagena: Boca Grande a mangrove forest that became a resort area
Massive construction of infrastructure such as hotels and resorts along the coast have destroyed or damaged the coastal eco-systems including original mangrove forests. Consequently, there have been drastic changes in the natural fish populations, affecting those communities reliant on fishing. At the same time, uncontrolled, rampant real estate speculation has constrained traditional access to land for surrounding communities. These factors, combined with others, have had a strong negative impact on the ability of people to rely, as they have been doing until now, on agriculture and fishing for their own subsistence and livelihood.
This project seeks to increase the capacity of the community of Arroyo de Piedra to develop and rely on their own local resources for increasing food security and independence. This is being done through the construction of fishery ponds, the development of agro-ecological parcels and the raising of small animals. These activities are integrated with projects to protect the natural environment and to increase the organisational capacity and social development of the community.

Peace Boat’s three visits to the village of Arroyo de Piedra has supported the creation of a development fund which supports each of the three phases of the environmental and sustainable development project.

This report has been elaborated with the contributions from local organizations Kontiki and Asopiedra and Peace Boat, based in Japan.

The project in brief:

The project is located in the community of Arroyo de Piedra, 20 km from down town Cartagena de Indias in Colombia.

The general objective of the project is to produce an alternative development for the region that would integrate the recovery of the coastal ecosystem (including mangrove) with the increase of food production.

Activities include: building and running natural ponds for fishery, developing agro-ecological parcels, and breading small size animals.

The methodology is three-hold combining research, experiment and education-capacity building to increase technical and organisational capacities of the community.


CONTENTS:
 1. Context of the project: about Bolivar and Arroyo de Piedra
2. Total length of the project
3. Needs and challenges of the community
4. General objective of the project
5. Outcomes and results from previous phase 1 and phase 2
6. Objectives of the 3rd phase
7. Activities and expected outcomes for the 3rd phase
8. Budget
9. Evaluation
10. Participating organisations

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The church of Arroyo de Piedra
1. Context of the project: about Bolivar and Arroyo de Piedra
The community of Arroyo de Piedra is located about 20km from downtown Cartegena and sits 15 meters above sea level. A population of 1600 people comprising 385 families lives in 320 houses, most of which are constructed by the residents.

The community is largely of African descent, and many of its customs are typical of Afro-Caribbean people, including music, dance and also fishing and agricultural practices.

Similar to many of the black communities in Colombia, Arroyo de Piedra has a very low level of economic and social development. Nor do social services from Cartagena reach the village. There is no running water, but rather water is brought in by truck twice a week. Water-bourn diseases are commonplace in Arroyo de Piedra. Electricity is sporadic and unreliable.

There is a small primary school that provides basic education but the level of instruction is not enough to combat illiteracy. Health services consist of basic consultation services provided by a doctor who visits three times per week. Both for higher education or further health services people must travel to Cartagena.

There is very little employment opportunity in Cartagena. Most of the people live off of what the earth produces, 80% relying on fishing and 20% on farming. Some people immigrate to Cartagena looking for low-paying work in the informal sector.
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A member of the community feeds fish in the pond made through the project. In the front of the picture we can see a baby mangrove. Mangroves will be surrounding the pool until it becomes a natural environment
2. Total length of the project
 The project was begun in 2002 and is organized into three main phases:
  • Phase 1 (concluded): September 2002 to October 2003
  • Phase 2 (concluded): From February 2004 to November 2004
  • Phase 3 (currently undergoing): 8 months, May 2005 to December 2005

3. Needs and challenges of the community
The needs and challenges of the community that this project seeks to address can be defined in terms of the accessibility to the marine resources such as fish which has traditionally been the main source of food and income. This accessibility has gradually been decreasing over the past years.
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The collective agro-ecological parcel: yuka, sugar cane, taro among others are being planted
First, the implantation in the region of huge industrial shrimp farming for exports using imported techniques have resulted in the sharp degradation of the quality and quantity of drinking water in all the surrounding areas, including Arroyo de Piedra. As a consequence there has been a progressive degradation of the mangroves, leading to deforestation and drought.

Combined with the destruction of the mangrove, the tourist development has produced a further degradation of the coastal area. Over the years, it has been noticed that fish banks are less abundant and do not come as closed to the coast as before. As a consequence, traditional fishing equipment, especially traditional boats, is not enough.

Another big challenge is the scheduled construction of the “submarine emissary,” a pipeline that will transport over many kilometres all polluted waters produced of Cartagena, to flow into the coastal zone of Arroyo de Piedra. There has been an organised opposition to this project both at the community and the civil society level: past experiences in other regions have shown that depositing polluted runoff water in the ocean, over-evaluating the purifying capacity of the ocean and disregarding the changing currents of the Caribbean sea, will eventually create large amounts of pollution, while other technological possibilities for the treatment of water exist.
4. General objective of the project
 The general objective of the project is to produce an alternative development plan for the region that will integrate the recovery of the coastal ecosystem, including mangroves, with the increase of food production including natural fish farming, agro-ecology and animal breeding.

This objective will be achieved through a methodology that combines research, experiment and education.

Through this project, the community of Arroyo de Piedra should be enjoying a higher of food security, and thus of quality of live.

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Individual Parcel: Tomas’s house with his eco-garden
Methodology
The methodology used in the project is based on a combination of an experimental approach, a research approach and an educational-capacity building approach.

Through its research approach, the project aims to revive and implement techniques, practices, tools, etc. used by the community in the past. This approach favours the raising of traditional species of animals and plants.

The experimental approach allows the testing of different techniques to achieve the objectives of the project. Best results are documented and transformed in educational content for the capacity building aspect of the project.

Capacity building programmes are organised with the community so that traditional knowledge can be shared with all while integrating those elements of modern science pertinent to the project.

5. Outcomes and results from previous phase 1 and phase 2
  • These are the main outcomes of the previous phases:
  • Construction of an alternative fishery with two ponds (first phase).
  • Construction of a collective agro-ecological parcel
  • Development of individual parcels
  • Creation of a plant nursery (for mangrove and other species), and home gardens.
  • Several animal breeding projects were initiated, including chickens, rabbits and turkeys.
  • Capacity building seminars on issues such as water quality, design of natural fishing ponds, animal nutrition, techniques for collection of fish, the basics of agro-ecology in tropical areas, traditional seeds, etc.

 

Significant results have been achieved:

  • Production of food in a sustainable way from the social, ecological and economic perspective.
  • Awareness and consciousness of the members of the community group on the importance of the mangroves and other ecosystems.
  • Growing knowledge and experience on the issue of food-security and agro-ecology.
  • Stronger consciousness of the need to act together.
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Through the project, the children from Arroyo de Piedra will start having environmental education classes at school

6. Objectives of the 3rd phase
Phase Three of the project began in May, 2005. Phase Three aims at optimising the achievements of the two previous phases.

From the research point of view, new participatory methodologies should help identify the best possible natural food for animal breeding and should support the cataloguing of flora and fauna of the region.

From the experimental point of view, new plant species will be planted in the collective parcel and their results will be observed and documented. Also, native species of pork, chicken and turkeys will be introduced.

At the capacity building and educational level, to complement the programs directed to the members of the community, a new environmental education program will be initiated at the primary school level.

7. Activities and expected outcomes for the 3rd phase
  • Continuation of the two fishery pools
  • Breeding of approximately 5000 shad fish, twice during the length of the project
  • Planting and harvesting of coconuts and other native species in the fishery area
  • Establishing five eco-agriculture operations within the individual gardens of the association members.
  • Setting up of five small animal breeding projects
  • Setting up of three projects of improved pig farming
  • Support to ten family parcels with permanent cultivation (located near the collective parcel)
  • Expansion and improvement of the community agro-ecological parcel with four additional hectares
  • Undertaking two reforestation campaigns with mangrove and other native species
  • Training programs in agro-ecology, environment, alternative fishing and strengthening of organisational capacity to 20 families
  • Environmental education in the school
  • Strengthening of the presence of environmental protection and clean production at the regional level
  • Making of a video documentary of the project

8. Budget
The budget for this project is a combination of 3 different sources:

  • An institutional donation from Peace Boat
  • An individual donation from the Peace Boat participants to Arroyo de Piedra sports, cultural and study programs
  • A donation from the travel agent working with Peace Boat during its visit to Cartagena

Each Peace Boat visit to Cartagena has generated an average of 9000 USD for the project support fund. Each of the three visits have been the primary support of one phase of the project.

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Members of Asopiedra gather for the midterm evaluation

9. Evaluation
This project has integrated a continuous internal and participatory evaluation methodology. Mid term and final reports have been produced.

At the end of the second phase a comprehensive evaluation was carried out with external support coming from the organisation Asprosig. Asprosig is a network of fisherman, farmers and indigenous people who are also working for the environmental protection and food security of the population. Asprosig works on a much larger scale covering the Sinu delta in Colombia.
10. Participating organisations

Organising groups: Corporación Ambiental Kontiki and ASOPIEDRA (community group in Arroyo de Piedra)

Partners: Peace Boat and Friends of the Earth Colombia (CENSAT)
The project is directly benefiting about 40 families from Arroyo de Piedra.

For more information contact:
 CORPORACION AMBIENTAL KONTIKI (Kontiki environmental group)
Address: Centro Calle de la Tablada No. 7, 98 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
E-mail: corpokontiki[a]hotmail.com
Telefax: +56 5-6641430
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