Multidimensional solutions strategy for the reduction of food loss and waste in the artisanal fisheries subsector in Tumaco, Colombia

This multidimensional solutions strategy for reducing the losses is a comprehensive, multisectoral approach aimed at addressing the challenges and maximizing the potential of the artisanal fisheries subsector in Tumaco, Colombia, located in the department of Nariño on the Pacific coast. It strives to tackle the significant losses with a strong emphasis on promoting the responsible use of fisheries resources for sustainable development. The strategy's design is based on the robust foundation of assessment findings, extensive engagement of stakeholders, and a thorough understanding of the underlying causes and impacts of food loss and waste (FLW).

• interest on the part of key actors in managing losses;
• identification of the actors and tasks carried out in each link of the chain;
• identification of the actors and tasks carried out in each link of the chain;
• knowledge by local actors of the socioeconomic and cultural context;
• existence of a wide institutional offer (public and private) with intervention actions in the territory; availability of methodologies and instruments for measuring food losses in the small-scale fishing value chain;
• existence of a regulatory framework for rural women with methodologies, tools and instruments that facilitate their integration into the value chain (gender);
• and direct influence of consumer habits on the need to improve product quality.

• deficient equipment and supplies in the marketing chain;
• deficient knowledge for the use and exploitation of by-products;
• poor public service infrastructure;
• deficiency in the application of policies in the community for artisanal fishing;
• little interinstitutional coordination in the territory (local technical board and fishing node);
• limited capacity for associative work;
• disinterest of new generations (young people);
• difficulty of access to protection systems;
• precarious academic programmes on issues of management of fishing products and by-products;
• deficient control and surveillance actions to monitor catch discards;
• low level of interoperability between information systems, such as SEPEC, Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), Caribbean Center for Oceanographic and Hydrographic Research (CIOH), and Marine Environmental Information System (SIAM);
• poor application of good fishing and catch management practices;
• lack of recognition and dignity of the role of women in fishing;
• poor disposal of solid waste as a source of pollution;
• impact on the environment with unused organic waste; and
• difficulty in obtaining financing sources for the assembly and implementation of waste utilization initiatives.

• interest of the academy in being linked to the participatory solution of problems;
• strategies to strengthen the chain;
• improvement of working conditions, as well as technical and operational capabilities;
• global environmental awareness on the effect of food losses;
• use of renewable energies and new technologies;
• inclusion of a fish and shellfish loss and waste module in national statistical systems, and creation of public-private partnerships (PPPs), such as the Colombian Fishing Statistical Service (SEPEC) and National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority (AUNAP);
• implementation of public fishing policy;
• expansion of services adapted to territorial needs;
• interest of the chain in directing research towards this topic;
• expansion of dissemination and institutional offer (public and private);
• take advantage of spaces and resources to collect data on the role of women in the value chain;
• strengthen networks of trainers;
• generate ventures with the support of institutional presence (National Learning Service [SENA] – Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation);
• create and strengthen capacities for fishing communities;
• expand dissemination and alliances;
• collaborate across institutions (public/private);
• use Tumaco as a pilot municipality and reference at the regional and national level;
• create opportunities to strengthen the role of women in the value chain;
• develop incentives for generational renewal in artisanal fishing activities;
• create a collection centre that allows the use and transformation of products and by-products of artisanal fishing (due to the existence of the fishing port and the strategic location of Tumaco); and
• possibly finance the reactivation of the fishing port (Fund for the Financing of the Agricultural Sector [FINAGRO]; private and public sector).

• high vulnerability to variability and climate change;
• high costs in the billing of energy resources and fuels;
• transportation logistics in the hands of third parties;
• market requirements (organoleptic conditions of the product);
• deficiency in the provision of public services;
• pollution and deterioration of water sources;
• drug trafficking;
• public order problems; and
• road blockage due to natural phenomena.