Page 12 - Vol. 39-No.4 issue

FOOD PRODUCTS AND PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

THE MANGROVE FOREST THAT FEEDS A

COSTA RICAN COMMUNITY

The next step for Aracelly and her
co-workers is to open a processing plant
that will allow them to profit even more
from their endeavours. The idea is to “com-
mercialize the molluscs without having to
depend on anyone,” she continues. “This
will mean fair pay for all the hard work we
do every day.”
Additionally, FAO, the government and
Cooperative CoopeSolidar helped the
women formalize their activities and ob-
tain a license for mollusc fishing providing
them greater livelihood stability. The wom-
en have also tapped into government and
international financing to invest in their
The mangrove forests of the Chomes loans and new rights. The decree also gave businesses and have been able to access
estuary in Costa Rica conceal a rich eco- protection to the mangrove forest. social security to improve their working
system. Capuchin monkeys and parrots The women of the cooperative use the conditions.
share the land with anteaters and sloths, knowledge handed down by their parents
while, beneath the sweet-and-salty water and grandparents to maintain this unique
lie caimans, iguanas and snakes – shark habitat. They encourage the growth of new
sightings are not unheard of. trees, clean the sandy areas beneath the
Yet, hidden in the muddy banks of the twisted roots and prevent further destruc-
river is a treasure trove of edible shellfish. It tion of the forest.
is for this cornucopia of molluscs that Ara- The importance of dense mangrove
celly Jiménez searches. She wades through thickets to our planet’s health cannot be
the knee-deep water from 5 o’clock in the underestimated. These ecosystems re-
morning with a group made up mostly of move carbon from the oceans and the
other women from her community, all atmosphere and store it in the plants and “We women have changed so much,”
of whom hope to fill their buckets with sediment of the estuary, where the shell- concludes Aracelly. “Although we have
mussels, clams and cockles. In these hot fish thrive. In turn, the collection of these many goals still to aim for, we now know
and humid conditions, Aracelly and her creatures from the carbon-rich mud allows we are not alone. The key is to stay united
colleagues are constantly fending off the Aracelly to make a livelihood. and organized.”
advances of the local mosquito population. FAO invests in local communities, pro-
To complement their fishing, the women viding the training and resources needed
sell empanadas, ceviche, fish and pre-made to support themselves and their families,
dishes conceived from local produce. They while protecting the ecosystems vital to
take orders on messenger or social media the health of our planet.
apps.
Circle 12 on enquiry card
“Every week each of us earns around
40 000 – 50 000 colones (around USD
ADVERTISERS’
75 - 90),” explains Aracelly. “These are ADVERTISERS’
funds that none of us had any hope of
INDEX
earning before. This allows us to sell our INDEX
“In spite of the long hours and hard work, daily catch directly.”
our catch was not very well paid as there Aracelly’s endeavours allow her to pay Aviagen ..........................................
were many middlemen,” explains Aracel- for her son’s education and help to provide ...................Inside Cover (English)
ly. But, apart from the mud fishing, work for her family. Still, she wonders whether
around Chomes is hard to come by. her earnings are enough. Arab World Agribusiness ..........3
In 2017-2018, building on the training
that they received from the Food and Agri- AgraME 2023 (English) ...............5
culture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), the women formed a cooperative AgraME 2023 (Arabic) .................3
called the CoopeMolus Chomes. The coop-
erative was recognized by a governmental Saudi Agriculture ..........................
decree in 2017. Aracelly and her 52 col- .....................Inside Cover (Arabic)
leagues received access to social security,

10 Vol. 39 No. 4