SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE     JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Blue Social Protection Series: HIGHLIGHT Protecting People, Fish and Food This note provides insights into socio-economic conditions and economic inclusion opportunities Exploring alternatives for for two low-income, artisanal fishing and mollusk-gathering communities in Costa Rica, the economic inclusion and explores the role of social protection (SP) programs in the fisheries and aquaculture of low-income, artisanal sector. It shows how, despite Costa Rica’s strong SP system, a portion of poor and vulnerable fisher communities in fisheries workers have challenges accessing SP programs. The note also explores the nature of Costa Rica: Case study the economic activities in the studied fisheries’ communities, their labor demands, and the of artisanal fishing challenges faced by the population to access the labor market and income-generating activities. and mollusk gathering Recognizing the institutional dynamics of the social and fisheries sectors, this Note provides communities in Puerto recommendations for promoting synergies between fisheries management and SP. It Cortés and Golfo Dulce highlights the need for a multidimensional, multi-stakeholder approach that enables long- term social and economic inclusion of poor and Martha Sanchez Galvis and vulnerable fisheries communities. Improving Luz Rodriguez-Novoa targeting and profiling mechanisms, identifying selected groups that may have a higher likelihood to engage in economic inclusion programs, and tailoring existing programs to poor and vulnerable and fishers, are critical paths to sustainable social and economic inclusion. 1 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 1. Introduction1 the income distribution in Costa Rica. Moreover, Costa Rica’s fishing communities face climate Costa Rica is an upper middle-income country change threats and the short-term negative that has experienced sustained economic repercussions stemming from government growth over the past decade; but this has not restrictions to protect the marine ecosystem and reduced poverty and inequality. The country’s make fishing activities sustainable. per capita GDP between 2010 and 2021 showed a notable increase of 27.1 percent. Despite overall The objective of this case study is to better economic growth, economic benefits have not understand socio-economic conditions and been evenly distributed across the population, with livelihoods of low-income and vulnerable the increase in income disproportionately favoring artisanal fishing communities and to identify the highest percentile of the income distribution.2 alternatives for their social and economic inclusion. It also focuses on exploring the Low-income, vulnerable artisanal fishing role of SP and active labor market programs communities have seen their livelihoods (ALMPs) in fisheries management and for fishing threatened and need support, especially communities. In this context, the case study looks when they do not qualify for current at two selected low-income, artisanal fisheries social assistance. According to data from Costa communities in Costa Rica and explores how the SP Rica’s 2019 labor force survey (ECE)3, the country’s system can address key socioeconomic constraints marine and inland fishing population is mainly at this population faces. The case study aims also to the lower end of the income distribution. The identify the main gaps that low-income fisheries data suggest that more than two-thirds (65.7%) workers face to achieve decent and sustainable of those working in inland and marine capture income and actions that could be implemented to fisheries belong to the bottom 30 percent of reduce their vulnerability. 1 This note was authored by Martha Sánchez Galvis (Social Protection consultant) and Luz Rodriguez-Novoa (Senior Social Protection Specialist), (SPJ-LCR). The authors are grateful for their contributions to Veronica Jarrín (Environmental Specialist, ENB LCR), Gianluigi Nico (Economist, SPJ), and Brian José Suárez Flórez (Consultant, Biologist, ENB LCR), and to Philippe Dardel (Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist, ENB LCR), Melissa Zumaeta (Consultant, SPJ LCR), Yuko Okamura (Senior Social Protection Economist, SPJ Global), Gunilla Tegelskär Greig (Senior Fisheries Specialist, ENB Global), Annabelle Blandon (Senior researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development), and technical Peer Reviewers Hugo Brousset (Senior Social Protection Specialist, SPJ AFR) and Mizushi Satoh (Senior Enviromental Specialist, EAP ENR) for their input and guidance for the elaboration of this technical note. The note was edited by Aldo Morri. The note summarizes the findings based on the activities carried out from mid-2022 to mid-2023. 2 Data for this analysis are available at: https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/int/search/dataset/0063646/-poverty-and- inequality​-platform--pip---percentiles 3 Costa Rica Encuesta Continua de Empleo 2019. 2 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 The communities of Puerto Cortés and a previous report commissioned by INCOPESCA Golfo Dulce were selected by the Costa to the University of Costa Rica (UCR) in 2020 Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture to build a socio-economic profile of the fishing (INCOPESCA), the leading agency of the communities in the Gulf of Nicoya. fishing sector. The choice was based on the institute’s interest in learning more about the living This Note is organized as follows: Section 1 conditions of communities in the South  Pacific, provides a brief country context for Costa Rica. including those dedicated to the extraction of Section 2 describes the scope and methodology of mollusks.4 The case study informed INCOPESCA, the pilot carried out in selected geographies. Section as part of component three of the World Bank 3 presents the main findings of the pilot. Section Sustainable Fisheries Development Program (SFDP) 4 presents concludes and key lessons.  Section 5 project (P168475)5, “Strengthening Mechanisms for presents considerations on next steps. Social and Environmental Sustainability”. The project aims to ensure that the transition to sustainable fisheries management considers socio-economic 1.1. Country Context repercussions on low-income populations who derive their livelihoods from fisheries activities. Costa Rica stands out from other Latin American countries for its continued This Note builds on previous work. This economic growth. Its outward-oriented includes a pilot study for the socioeconomic growth strategy, based on openness to foreign studies commissioned by the World Bank and investment, trade liberalization, and diversified conducted by the Central American Institute exports, has led to sustained growth for more of Public Administration (ICAP), a consulting than 25 years (World Bank, 2023). In addition, firm. It is also informed by the World Bank the robust economy and fast recovery from the diagnostics on Costa Rica, including a COVID-19 pandemic allowed Costa Rica to join Poverty Assessment (2022), the Systematic the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Country Diagnostic (SCD) (2023), and others.6 Development (OECD) in 2021. According to data The pilot study took into account the findings of from the Central Bank of Costa Rica, the share 4 INCOPESCA is responsible for managing Costa Rica’s fisheries and aquaculture sector. It is an autonomous agency that does not have the status of a Ministry. It is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) for budget allocation purposes. MAG is the lead government agency responsible for defining fisheries policy objectives. 5 In April 2024, the Government disclosed via a press release that the Project’s loan would be cancelled. 6 The Central American Institute of Public Administration (ICAP) was the consulting firm in charge of conducting the study in Puerto Cortés and Golfo Dulce as a pilot for upcoming socioeconomic studies to be implemented by INCOPESCA in fishing communities in Costa Rica. The study was funded by the World Bank-managed multi-donor umbrella trust fund PROBLUE. 3 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 of the agricultural sector in 2019 was about the medium term, and increase public revenues. 5 percent of GDP. Of this 5 percent, an estimated But value-generating opportunities cannot be 1.4 percent derives from fishing and aquaculture realized if weak governance, overexploitation, activities (Banco Central de Costa Rica, 2023 and underinvestment, and subsequent decreasing Gobierno de España, 2021). profitability in fisheries prevail. Enable the fisheries sector to contribute to sustainable growth requires In recent years, Costa Rica has introduced improving sector governance and institutional ambitious environmental stewardship capacity and creating an enabling business policies. Costa Rica’s forest coverage efforts have environment for private-sector participation. reduced its net greenhouse emissions and boosted A number of initiatives to improve fisheries the tourism sector (World Bank, 2022). The management have been launched, including as fisheries sector is part of this effort, with actions part of the Costa Rica’s OECD accession in 2021, focusing on responsible use of fisheries resources most notably measures to decrease overfishing, that maximizes economic benefits in balance with unreported fishing, and destructive fishing the protection of the environment and human practices. health and the conservation of biodiversity (Plan Nacional de Desarrollo de la Pesca y de Acuicultura Several fisheries management strategies in de Costa Rica, 2013). However, there is tension Costa Rica include “top-down” regulations, between environmental protection measures and such as: income-generation for vulnerable populations. (i) spatial (no-take zones such as Marine Protected This tension is mainly about finding a balance Areas (MPAs)) and temporal closures, between environmental-protection measures and potentially significant harm to the livelihoods of (ii) zoning, low-income and vulnerable fisheries workers. (iii) gear restrictions, Costa Rica has committed to preserving (iv) minimum catch sizes, and life below water, within the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.4, prioritizing access restrictions (fisheries closed to new (v)  reform of the fisheries sector while improving fishers; that is, no new licenses issued). fishing-dependent livelihoods. If properly However, the effectiveness of most measures has managed, a restructured, sustainable fisheries been limited, either due to fishers’ non-compliance sector can bring substantial benefits, promote or lack of enforcement capacity.   investment and job creation in coastal areas in 4 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Community-based management measures, tilapia accounted for 83.1 percent of total such as Responsible Fishing Marine Areas production (INCOPESCA, 2022 and SEPSA, 2023). (AMPR) have been identified as potentially Employment generation (direct and indirect) effective management strategies. They in the sector has also remained constant. The empower marginalized small-scale fishing sector employed less than 10,000 people in 2018, communities and involve them in management including capture, aquaculture, and processing, an processes. However, most AMPR are relatively increase of 3  percent compared to 2008 (OECD, small, and their management plans essentially 2021). The United Nations Food and Agriculture facilitate conservation near the communities Organization of (FAO) estimates that, in 2018, involved (or their fishing grounds), rather than about 92 percent of fisheries workers were being part of a coherent plan to conserve or engaged in small-scale fisheries operations, with rebuild a stock or resource.  56 percent working on harvesting (45 percent of Although Costa Rica has a considerable them were women). Employment derived from marine area, production has been declining small-scale fisheries operations accounted for 5 over the years. The country’s marine area is ten percent of employment in the primary sector, times larger than its land area, but Costa Rica is a and 1 percent of total employment8 (FAO, Duke net importer of marine products. Between 2007 University, and WorldFish, 2023).  and 2017, exports increased 42 percent, while imports increased 338 percent (OECD, 2021). In 1.1.1. Poverty and Inequality 2018, total aquatic food production was worth about US$115 million, of which only 14 percent Costa Rica has low monetary and came from wild capture (including small-scale and multidimensional poverty rates. Although the industrial fishing), and the rest from aquaculture. income poverty rate rose from 24 (2019) to 30 According to INCOPESCA, in 2022, the commercial percent in 2020, it declined to 26 percent in 2022. waste class (species with very low commercial Similarly, extreme poverty decreased in 2022 to 7.6 value, either because of meat taste or size of percent compared to 8.7 percent in 2020). (World specimen) contributed the most (15.5%) to total Bank, 2023). Costa Rica’s poverty indicators are volume of production, with the mahi-mahi7 close to the median of other countries in the region. species contributing most. In economic terms, the white shrimp8 species contributed most, with 12.8 Although official poverty incidence percent of total production value. In aquaculture, estimates in fisheries are not available, 7 Coryphaena hippurus. 8 Penaeus occidentalis, P. stylirostris y P. vannamei. 5 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 data from the Costa Rica’s labor force COVID-19 crisis. In 2010, the percentage of people survey (ECE) suggest fisheries workers who were multidimensionally poor was 31%, are more likely to be poor compared to compared to 21% in 2019. other sectors. Comparison of the cumulative distribution function of per capita daily income Economic growth gains have not reduced from inland and marine capture fisheries (blue inequality. Costa Rica showed continuous line in Figure 1) to that of agriculture (green growth in the years before the COVID-19 crisis, but line) and other sectors (red line) highlights that average income of the lowest quintiles remained workers in harvesting fisheries earn less than static. Poverty rates did not decrease significantly, workers in agriculture and other sectors. and inequality increased. While the poorest experienced no change in average income from 2010 to 2021, the population at the top of the FIGURE 1: CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION income distribution increased their average income FUNCTION OF DAILY PER-CAPITA INCOME IN HARVESTING MARINE AND (World Bank, 2022). Income for households at INLAND FISHERIES, AGRICULTURE, AND the bottom of the distribution suffered a greater OTHER SECTORS income fall during COVID-19, while recovery was 100 easier for households at the top of the income distribution. Inequality slightly increased, with the 80 Gini index reaching 0.524 in 20219. 60 CDF 40 1.1.2. Social Protection and Labor 20 0 The poorest appear to be more dependent on 0 10 20 30 public transfers compared to a decade ago. Daily PC income (int. USD) The composition of household 2021 income for Crop and livestock Fisheries Other sectors the two poorest quintiles shows that government Source: Author’s estimations based on Costa Rica ECE 2019. transfers and pensions were higher than in 2010, while the contribution of labor income declined, In contrast to income poverty, multidime­ especially for less educated adult men and single nsional poverty decreased rapidly before the mothers (World Bank, 2022). This situation was 9 Inequality is commonly measured by the Gini index. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 represents perfect inequality. 6 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 similar in 2019 before introduction of pandemic- social assistance programs in 2023 represents related economic transfers.10 1.2 percent of GDP (IMF, 2023). Costa Rica’s Social Protection (SP) system SP has proved valuable for low-income has prevented an increase in poverty populations. Cash transfers promote educational rate but has not eradicated extreme attainment and compensate for income loss. poverty. The Social Development and Family Additionally, public health insurance is available Allowances Fund11 (FODESAF) and the Mixed for the poor, although fishers and fish workers Institute of Social Assistance (IMAS) make up might need a special health insurance scheme to the cornerstones of Costa Rica’s SP system. guarantee access during fishing closures. FODESAF funds 35 percent of IMAS’ budget, and it is also the main funder of the largest Labor market programs in Costa Rica are social assistance program: the non-contributory also an important pillar of the SP system. pension, currently implemented by the Caja Employment services and active labor market Costarricense de Seguridad Social (CCSS). The programs (ALMPs)—such as technical and non-contributory pension has been successful in vocational education and training (TVET), business reaching low-income seniors with a benefit that development services, and public works—are represents a large share of their income. IMAS especially important. Apart from TVET, however, also oversees two conditional cash transfer (CCT) these programs hardly respond to the needs of the programs: Avancemos—which targets poor target population of this case study. households with school-aged children to promote their participation in formal education—and Social Protection Targeted to Fisheries Atención a Familias, a family assistance program and Aquaculture helping poor households meet basic needs. In 2019, social assistance programs covered Although some SP programs may cover 54.2  percent of the total population and 86.7 some of the low-income fishing population, percent of those in the poorest income quintile only one is specifically designed for fishing (World Bank, 2023). Expenditure allocated to and aquaculture. The temporary cash transfer 10 Public transfers and pensions contribution to household income increased in 2019 compared to 2010, especially for the lowest quintiles (World Bank, 2022). 11 Fund established in 1974 to assist public institutions in providing social services to low-income households (World Bank, 2022). 7 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 “subsidio de veda”12 consists of a three-month with community work-required to access the cash transfer paid once a year to eligible fisheries benefit-, monitored by INCOPESCA. INCOPESCA workers during fishing closures.13 The veda subsidy verifies the requirements and sends the list of is jointly managed by IMAS and INCOPESCA. eligible beneficiaries to IMAS. IMAS may deny the subsidy if potential beneficiaries are found to have Fishers and fish workers are eligible for this subsidy other income or if classified as “non-poor”. if they are registered with INCOPESCA and have a valid fishing license and evidence of contributions Table 1 summarizes the main SP programs and to CCSS health insurance. They must also comply veda subsidy beneficiaries. TABLE 1: NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES OF MAIN SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS, 2023 Budget* Program Beneficiaries Benefit* (USD) Amount (USD) % of total expenditure CCT Avancemos 274,000 30 to 75 145,517,430 11.9% (All sectors) people Monthly** contributor y pension Non­ 144,633 265 Monthly 285,378,359 23.3% people Family assistance 73,500 Varies according to 86,829,483 7.1% program (All sectors) households lines. Veda subsidy 1,431 people 270 1,056,774 0.1% Three months per year Source: Author’s calculations based on IMF (International Monetary Fund) - Costa Rica Social Spending. Ordinary Budget 2023. *Approximate values, Exchange rate December 9, 2022. ** Depends on the school grade. 12 The veda subsidy is a cash transfer that aims at complementing fishers and fish workers’ income at the time of fishing closures. It seeks to cover basic needs (food, health, housing, and basic services, of licensed fisher and their assistants for a period of three months per year). The program is activated annually by the Board of Directors of INCOPESCA. In 2022, the benefit reached 1.310 fishers and fish workers. 13 The main objective of the closure is to protect the reproductive period of the species in the Gulf of Nicoya during the year. 8 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 BOX 1: COSTA RICA: KEY ACTORS OF THE FISHERIES SECTOR MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK. Lead government agency responsible for defining fisheries policy objectives. INCOPESCA. Leader of initiatives for the sector. It is working on the first fisheries register and showed willingness to continue the studies to show the links between social protection and fisheries. INCOPESCA has a smooth relationship with other key institutions such as INA, MAG, and the National Institute for Rural Development (INDER) but lacks communication with other strategic allies. IMAS and SINIRUBE. The Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social, IMAS, is the agency responsible for providing social assistance to the poor and vulnerable populations in Costa Rica. IMAS implements a variety of social programs, the non-contributory cash transfer programs being the ones with the largest coverage. SINIRUBE, the national integrated social registry, is an independent institution responsible for assessing the socio-economic conditions of all Costa Ricans. Its coverage is nearly 100% of the country’s population. Both IMAS and SINIRUBE can play a key role in targeting poor and vulnerable fishers and to provide them with relevant benefits. IMAS is a direct partner of INCOPESCA in the implementation of the veda subsidy. For a successful and comprehensive provision of social protection benefits IMAS and INCOPESCA could improve their coordination to better respond to the needs of low-income and vulnerable fishers. INA. Leader of the TVET programs and direct partner of INCOPESCA in the delivery of courses, some of which are mandatory, to the target population. It was recognized by INCOPESCA and the communities that the programmatic offer, although broad, is not suitable for communities that are in remote towns or that have no access/literacy in ICT, among other limitations. Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), National Agency for Employment (ANE), and Bank for Development System (SBD). The ANE is the country’s main employment agency and a key player in linking people to relevant training programs. The SBD is a system of several financial institutions that support productive projects on preferential terms. Both ANE and SBD have a weak rural and vulnerable/poor approach in their programs. In addition, neither has had significant cooperation with INCOPESCA. MTSS provides seed capital, business development services, and community-based strengthening programs. However, like ANE and SBD, its rural focus is not strong, and it is not a reference among the target population. The Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS). The CCSS is the main actor in health care and social security. The CCSS has experience in designing special programs for specific populations and seasonal occupations14. Currently, there are some collective insurance initiatives for fishers, but as the case study shows, there are still gaps in coverage that require a different approach. The National Institute of Women (INAMU). Independently, INCOPESCA and INAMU have approached and developed projects with the fishing communities. It would be necessary Continued 14 Through partnerships with actors from the sector, the CCSS special insurance provides coverage to the coffee harvesting population. 9 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 BOX 1. COSTA RICA: KEY ACTORS OF THE FISHERIES SECTOR (CONTINUED) to strengthen this relationship and create a strategic plan that is transversal to the actions of INCOPESCA in the territories. Subnational governments, the private sector, and workers’ organizations are catalysts for local initiatives. The public sector can be considered as a potential employer by engaging the population, for example, in green jobs or infrastructure works. Subnational governments can be great allies in implementing an economic inclusion strategy. The private sector can also promote inclusive business and apprenticeship programs. Finally, the participation of producer organizations/ cooperatives and the target population, in general, is key to the success of initiatives. It is essential to have channels of communication that allow for first-hand knowledge of the needs of the population and feedback on implementation. Source: Author’s formulation. Main challenges del Estado (SINIRUBE), Costa Rica’s social registry, covers nearly 100 percent of the population. The SP system faces challenges to reach It is gradually becoming interoperable with specific pockets of low-income populations. national and subnational institutions. However, Social protection coverage has been decreasing; despite these efforts, interoperability with the between 2020 and 2021, the number of fisheries registry has not been achieved. Better beneficiaries decreased for both non-contributory coordination between these two databases pensions and Avancemos (IMF, 2023). Moreover, would facilitate the targeting of fishers and fish for 2023, the projected number of beneficiaries workers for existing social protection programs for the veda subsidy and Avancemos is lower (based on the characteristics and composition of than in 2021. In addition, regarding the size of the their households), identify coverage gaps, and benefit, the veda subsidy is nearly 40 percent of monitor vulnerable fisheries workers’ access to the minimum wage, which may be considered low social protection benefits and services. Recent given the high dependence of fisher  households innovations (adjustments in the algorithm) have on income derived from fishing activities. The size reduced leakage and exclusion errors below 15 of the veda subsidy has not changed since 2018. percent (SINIRUBE, 2023). Regarding targeting, the government of Despite improvements, SP program targeting Costa Rica has been making efforts to faces challenges. Priority is given to poor expand the coverage and improve its social populations with the vulnerable (those in danger registry. Founded in 2013, The Sistema Nacional of falling into poverty) tending to be left out. SP de Información y Registro Único de Beneficiarios 10 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 generally do not adopt deliberate efforts to cover Scope and Methodology of 2.  vulnerable groups. This is mainly because IMAS the case study was created to eradicate poverty and, by law, its competences are concentrated in serving the 2.1. Scope poor. This reduces interventions for vulnerable populations, such as fishers, who do not necessarily The case study provided a socioeconomic classify as poor since they often own land or a boat. profile of five districts in two geographic Comprehensive strategies for economic inclusion areas in the South Pacific region: Puerto of vulnerable, working-age populations in the Cortés and Golfo Dulce (Figure 2).16 The fishing and aquaculture sectors are also lacking. objective was to refine the profile of labor supply and demand and analyze existing gaps and In addition, Costa Rica’s SP system faces opportunities to promote economic inclusion for high fragmentation. Various agencies provide low-income fishing communities. The case study benefits to the poor and vulnerable, and the combined quantitative and qualitative techniques pro-cyclical financing structure of social protection and is not representative for Costa Rica or its expenditure does not ensure adequate coverage regions. There are several fishing communities during economic recessions, often associated with throughout the country and the study refers only increases in poverty and vulnerability.15 to the results of the pilot applied to a sample of two of those communities. It is, however, a proxy for the problems faced by the artisanal fishing population. 15 This means, that social protection expenditure contracts on critical times and expands when the economy is growing. This is somehow counter intuitive since it will be more beneficial to protect (expand social expenditure) at the times of crisis and contract when employment and income and growing. 16 For practical reasons, the document refers to the five districts located in two zones. 11 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 FIGURE 2: MAP OF GOLFO DULCE AND PUERTO CORTÉS Golfo Dulce Districts of Puerto Cortés Districts of Golfo Dulce Source: Google Maps. The study explored three distinct modules: labor demand that could include low-income fisheries workers; main occupations demanded Social and productive characteristics of people 1.  by businesses; and skills required for these. dependent on fishing and mollusk gathering and 3. Labor demand and supply gaps assessment; the their households; to understand their main needs, identification of existing job-training (or other shortcomings, skills, as well as the  potential to relevant) services, and potential adaptations engage in alternative productive activities within that to better reach the target population. or outside fishing and aquaculture. This third module aimed to serve as a baseline Productive profile of the selected territories; 2.  for identifying policy options and enable more specifically, exploration of current and future productive inclusion of the target population. 12 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Methodology exploring the socio-economic conditions of fishers and fish workers in the Gulf of Nicoya. In 2020, INCOPESCA commissioned a pilot survey to improve understanding of the social and productive profile of communities in the Gulf of Nicoya.17 By mid-2022, the World Bank team working with INCOPESCA became part of a larger Bank-funded activity to explore the role of SP and labor market programs for fisheries management and communities. Thus, the scope of the work was widened by expanding the initial 2020 exercise to other Photo: World Bank. Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, 2022. territories and to include the additional modules (productive profile of  the territories and labor A mixed-methods research approach was gaps assessment).  The  ultimate objective used to inform the three modules. To build remained to explore the role of SP and labor the socio-economic and productive profile of market programs in fisheries management and the target population, the team designed and for fishing communities. conducted a survey of fishers and mollusk gatherers. Semi-structured interviews with businesses assessed labor demand in the selected Questionnaire, sample, and fieldwork geographies. The communities’ labor profile, To ensure continuity of the Gulf of Nicoya private sector needs, and productive profiles of the work, the 2020 questionnaire provided territories provided inputs to analyze alternatives a starting point. A new version of the to address identified gaps. questionnaire allowed consistency of questions and response categories used by Costa Rica’s Socio-economic and productive 2.2.1.  household survey (EHAHO) and the SINIRUBE’s profile of small-scale fishing and survey (Registro de Información Social, RIS). mollusk-gathering communities The questionnaire also considered questions designed by the World Bank’s PROBLUE team. The pilot study of Puerto Cortes and Golfo The final version of the questionnaire consisted Dulce builds on INCOPESCA research of 189 questions. 17 “Fishing and Aquaculture Registry for the artisanal fishing communities of Chira Island and Manzanillo” (Universidad de Costa Rica, 2020). 13 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Key improvements to the questionnaire were enumerators consisted of 16 students from the included. Questions were added on the composition National University21 plus four supervisors that of household income and expenditure and on were staff of the consulting firm. access to financial services (applied to the entire sample population, rather than just the boat-owning 2.2.2. Diagnostic of the productive population, as in 2020). More focus on economic profile of selected territories inclusion was also added, with the new questionnaire including an additional section to identify the The introduction of this module was an population’s job skills—knowledge, experience, innovation for the sector. It was the first and self-perceptions—regarding a selection of time that INCOPESCA had access to information skills considered important for employability or about workforce demand for low-income fishers, entrepreneurship. fish workers and their household members in territories with a large presence of fishing activity. To construct the sample, INCOPESCA The aim was to establish a methodology to allow provided the consulting firm with a list of INCOPESCA to better understand the productive 471 low-income artisanal fishers and mollusk profile of the territories in which the selected collectors in the selected districts: 92 in Puerto fishing communities were located. Cortés and 379  in  Golfo Dulce. 30  percent of the population  on INCOPESCA’s list was As part of the productive profile, a literature interviewed. Additional fishers not registered review on regional development prospects with INCOPESCA were included in the survey and a semi-structured survey to explore through “snowball” sampling.18 In total 160 current and future job demand in the area fishers and fish workers were interviewed, were conducted. The semi-structured survey 49  from Puerto Cortés and 111 from Golfo was inspired by a United Nations Development Dulce, keeping the proportions from the original Programme (UNDP) methodology to identify registry.19 Fieldwork included pilots of four and regional productive and occupational profiles six days20 to collect information. The team of 18 Snowball (or chain-referral) sampling is a sampling method that relies on referrals from people in the sample to get more subjects with similar characteristics into the sample. It is useful when working with populations that are difficult to identify. 19 Although the TORs (Terms of Reference) prepared for the pilot study requested that workers were interviewed in their homes and using mobile devices (tablets), the firm faced challenges in obtaining the exact geospatial location of fishers and fish workers’ households that were not available in INCOPESCA’s registry, as well as low connectivity to conduct the surveys electronically. 20 From December 5 to 10, 2022. 21 From Careers in Trade and International Relations 14 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 required by businesses/productive units.22 The and institutional—which will be discussed in more in-depth semi-structured interview was designed detail in the next section. to be applied to a sample of existing businesses/ productive units in the selected municipalities. 3. Main findings Contact information for the businesses was obtained through municipal chambers of commerce. A total of 58 interviews were conducted to understand existing and future labor demand and explore potential opportunities for low-income fisheries workers. Interview questions included the current composition of the business’ workforce, type of existing Photo: World Bank. Purruja mangrove, Golfito, Costa Rica, 2022. contracts, average salaries, characteristics of recruiting processes, and information about 3.1. Socio-economic and main skills, knowledge, and other criteria for productive profile of existing and future (next 12 months) jobs. small-scale fishing and mollusk-gathering 2.2.3. Gaps Assessment communities Through a prospective scenario, some More than half of the population surveyed concrete actions for the progressive are fishers/fish workers and live near the Gulf. economic inclusion of low-income fishing The mollusk gathering communities are outside communities were identified. An assessment the Gulf, with easier access to the mangroves of gaps for economic inclusion of workers through than the coast. Although Golfo Dulce is more employment or entrepreneurship took into touristic than Puerto Cortés, the pilot study found account the main findings of the socio-economic no significant differences in the socio-economic and productive profile of the communities and characteristics of the two areas. Something similar the diagnostic of the productive profile of the was found in the analysis of the two productive territories. This process led to the identification of activities: fisheries and mollusk harvesting. The three sets of gaps—socio-economic, labor market, socio-economic profile of both groups is similar 22 This methodology was previously applied by UNDP in selected regions of Colombia https://issuu.com/pnudcol/docs/ productivos_30mayo_b 15 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 in terms of educational attainment, income, to complement household income because it the composition of household spending, and does not require access to equipment or special access to SP programs. However, some relevant technical skills. However, this activity generates differences were found. even less income than fishing, partly due to daily catch limits set by INCOPESCA.23 More than 95 Fishers/fish workers are typically older percent of mollusk gatherers and more than 86 than mollusk gatherers and have deeper percent of the fishing population earn less than roots in the activity. Fishers average fewer the minimum wage. years of education compared to mollusk gatherers, and the male versus female ratio Youth work mostly in mollusk gathering is higher for them (80 percent of fishers are and start at a young age, especially girls, male while 48 percent of mollusk gatherers are frequently combining the activity with school male). The volatility of  their income, which is attendance. Over half (56%) of the population less than the minimum wage for most, and the is under age 40. Although youth work in both fact that most are uninsured makes them highly productive activities, their labor participation rate vulnerable. is higher in mollusk collection. Mollusk gathering begins in childhood and reaches a 20 percent Adult men dominate fishing activities, with a participation rate for people between ages 19 and high proportion over age 50. Women lead the 25, compared to less than 5 percent in fishing for activity of mollusk gathering, with most of them the same age cohort. being heads of households. For all of them, fishing is more than a productive activity—it is a life Mollusk harvesters have more average years choice. In both groups, the heads of households of education than fishers. While most fishers represent around 75 percent. Typically, fishing has (men and women) have completed primary school, been a family tradition for several generations and mollusk harvesters have a relative advantage in more than 80 percent of the surveyed population secondary educational attainment, especially for has been fishing for more than 10 years. women: 46 percent of women gatherers have some level of secondary education versus 33 Mollusk harvesting is a strenuous physical percent for women fishers. activity that provides an alternative to fishing for some populations, especially women. Access to health insurance leaves a noteworthy Women have found this to be a suitable alternative portion of the target population and their 23 At the time of the pilot study, the established limit is 250 units per person; however, the amount varies according to the canton in which the activity is carried out. 16 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 families behind. The number of uninsured fishers complement their income with alternative (25%) is almost twice that of uninsured mollusk activities. Half of household expenditures go to gatherers (13%). Government health insurance is food, housing, and repayment of loans, leaving prevalent in both groups: mollusk gatherers (75%) no room for savings or investments. To generate and fishers (35%). However, only 11.9 percent of additional income, the population engages in mollusk harvesters have access to the pension various temporary activities including house system, while for fishers the percentage goes up repairs, construction, housekeeping, gardening, to 19.5 percent. and participation in small businesses led by associations (selling prepared food, handicrafts, The target population has tangentially and others); 83 percent of fishers and 60 percent benefited from SP programs. Only 9 percent of mollusk  gatherers participate in at least one of fishers in the sample reported having benefited association. from the veda subsidy24 compared to 12 percent for mollusk gatherers, and about 18 percent of The gender gap is present in multiple households benefit from the Conditional Cash dimensions. Not only is there a clear division of Transfer (CCTs) program Avancemos. TVETs labor between the fishing and mollusk gathering are the programs with the highest coverage, (with fishing remaining traditionally male) but reach 38 percent of the population in the there is also a gender income gap. Women not sample. However, the population expressed only average less earnings but also carry a heavier dissatisfaction with the available programs due burden of unpaid work (although this is not to coverage and difficulty in accessing them, unique to fishing). Women are more involved in as well as relevance of content. The population food sales, clothing repair, and domestic work. perceives that the programs have limited And when the same activities were evaluated for potential to contribute to income. both genders (for example. gardening), pay was lower for women. Many fishers and mollusk collectors are not technically classified as “poor” but rather Despite this unbalance situation, women as “vulnerable”. In both productive activities, have gained status as key workers in the more than 80 percent of the population fishing production chain. This is particularly earn less than the minimum wage and must important for mollusk harvesting and post-harvest 24 The veda subsidy mainly covers fisheries workers in the Gulf of Nicoya. The coverage figures presented here could respond to a less representative population affected by the restrictions, in the sample for Golfo Dulce and Ciudad Cortés. As reported by INCOPESCA, more than 90% of fisheries workers who applied for the benefit in the Gulf of Nicoya received it. However, it is important to consider that due to the requirements to access the veda subsidy, there is a portion of the population that has no interest to apply or does not qualify for the benefit. 17 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 fisheries activities. They are also better represented About 83% of the participating units are small than men in the management of associative businesses (Figure 3). Due to time constraints, projects with value-added components. the consulting firm launched a small-scale campaign to socialize the pilot study and reach relevant informants. Public and primary Productive profile of 3.2.  sectors (agriculture) were underrepresented in selected territories the pilot study, while the tertiary sector was predominant. Retail, hotels, and restaurants are This study included a set of interviews to explore the most representative economic activities. their demand for labor. A total of 58 businesses Unfortunately, some tourism-related activities were interviewed, 31 of them from the Canton were not highly present in the sample, despite municipality of Osa and 27 from Golfito. the region’s touristic profile. (Figure 4). FIGURE 3: DISTRIBUTION OF BUSINESSES IN THE SAMPLE BY SIZE (PERCENTAGE)25 3.4 3.4 10.3 82.8 Micro Small Medium Large Source: ICAP, 2023. 25 Micro firms are those with fewer than five employees, small firms have more than five but less than 70 employees, medium firms have more than 70 but less than 100, and large firms have more than 100 employees. 18 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 FIGURE 4: DISTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE SAMPLE BY THE MUNICIPALITY (PERCENTAGE) 40 38.9 35 30 27.5 25 25 22.2 Percentage 20 16.7 15 11.1 10.0 10.0 10 7.5 7.5 5.6 5.6 5.0 5 2.5 2.5 2.5 0 0 0 0 0 s s il s ts itie ed tio c op al al ice ice tel tra ubli ta an ion ur tiv elat sh erv Re s* n Ho erv ult ur P at ir hs r sta ric ls pa uc ism Ag alt ra Ed Re Re nis ne ur ac He mi To Ge Ad Source: ICAP, 2023. *Passenger transportation by air and sea, tourist car rental, travel agencies and other reservation services, preservation of historical and cultural sites, other sports and recreational activities. Current workers in the existing businesses are The analysis of job profiles showed that mostly men (63%) and considered permanent employers are looking for people with at least (90%). Most of them have secondary education and a secondary education and some training in work mostly in occupations such as sales, cashiering, soft skills. For administrative positions, some level cleaning, kitchen, repair, and tour guides. of tertiary education is required, as well as basic English language. Skills reported as highly valued Despite having higher education than men, include customer service, adaptability to change, women face restrictions to participate in and a willingness to learn. the labor market. On average, women have a higher tertiary education rate than men but lower New jobs are limited, but there is some employment rates. The pilot study found that potential for alternative work. People willing to many companies reported lower participation of move to activities different from fishing or willing women in the labor market due to competing care to complement their income have some options. and domestic responsibilities that prevent them The businesses that participated in the pilot study from working full-time or in jobs that are far from reported about 123 job vacancies to be filled in the where they live. next 12 months (Table 2). The jobs vary in terms 19 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 of type of contract and business area, but most of confirmed the hypothesis regarding social, them are seasonal and operational. productive, and structural gaps, in the selected territories. TABLE 2: DEMANDED OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES BY TYPE OF CONTRACT, NEXT 12 MONTHS FIGURE 5: GAPS ASSESSMENT Occupation Temporal Permanent Socio-economic • Gender segregation in the labor market Gas station worker   23 dimesion • Low levels of secondary education • Low level of training Housekeeper 6 5 • Lack of instruction in soft skills Cook 31 3 • Lack of English and ICT proficiency • Lack of access to financial services and business Supermarket clerk 2 2 development services • Low levels of access to health insurance and Baker   2 pensions • Lack of ICT at home although space for raising Receptionist 8 1 connectivity via mobile phones Fermentation worker*   1 Labor Market • Formal jobs require higher levels of Manager   1 dimension qualifications and skills and are concentrated in services sector. Accountant   1 • Business opportunities mainly linked to tourism (potential for green jobs) Insurance agent   1 • Business ecosystem composed of small units (low productivity units) Cashier 5   • Low access to value chains and to value added production Concierge 1   • Lack of "collecting centers" (centros de acopio ) Teacher 4   Institutional • Challenges in the coordination among rural, dimension fisheries, and social sectors Assistant 6   • Potential mismatch between training and market demands Salesperson 16   • Lack of incentives for low-income fishers to Maintenance worker 2   engage in alternative economic activities • Existing benefits do not respond to the Security guard 2   current needs of the population (insurance, licenses, social assistance) Total 83 40 Source: Author’s calculations based on ICAP, 2023. Source: Author’s formulation. Refers to workers with knowledge of fermentation and drying * techniques 3.3.1. Socio-economic dimension 3.3. Gaps assessment The socio-economic dimension is influenced The team assessed gaps in three interlinked by gender and activity gaps. As mentioned, the dimensions: socio-economic, labor market, gender gap is present among the communities, and institutional (Figure 5). The pilot study with sharp disadvantages for women regarding 20 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 participation in the labor market, remuneration, Training they receive is mostly geared to fishing and time devoted to unpaid work. Similarly, and aquaculture but is limited to mandatory noticeable differences between people engaged courses needed to obtain a license (for example, in mollusk gathering compared to fishing. navigation and emergencies) and not skills such as On  average, the mollusk gatherers are younger, customer service, information, and communication have more education, and earn less income, but technologies (ICT) literacy, or English language. have more access to public insurance than fishers. Nevertheless, they share many challenges to Business development programs and financial economic and social inclusion. services also are not available for the target population. Communities do not recognize or School attendance in Costa Rica is trending in benefit from these types of programs. When asked favor of girls and adolescents. Although school about access to these, the population reported no attendance is universal for children between the knowledge of, or access to, these programs. Most ages of six and 12, female adolescents between programs have an urban profile or are designed the ages of 17 and 23 began to show better for businesses with a certain level of development. attendance than male adolescents. This difference Some of programs require a good credit score or has widened compared to the previous decade, the business having been in operation for at least from 5 percentage points in 2010 to more than six months, representing barriers for some. 10 percentage points in 2021 (World Bank, 2022). These results are also in line with the study The population struggles in accessing finding of greater continuity for women  in  the the health and pension system through educational system, especially for mollusk contributory schemes. The high rate of gatherers. Low-income fishers continue to show uninsured people is partly due to lack of continuous low educational attainment, perhaps  related contributory capacity. Their income is highly to  the need for additional income and the volatile, but most, especially fishers, do not meet strong traditional perception of fishing and fishing- the requirements for coverage by non-contributory related activities as natural activities. insurance. INCOPESCA is working in partnership with the CCSS to facilitate insurance for vulnerable Training that could provide the study fishers. population with tools to engage in alternative or complementary economic activities is The digital divide is reflected not only in often not available. There is a low level of hard the lack of computer literacy among the and soft skills instruction for the target population. population but also in the lack of connectivity 21 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 in households. Although most respondents Communities have little access to value chains reported having a mobile phone, they have limited and value-added production. The target access to the internet at home; 33 percent have population needs more and better collection a conventional Internet connection and 4 percent points where they can trade fairly. The fact that have an optical fiber connection. Connectivity can the only option for most workers is to sell their help expand access to education, but it can also products through intermediaries not only limits enable access markets, financial resources, and their ability to establish better trading relationships business opportunities. In contrast with home but also limits their income. Systematic World internet, 52 percent of the population reported Bank analysis of the Fishing Management Plans having a mobile phone contract that includes an in 2021 found that the fishing community faces Internet connection. unfavorable market conditions for its products. Most artisanal fishers have reported feeling disadvantaged when selling their products to 3.3.2. Labor market dimension intermediaries and fishmongers. Worker’s lack of agency and the market regulations are particularly The labor market in the territories has detrimental to small-scale fishers, who make very limited capacity to employ new people. volatile verbal agreements on the price of their Substantial transitions will be needed for the products (Sánchez, 2021). target population to access formal jobs. Even if companies do not require highly qualified employees, there is still an education and 3.3.3. Institutional dimension training gap. Most agencies serving low-income fisheries The target population also faces restrictions workers work in silos. Fisheries, rural, and within the fisheries sector. Reduction in the social protection and labor agencies must better number of licenses, temporary closures, and coordinate in the design and implementation of restrictions on fish catches make the market policies and programs targeted to low-income environment highly volatile and increase people’s fishers. They need to better understand the vulnerability. These restrictions, designed to support needs of workers and households from a fishing sustainability, must be accompanied by multidimensional perspective. Programs that multi-sectoral interventions to prevent vulnerable benefit this population are currently designed from communities from falling into poverty and gradually a sectoral (productive) perspective, rather than overcome vulnerability. considering the overall needs of fisher and fish 22 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 worker individuals, households, and communities. multi-species fisheries. Similarly, programs should consider rurality and intersecting components—such as age, migration Implementing fisheries management plans status, ethnicity, gender, literacy, and poverty must ensure that the burden does not fall status—of the population they seek to serve. unevenly on different segments of the fishing community. For the adjustment process to occur smoothly, fisheries  management must Opportunities to improve 4.  provide those who obtain  their livelihood economic inclusion from fishing with a coherent set of incentives and support fisheries and support systems while avoiding fostering management a culture of dependency within those same communities. The productive-inclusion It is critical to develop mechanisms to approach protect people from falling into poverty and extreme poverty. Evidence shows that Costa Rica must ensure an effective, efficient, a siloed and narrow focus  on production and equitable transition towards a sustainable is insufficient to protect the  livelihoods of fisheries management regime. At the same low-income fishing communities. This calls for time, it must address short-term socio-economic an integrated, multidimensional approach to costs and optimize the environmental (including promote the long-term economic inclusion climate) benefits associated with that transition. of these communities. Table 3 provides some The transition path to a sustainable fisheries examples of concrete activities that can be management model needs to consider the promoted through a multidimensional and multifaceted social, cultural, ecological, and multisectoral approach. economic context, particularly in cases involving 23 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 BOX 2: A SINGLE ACTOR CANNOT RESPOND TO A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL CHALLENGE. Ensuring the economic inclusion of low-income fisheries workers requires a multi stakeholder approach • Licenses • Fishers’ registry • Business development services • Social registry • Financial inclusion • Sector surveys • Community assets • Case management Fishers and • PES Follow-up and households profiling Entrepreneurship exit strategy Employment Complementary opportunities services for households • Labor intermediation • Cash transfers • Relevant Training • Care services • Green jobs • Gender and women’s empowerment programs • Insurance Social worker: case management Source: Author’s formulation. *Payment for Environmental Services. Interventions should consider people’s life strong presence. Although the pilot study was cycle and their willingness to participate not able to interview a significant sample of local in different initiatives, whether inside or public sector representatives, they must play a outside the fisheries sector. As mentioned, role in economic inclusion. Local governments more than a livelihood, fishing has been a way of are key actors in both the design and delivery of life for generations, but also the most plausible productive inclusion interventions and can have activity in the local economy. a great impact.26 Short-time frame programs like Community Works27 or payment for environmental Local governments can be active agents services programs, also represent a viable in the economic inclusion of communities, alternative for communities under a multisectoral especially if the private sector does not have intervention. 26 For example, if they work within an associative model like mancomunidades-corporations or entites legally created by a grouping of municipalities or provinces-). 27 The Community Works Program is part of the MTSS National Employment Program. It consists of a temporary cash transfer to unemployed or underemployed who participate in a project of community interest through social organizations. 24 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 TABLE 3: POTENTIAL HIGH-IMPACT ACTIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN A MULTISECTORAL ACTION PLAN Activity Responsible institution Timeline Guarantee access to health insurance for low-income fisheries workers. CCSS – INCOPESCA Short (in development) Identify priority groups/regions to be intervened (for example, youth, INCOPESCA Short women, mollusk gatherers). Identify actions to improve socio-economic profiling of low-income INCOPESCA, SINIRUBE, INEC Short fisheries workers (Cross-referencing of data). Encourage fisheries workers to register and get their licenses. INCOPESCA Medium Address the access constraints (information, communication, targeting, INCOPESCA, SINIRUBE, IMAS. Medium and eligibility) to the main social assistance programs specifically reaching the fisheries and aquaculture subsectors. Create a multisectoral round table to set up a strategy and customize INCOPESCA, INDER, IMAS, INA, Medium interventions for low-income fishing communities. MTSS, Subnational governments, Since INCOPESCA is updating the management plans for MPAs, the Private sector multisectoral table or representatives could be part of the participatory process of constructing the plans. Design potential pilot multisectoral intervention Ex.1. INCOPESCA, IMAS, INA, Long - Ex.1 Vulnerable youth: Cash Transfers (CT) + job intermediation+ Private sector, Sub-national training (English, soft skills + On-the-job training -OTJ-) + financial governments. inclusion. Ex.2. INCOPESCA, IMAS, Banking - Ex.2 Women mollusk gatherers: CT + Business development services + sector, Sub-national governments, seed capital + financial inclusion. UNAMU, INDER. Source: Author’s formulation. Profiling and Targeting between SINIRUBE and INCOPESCA to make the fishers and social registries interoperate, to better A key first step is to implement mechanisms to profile fisheries workers, and to identify relevant better profile and target poor and vulnerable programs that could be targeted to individuals and fisheries workers and their households. It households who work in this field. is highly advisable to strengthen collaboration 25 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Education from the veda benefit program. The veda subsidy, the main social assistance program for fisheries, Opportunities could expand through responds to the needs of the population that meets demographic lenses. The young population is more veda access requirements; but too many vulnerable likely, for example, to take advantage of programs fishers are not receiving benefits. Addressing this aimed at increasing education. Likewise, this problem includes revising poverty status, social population may be more interested in transitioning to security contributions, and licensing requirements. other activities, which makes it a worthy population Also, it might help to explore the possibility of for pilot economic inclusion programs, for example transitioning from a social assistance cash transfer under the apprenticeship model with the private to a more stable unemployment insurance benefit. sector. Young women will also benefit from education if they find initiatives that reduce their care burden. Gender-sensitive and transformative actions28 Access to social insurance Recognizing and supporting women will It is critical to promote health and old age benefit the entire fishing community. For insurance access. This case study identified a critical instance, one plausible action (and one that mass of the population without access to health and does not require creating new programs) is to pension insurance. Some initiatives exist to facilitate strengthen dialogue between the Women’s fisheries workers’ access, through agreements National Institute (INAMU) and INCOPESCA to between INCOPESCA and the CCSS, but more work with communities to empower women’s effort is needed. Access of senior producers to social organizations.29 Initiatives to reduce women’s pensions also needs to be assessed and expanded. burden of care and domestic work are needed to allow women to fully participate in economic Access to social assistance activities. It is critical to identify the causes for low utilization of RedCudi,30 the national childcare and It is crucial to review and develop mechanisms development system, in fisheries communities. to prevent exclusion of vulnerable populations Women’s organizations could provide insights and 28 Gender programs can have different scopes. Gender-blind programs do not consider gender issues and gaps. Gender neutral programs recognize those issues and gaps but do not take specific or targeted measures to address them. Gender sensitive programs, instead, directly address gender inequalities. Gender transformative programs are designed to tackle those inequalities by addressing the roots of the inequalities at individual, household, community and institutional levels (FAO, 2023). 29 For example, INCOPESCA has recognized this potential and is planning training to raise men’s awareness of their roles and responsibilities in the care economy. 30 Red de Cuido is a public childcare and development program in Costa Rica that provides different modalities of public and private childcare and early childhood development services. 26 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 work with IMAS to arrange locations and find cannot absorb the entire excess labor supply, these caregiver personnel in remote geographies. programs provide training and create dynamism in the labor market. Active labor market programs (ALMPs) Financial and business development services Training Some programs will require more tailored interventions. This is the case for financial services, Training programs should be part of a employment services, and health insurance. strategic plan with follow-up support. Despite the country’s efforts to promote financial TVET programs come mainly from the National inclusion and employment, these programs do not Institute of Learning (INA), which has a history reach vulnerable population in rural areas such as of partnership with INCOPESCA, but the Puerto Cortés and Golfo Dulce. Their urban design programmatic offer needs to be adapted to and eligibility requirements have made it difficult community needs in terms of location, level of for the target population to benefit. Another step effort required, and fit with the local economy. would be partnering with the Ministry of Labor to This is important to restore confidence in the bring a sectorial approach—including fisheries and education and training system as a tool for aquaculture—to its business development and job social mobility. Concrete actions could include placement services. expand the skills and knowledge included in currently limited vocational training agenda. 4.1. Risks and challenges in Training could add the content identified in the enhancing economic inclusion needs assessment, focusing on those of young fishers. Some of these programs may need to be Lack of proper incentives to collaborate: delivered in the fishers’ communities to increase One of the main risks is the lack of incentives for participation. Additionally, businesses could key actors to act collaboratively to implement propose apprenticeship programs and INA could multidimensional interventions. Similarly, key tailor their offer accordingly. actors may not be aware of the potential benefits of partnerships. Once establishing a willingness INA could reevaluate how it serves this specific among actors to cooperate, it is important to demographic segment. For example, programs note that an innovative, cross-sectoral regulatory to encourage companies to enter apprenticeship framework is needed to address the reforms or contracts create “win-win” situations for employers solutions created to launch a multidimensional and potential employees. Although companies intervention. 27 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Budgetary constraints: Lac of budgetary 5. Conclusions, lessons resources relating to the fisheries and aquaculture learned, and next steps subsectors, or other relevant institutions, may also affect some initiatives. Conclusions and lessons 5.1.  learned Fishers’ inertia from traditional work activities: A significant risk stems from the ◊ Fishers’ and mollusk gatherers’ associations interest or “inertia” of the population to remain have potential to improve the situation  for in productive activities within the sector. This their members. Economies of scale in the risk is greater for the elderly, who generally capture and distribution of fish and mollusk, have no interest in changing activities, and solutions for care responsibilities, in-situ for some women, who cannot engage in training for communities, and empowerment employment or  entrepreneurship because of in negotiations are some of the most relevant care responsibilities. benefits reported by the population. ◊ In some geographies with a low private Lack of business dynamism and labor sector presence, it is necessary to consider demand: In terms of employability and the public sector as a potential employer productive inclusion alternatives, there is a risk for alternative activities. that the business sector will not have the capacity to absorb workers, regardless of their level of ◊ Not having direct access to markets affects education and skills. Additionally, there is also a income, the potential to generate added risk that On-the-job training (OJT) programs may value, and to create productive linkages. not be easily adaptable to the nature of business ◊ The burden of unpaid work (domestic and in the communities. care work) limits the contribution of the female workforce to households and local Failure to update social registry for fisheries: economies. As mentioned, attempts to encourage SINIRUBE and INCOPESCA to collaborate and use the ◊ The pilot study, designed to test the information contained in their registries have been approach for future studies, had some unsuccessful. The new fishers’ registry must be limitations due to the short execution suitable for cross-referencing information with time and the end-of-the-year break. The other relevant sources, such as the national census consulting firm left out two important and the social registry. groups of interest: the public sector and key potential employers in the fisheries 28 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 sector. They could also have also included It is critical to identify potential areas and more economic activities in the sample. concrete opportunities for collaboration that could be beneficial not only to the population ◊ Analysis of some questionnaire sections they serve but also to the institutions. For was limited—for example, pensions and example, it will be important to monitor efforts educational institutions—perhaps due to an to create partnerships between INCOPESCA and excessive focus on the productive dimensions CCSS for health and social insurance for vulnerable (for example, skills and experience) or due to fishing populations, as well as efforts to promote a lack of expertise of the firm enumerators interoperability between fishers and social registry. in this kind of analysis. Lack of experience working with vulnerable communities and Experiences from other countries may be with a complex sector like fisheries may also relevant to Costa Rica. Other countries in have influenced the relatively limited scope the region provide examples of good practice of the gaps assessment. in cooperation between fisheries and social Annex A summarizes lessons learned from the pilot sectors. Chile’s “Government Social Agenda study for practitioners interested in conducting for Fishermen” includes an economic inclusion primary information research. package31 to meet the main production needs of workers and improve their activity. Also, Perú 5.2. Next steps has implemented a strategy of social inclusion and intergenerational knowledge transfer for older adults. The program “Saberes Productivos“, promoted by local governments and the National Solidarity Pension Assistance Program, provides older adults with social protection while younger generations inherit ancestral knowledge. These are interesting examples of adapting social sector initiatives to contexts with a high degree of rurality and social marginalization, such as those artisanal fishing communities face. Photo: World Bank, 2022. 31 The program includes cash transfers to fishers, infrastructure improvements for communities to promote tourism, safety and protective equipment for seaweed harvesting, seed capital and technical assistance for fish farmers, funds for market studies for productive projects, training in basic knowledge of the sector, funds to promote consumption of seafood products in communities and schools, and recognition of crew members as economic agents. 29 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Based on the preliminary pilot study findings, according to the productive profile of the territories, INCOPESCA is preparing similar studies for example tourism. To do this, INCOPESCA may in other Costa Rican provinces. The aim is need to partner and work collaboratively with for INCOPESCA to use the studies’ findings to other implementing agencies. implement policy actions to improve the lives of low-income fisheries workers. The World Bank will continue promoting dialogue between INCOPESCA/MAG and The World Bank team has urged INCOPESCA/ IMAS and the main social and productive MAG to develop a road map on how to use the institutions. The World Bank team presented results of the case study, and future studies, this work to INCOPESCA in May 2023 and later to design a coherent, integrated model to in the year it was shared with MAG and the work with low-income fishing communities. President’s Office. The team is planning to expand An immediate action to be taken is to improve dissemination with a larger audience, including data related to socio-economic conditions of other key actors—such as INA, IMAS, SINIRUBE, coastal areas and the most vulnerable populations CCSS—to explore opportunities for improving the in these areas: youth, women, seniors, indigenous, socioeconomic conditions of fisheries workers and and afro descendants. Another important task is to their households. improve the studies’ reach to different subsectors 30 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 6. References Banco Central de Costa Rica.  Costa Rica. Producto Interno Bruto por Actividad Económica. A precios básicos y de mercado. Millones de colones. 2019.  Digital Convergence Initiative. Social Protection Information System interacting with Farmer Registry. Online seminar held on April 27, 2023. Social Protection Information System Interacting with Farmer Registry.   FAO. Guidelines for the Routine Collection of Capture Fishery Data. Fisheries Technical Paper 382. 1999.  FAO. Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. 2015.  FAO. Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2023.   FAO and GIZ. 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May 2023.  32 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Annex: Lessons learned during preparation of the case study: A synthesis for primary data collection FIGURE A.1: LESSONS LEARNED DURING THE PREPARATION OF THE CASE STUDY The team should have a strong Encourage the use of alternative Implement an outreach plan It is critical to have follow-up 1. Design and TORs 2. Data 3. Scope 4. Supervision background in social and sources of information to encourage businesses, meetings with the consultant economic sciences and (studies, census, social registry, the public sector, local firm that carries out the studies experience in socio-economic administrative data). And governments, and other relevant that also involve Government and labor market analysis. thoroughly review of productive stakeholders to representatives. A statistician should be questionnaires to ensure that participate in the study. Government agencies should available to ensure data quality key information is not missing. It is important not only to have designate a person with elevant and a knowledgeable person Allow for the possibility of a representative number of expertise to serve as a focal for coordinating fieldwork. cross-referencing information businesses but also to include point for the consulting firm The timing of the project should with other databases a variety of economic activities. to provide timely and relevant be carefully planned, avoiding The time required for this feedback. The snowball sampling periods when there may be process should be consider allowed the firm to reach interruptions, (such as the when designing the study. for nonregistered fishers end of the year). and harvesters. The company should allow a significant amount of time for training on the concepts, use of the questionnaire, and fieldwork, and also for both the pilot testing of the questionnaire and a recognition site visit. Source: Author’s formulation. 33 SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS | POLICY & TECHNICAL NOTE    JUNE 2024 | No. 37 Blue Social Protection Series: Protecting People, Fish and Food Integrating Social Protection and Jobs with Fisheries Management • Conceptual Framework (May 2022) Country Case Studies (June 2024) • Overview of Country Case Studies • Costa Rica: Exploring alternatives for the economic inclusion of low-income, artisanal fisher communities • Kenya: Supporting sustainability in Kenya’s fisheries through social protection and labor market interventions • Solomon Islands: Opportunities for linking fisheries management and social protection • Sri Lanka: Integrating social protection and economic inclusion with management of Sri Lanka’s coastal fisheries • Viet Nam: Connecting social protection, labor market interventions and fisheries management © 2024 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: +1 (202) 473 1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. 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