The Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR) 9160 project of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) was recognized as a champion JFPR Project during the Asia Development Bank – Japan Fund Week Celebration held on June 27, 2022. JFPR Champion projects are exceptional projects able to deliver great impact and achieved results.
From 2015 to 2018, the PCSD implemented JFPR 9160: Developing Sustainable Alternative Livelihood in Coastal Fishing Communities in the Coral Triangle in the Municipality of Balabac, Palawan. The project’s goal is to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for fisherfolk in the municipality’s coastal communities, focusing on projects that wean people away from destructive fishing practices and other activities such as overfishing, wildlife fishing, unsustainable tourism, rapid urbanization, and the emergence of highly extractive industries. Furthermore, the project aimed to promote indigenous peoples’ and women’s involvement and representation in livelihood and business opportunities.
The project provided training and learning sessions on welding, carpentry, masonry, food processing, seaweed farming, goat raising, and basket and mat weaving. During its implementation, it has established 461 alternative livelihood units, 217 of which are women-led. Following its completion in 2018, third-party monitoring results showed a 55% increase in the per capita income of women-led livelihood enterprises. Furthermore, data acquired from the evaluated communities in Balabac in 2021 reveal a 30% increase in income from the 2015 baseline.
The said project is a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at reducing environmental and anthropogenic impacts on coastal and marine resources, reducing poverty rates in coastal areas, and providing sound solutions to policy/institutional gaps in coastal resource management. The JFPR 9160 project was also selected as a winner in the Expo 2020 Global Best Practice Programme showcased in Dubai, UAE in March 2022.