Caribbean Coast Food Security Project (PAIPSAN)

About the Project

In Nicaragua, the agriculture sector is the single largest employer with more than 30% of the labor force, the main source of livelihood for close to 80% of rural households, and the majority of staple foods consumed are derived from small- and medium-scale farmers. The Caribbean coast is the country’s main agricultural frontier, accounting for 43% of the national territory, 23% of the agricultural area, nearly three-quarters of the forest area, 70% of fishery production, and 35% of the cattle. However, agricultural growth is limited by post-harvest losses, weak agribusiness development services, lack of rural infrastructure, and climate change vulnerability.

PAIPSAN-CCN invested $33.9 million to focus on small producers, indigenous, afro-descendants, and mestizo communities, and value chains with growth potential in the impoverished Caribbean coast region of Nicaragua. The project enhanced food security and nutrition in select communities of Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. The project targeted small- and medium-scale landholders, rural laborers, producers’ organizations, and fisher communities with limited or no assets or equipment, including women and young people, and aligned with the sector-wide Rural Development Program, which focused on poor smallholders as active participants in their own sustainable human development to achieve food security and foster agricultural exports. PAIPSAN-CCN promoted increased agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability through participatory design innovation development plans for formal and informal groups of beneficiaries, such as cooperatives and producers’ associations, to improve and innovate their products and consolidate market opportunities. Activities included agricultural technology training and technical assistance for organized producers and creating and promoting income-producing employment activities, such as family-community micro-enterprises ranging from cabinet-making and fruit production to sustainable tourism in support of women and young people. The project also supported nutrition education to change behavior and raises awareness and knowledge about nutrition and the role of agriculture in improving nutrition outcomes.