Environmental Sustainability
Pescando com Redes 3G (Fishing with 3G Nets): Promoting Sustainable Fishing and Entrepreneurship Through Digital & Social Inclusion

Pescando com Redes 3G project was created in 2010 to promote sustainable social and economic development in fishing communities in the city of Santa Cruz Cabrália, in southern Bahia, through digital and social inclusion. Fishing is one of the main economic activities in the region and provides a living for families who have been in the business for years using techniques inherited from their ancestors. Overfishing, coupled with a lack of investment, has resulted in diminishing opportunities, reducing the income of the fishing communities and resulting in the emigration of young people to other cities in search of jobs. Fishing with 3G Nets aims to support the implementation of new economic activities through the use of 3G connected smartphone and tablet applications.

Impact

Phase I

• Close to 60 fishermen in seven communities directly benefitted from the project and more than 1,500 members of the community and local business benefitted indirectly.
• In the community of Coroa Vermelha, where the fish processing unit is located, revenue increased to almost 170,000 Brazilian real (approximately US$85,000) in the 15-month period following the launch of the project.
• Additionally, the use of mobile phones grew by 16.1 percent among those participating in the project, compared with those who did not.

Phase II

• Today, the oyster farm produces about 3,000 units per month, with the potential to produce 10,000 units per month.
• In only two months, a participating restaurant sold 2,000 oysters, which generated approximately 2,500 Brazilian real (US$1,286) in additional monthly income for the community of mariculturists.
• To help increase socio-environmental awareness and promote the sale of oysters, an Augmented Reality application was developed using Qualcomm’s Vuforia platform to provide informational text, photos, videos and a game via a 3G connected tablet.

Phase III

• The first group participating at CEIT-PR3G is comprised of 50 youth from Guiau and Santo Antonio, of which more than half are female and/or do not have access to a computer at home.
• The students were introduced to mobile technology at CEIT and then participated in an outdoor excursion where they used 3G connected devices to geo-tag dozens of new locations on Google Earth. CEIT-PR3G is estimated to impact more than 4,000 people in Santa Cruz Cabralia and an additional 5,000 people in surrounding communities.