Facts
Aims
This project aims to reduce the emigration of members of indigenous families. To achieve this goal, the farmers are trained in agroecological production. This type of cultivation can increase the families’ food security on the one hand and produce attractive products for the local market on the other.
This project is co-financed by the SDC program contribution.
This project ended in 2021. Read about its success here.
37-year-old Raul Upaya Romero knows what hard work means. As a child, he was already working in the lowlands as a day labourer on sugar cane plantations. Sometimes, he got beaten instead of paid.
As a teenager, he returned to his parents’ village and they taught him basic farming skills. But the money wasn’t enough to make ends meet. Raul emigrated to the next larger city – and only came back when his wife inherited a plot of land.
Today, he’s proud of the field: «This is our life, this is my family’s future.»
Thanks to agroecology he can feed the family
The beginning was tough. The soil was polluted by monocultures, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. “The courses in agroecology helped me a lot,” says Raul. “Today, I can feed my three children and my wife.”
In the fields, where once only potatoes and beans were cultivated, a wide variety of different vegetables are growing as well as fodder plants for the animals. Most farmers in the village practise sustainable agriculture which makes it easier for them to share their experience.
At the end of the interview, Raul Upaya Romero is keen to convey his message: «An eternal thank you for the help, merci to SWISSAID and to everyone who donated money!»
The project is over!
The project enabled 290 farming families in six village communities in Achupallas county – some 1,455 people – to better adapt to the living conditions in their region, and thus reduce the rural exodus. In detail:
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Agroecology and seeds
– 126 farmers have been trained in agroecology and are now cultivating their plots using locally adapted, climate-friendly farming techniques. Farmers use natural fertilizers that they produce themselves.
– Their crops have diversified, with new fruit species such as strawberries, blackberries and curuba. For varieties sensitive to cold and/or wind, 239 mini greenhouses and plant tunnels have been built.
Environment
– 258 low-smoke wood-burning stoves, 30 kitchens and 296 laundry rooms were installed. With a time saving of around two hours a day, the working conditions of the women, as well as the health situation of the families, has improved considerably. The new facilities also have a positive impact on the environment: deforestation is considerably reduced thanks to the new stoves, and rivers are no longer polluted by detergents.
Trainings
– Women and young people have taken part in training courses for the processing and marketing of their products, which they sell at local markets.
– Depending on their needs, project participants have also received training in agroforestry, animal care and beekeeping.
– Seven seed guardians are formed to ensure the availability of local seeds. A new seed bank has been built.
