ARAA/CHOBA-CHOBA

Tarapoto, Pérou

An Overview Of Our Solution

The initiative covers three different agro-ecological zones of rural communities that belong to the provinces of Moyobamba, Rioja, Lamas, Picota and Bellavista, in the Upper Amazon region of the San Martín Region, and developed with diverse peasant families in their socio-cultural and economic conditions. From 1997 to the present, it has been possible to recover, disseminate and adapt, and with this to densify groecosystems with a significant diversity of native crops and Amazonian plant species, this initiative is allowing its rural and urban population to have diversity of food and other agricultural products To increase their income, to self-generate employment, to supply seeds to other families, to improve the agroecological conditions of family agroecosystems, and as Mutual Learning Centers for other peasant families in the Region.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

À but non lucratif

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Freshwater

Oceans/Coasts

Population impacted

2,400

Size of agricultural area

300 ha

Production quantity

18,000

People employed

600

Describe your solution

Through the recovery of practices and knowledge of conservation and uses, systematized in 5 books, 12 leaflets, 10 articles and 50 brochures and 5 videos, and disseminated to organizations and institutions in the Region and the Country. With the reinforcement of 30 "curious" peasants and conservative peasants or leaders in the recreation of their traditional practices of itinerant agriculture to a more stable type, identified and valued in their knowledge and conservation practices. Recovering 60 varieties of 12 native crops and their wild relatives, 100 varieties of 20 forest species, recovered, scattered in approximately 500 ha. And conserved in the estates of 255 families that is being oriented to the stabilization with the densification of its diversity, in 30 populated centers. Promoting environmental education with youth and children to maintain intergenerational and intercultural wisdom and practices that preserve biodiversity. Using the values of rural women in the broad sense of the 'aging' of biodiversity for the good life of families and communities.

Describe your implementation

Among the activities that solve the problems, we have: to train the holders of the knowledge of conservation of the biodiversity; Hold reflection workshops with community leaders, authorities and conservation professionals; Hold biodiversity and knowledge fairs among communities, carry out internships to successful conservation experiences; Conduct a training workshop for teachers in the implementation of didactic material teaching ancestral knowledge. It ensures that the solution is adopted and promotes change, when: Peasant families value biodiversity production; The sages of the communities improve their self-esteem knowing that they transmit their cultural values to the youth population; Local governments and community organizations assume cultural values in their government policies. Among the favorable conditions for the success of the solution, we have: Diversity of ancestral and modern knowledge, vitality and dynamics of the peasant population, various types of communal organizations, seeds and races of diverse animals, youthful population linked to communities, rites and Traditional festivities, permanent meetings of families from different agro-ecological zones, and teachers and authorities of peasant descent. Among the obstacles are: continued monoculture development, continued education with prioritization of modern knowledge, migration of Andean populations with inadequate alternatives, biased view of development. These obstacles are being overcome through the continuation of the promotion of the diversification of communal lands, focusing on the interrelationships between different cultures, proposing their insertion in the programs of local governments, better knowledge of the fair relations with the markets, and highlighting The participation of women and young people in the various dimensions of good communal living.

External connections

Recovery and conservation of 11 varieties of native beans, in the province of Lamas, San Martín. Funded by the Small Grants Program, Global Environment Facility, United Nations Development Program. Implementation of 86 ancestral cultural affirmation initiatives or trades. Funded by the Inter-American Foundation, Ms. Miriam E. Brandao: Foundation Representative / Representative for Peru. Implemented by several organizations in 20 communities with the support of the Andean Choba Choba Amazonian Rural Association Network of Teachers of the Mishquiyacu basin, with this Network is implemented community education. Ministry of Education: Intercultural Bilingual Education (EBI) and Coordinator of the Andean Peasant Technologies Project

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

The Amazon communities in the practice of their traditional agriculture and with it the conservation of biodiversity, more than 95% of the energy they use are renewable. And with their austere ways of life they are four times more efficient and profitable in the use of calories in relation to thermodynamic machines. In the context of ecological crisis, these communities are re-creating their agriculture, intensifying the use of the land in compatibility with the conservation of nature; Allowing their stabilization and avoiding pressure on the forests. And because of the diversity of flora they preserve, they generate a great dynamics and abundant foliar and biomass coverage. It is estimated that each hectare of this type of land use in 5 years sets 95 tons / ha of carbon. It is estimated that each hectare of this type of land use, is equivalent to stopping and burning five hectares of forest and one hectare of secondary forests fixed 1050 tons of carbon dioxide (C02) in 15 years.

Describe the context in which you are operating

They are rural populations, distributed as follows: 10% are seniors, 30% are adult males, 30% are adult females, 20% are girls and 10% are boys. Of this total, 40% are native populations, the remaining 60% are mestizo populations; Of this 60%, 70% are immigrant populations. The family component is in the range of 5 to 8 members per family. Eighty percent of them have failed to complete primary education and only 10% have completed their secondary education and less than 1% have completed higher education.

These populations are made up of small agroforestry producers, settled in populated centers, between 40 to 200 families/community and their agricultural activity practices in hillsides and rainfed. In addition to these aspects, the serious problems of deforestation suffered by the Region, through the promotion of monocultures and in particular the cultivation of coca, has caused that its natural resources deteriorate and with that it has reduced agricultural diversity and low productions Which makes them have low incomes and limits food supply, which is why 70% of these populations are considered very poor.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Conservative peasants were found "curious" unidentified and valued in their knowledge of the conservation of native diversity, with the solution being strengthened 30 farmers and conservative peasants in the recreation of their traditional practices of itinerant agriculture to a more stable type, identified and Valued in their knowledge of conservation. Native agroforestry varieties were found belonging to 12 crops and 20 silvicultural species in extinction processes, with the solution being increased 60 varieties of 12 native crops and their wild relatives, 100 varieties of 20 forest species, recovered in approximately 500 ha. And conserved with 255 families that is being oriented to the stabilization with the densification of its diversity, in 30 populated centers. Traditional knowledge and practices of conservation and sustained use of diversity were little known and valued, with the solution of these Practices and knowledge of conservation and uses, were systematized in 5 books, 12 leaflets, 10 articles and 50 brochures and 5 videos, and Disseminated to organizations and institutions of the Region and the Country.

Language(s)

Spanish, Quechua

Water

The diversification of agriculture with native crops allows permanent vegetation cover, which reduces soil erosion and contaminates water with 10 tn / ha / year. It avoids the use of agrochemicals and with it also the contamination of water sources, and facilitates the infiltration of rainwater and with them improves the volume of the water table that are purified and filtered to the water sources.

Food Security/Nutrition

With biodiverse native crops, the frequency and volumes of bio-diverse and ecologically healthy products for food and health and peasant families, coupled with the diverse practices of food conservation and transformation, and the redistribution practiced in our Villages with original cultures allows us to guarantee our food. More than 70 types of food have been recorded that farmers can prepare based on the various combinations of their crops, forest products and water sources.

Economic/Sustainable Development

With indigenous bio-cultures, peasant families provide more than 70% food for the urban population, as well as supplying local markets with a great diversity of biodiversity products without crowding the markets with large volumes of crops such as monocultures. With this mode of marketing "drip" peasant families have moderate but frequent incomes and with low risks in reducing their prices.

Climate

In traditional agriculture that conserves crop diversity, there is a healthy rotation and association with wild flora and fauna that allows the permanent incorporation of vegetation and / or land cover, thus improving the microclimate of each family estate, thus becoming a sink Of carbon and permanent adaptation to the climatic changes, and in the sum of these multiple bio-family farms improves the climate of communal ecosystems.

Sustainability

In the productive economic aspect has to do with the participation of men and adult women. Training initiatives, community-based local development initiatives, support to mutual aid groups in agro-ecological improvement of farms and support with inputs and tools were invested. In this component the production volumes of the families that benefited from the Project were increased and the agroecological conditions were improved in 198 hectares, in the diversification of agricultural plots, the enrichment of secondary forests and the recovery of degraded areas. The number of cultivars has increased from 6 to 12 cultivars and this diversity also increases the influx to markets and family income.

Return on investment

The project had two components: the food security, the activities carried out mainly related to the participation of women, and an investment of US $ 61, 991.69, for training activities, implementation with seeds, smaller animals and implements Of kitchen. And the second component is the productive aspect that has to do with the participation of the family (men and older women), with whom there was a total investment of US $ 80 241.80, for activities of: training, community development initiatives Local support to groups of mutual aid or choba-chobas in agricultural work, improvement of agro-ecological properties and support with inputs and tools.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

For a direct beneficiary population of 8,400 people, an investment of U.S. $ 400,000 is required for the implementation of the following items: administration, disclosure, equipment, entrepreneurship funds, fees, materials and inputs, salaries, training, travel and vehicles. The main stakeholders would be: partners, Cordillera Azul National Park (administered by the NGO CIMA - Cordillera Azul), the Cerro Escalera regional conservation area (administered by the Huallaga Central and Lower Mayo Special Project), 5 district local governments, Education (Local-Provincial Educational Management Unit), the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (Productive Knowledge Program) and community organizations.

YouTube URL

CHOBA CHOBA

Overview