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An Overview Of Our Solution

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

À but non lucratif

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Freshwater

Population impacted

33.100 people

Size of agricultural area

343 sq km

Production quantity

20.000 trees

People employed

Describe your solution

• Continue the development of our plant nursery both as a producer of fruit and native trees, and as a laboratory to continue educating people in forest conservation. So far, we have trained 200 people who have the mission of being and acting as friends of the forest, and have planted around 10.000 trees. We have also started a pilot program in planting of fruit trees with 10 families, and want to expand it to a bigger area. • Increase the volume and improve the quality of the drinking water of the area • Reduce the rates of infant mortality (currently 25.7%) due to poor water quality • Through the planting of native fruit trees on the sides of the minor roads of the area, it is expected that 8.000+ people´s diet will improve as a daily ration of fresh fruit could become available to them at no cost.

Describe your implementation

For two years, FUNDESIA has developed its own plant nursery, which has been both a laboratory to train 200+ people in reforestation and planting of fruit trees. As a field practice with our students, FUNDESIA has led campaigns of reforestation of the watersheds of the rivers that provide water for our communities. In addition, small pilot programs have been conducted to plant fruit trees. We are convinced that the 200+ people who have attended our training courses have become a critical mass with a new conscience on the conservation native forests. In the second stage, which is the planting of 10.000 fruit trees on the sides of the minor roads of our region, we are expecting to be able to train at least 100 more people, who will replicate the knowledge received in their family and community contexts. As we continue this program, we are certain that the impact of both initiatives (forest conservation and planting of fruit trees) upon the water supply and food security will be very noticeable in time.

External connections

For this project we have made a strategic Alliance with the SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje-National Service of Learning), the most important institution in Colombia that offers technical education to Colombians in marginalized areas. The SENA has been the institution that has offered the certified training in forest conservation using our plant nursery and classrooms. Equally important are the alliance that we are seeking with the CRC (Corporacion Autonoma Regional del Cauca—Autonomous Regional Corporation of El Cauca), which is in charge of the conservation of the natural resources of the area. For the second stage of the project (the planting of fruit trees) we are seeking to engage the ICA (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario-Colombian Agricultural Institute). By working with these institutions we aim at making this experience replicable in other areas of the country.

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

With an area of 343 square kilometers, Caldono, Cauca, has a total population of about 31.500 people living in its rural area. Water volume and water quality are the most pressing issues that, if not addressed, would reverberate in the sustainability of the way of life of the small villages that compose the municipality. Reforestation will, in time, affect the volume and the quality of the water supply of the area, and the planting of fruit trees on and around the minor roads that connect these little villages, could guarantee, to some degree, food security. This initiative could be very well replicated throughout small rural communities in Colombia and the world.

Describe the context in which you are operating

• Caldono has a population of about 33.122 people
• The agricultural frontier has expanded to the point that pristine ecosystems have been affected by the indiscriminate logging of native species of trees
• As a consequence biodiversity has declined significantly around this area
• The monocultures of coffee and sugar cane have had an impact on biodiversity as well as lack of diversification in crops of other
• Water volume and water quality have decreased
• Forest fires have become a constant during El Niño periods, which in turn threat the water supply
• After more than fifty years of armed conflict with the FARC-EP (Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia), the region presents sequels of forest destruction and eroding soils due to illegal crops of coca leaf and poppy seeds
• 69.3% of the people of the area do not have their basic needs met
• The mortality rate for every 1.000 children born alive is 25.7%
• The tuberculosis mortality rate is the highest in Colombia, 12.04 deaths for every 100.000 people
• The area has been declared by the national government as a reconciliation zone. There are currently 600+ ex-guerrilla fighters ready to reenter civil life, with all the challenges that it poses to the communities that host them.

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

At this stage is too early to talk about significant impacts since it takes time for wildlife to come back, water supply to increase to significant amounts in terms of volume and quality. However, by having trained 200+ people, and having planted around 10.000 trees with volunteers on the watersheds of the rivers that supply our drinking water, we feel we have impacted the community in a significant way by empowering individuals who will replicate their experiences in their families and communities.

Language(s)

Spanish

Water

It is our hope that as we increase the number of trees planted around the watersheds of the rivers surrounding our area, the impact upon water volume and water quality could be felt in time

Food Security/Nutrition

Intensive planting of fruit trees plus reforestation of the watersheds will guarantee a sustainable food security for these communities

Economic/Sustainable Development

As more people get trained in reforestation and planting of fruit trees, they can use that experience to start their own enterprises of plant nurseries, and/or get hired by environmental agencies. Also, as fruit trees grow around the impact area, a steady supply of fruits to families will be available at no cost, which will reverberate in the improvement of their health.

Climate

Climate change has been the responsible for forest fires around the area in the last three years. Through reforestation we hope we can mitigate the damages done to the ecosystem as well as improve evapotranspiration rates so that the water cycle brings more moisture and rain.

Sustainability

So far we have self-funded this initiative from the proceeds of other economic activities in which we are engaged. We are expecting that by reaching out to CRC and ICA, we can find additional funding.

Return on investment

So far the cost of what we have invested exceeds US$10.000, which has covered the cost of materials, seeds, land use, plant nursery, irrigation, paid labor and transportation.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

In vulnerable communities, and with the help of governmental institutions, it is possible and not that difficult to replicate this experience. It is imperative, though, that the community gets engaged in this process by providing qualified and willing individuals who want to be trained in reforestation, forest conservation, and technologies in plant nursery. Reforestation is something that is being done in other regions of Colombia. Planting of fruit trees for the community along minor roads, is something that is new and can also be replicated. For this project to work the needs are: 1 coordinator of the project, 5 trainers who each can take groups of up to 20 students , a dedicated gardener, good quality seeds, printed materials for the theoretical part of the training, transportation to the planting zones, an audiovisual campaign to get youngsters involved, gardening tools. We estimate that for the second stage we need around US$12.270.

Overview

FUNDESIA