Greenhouses in Chuma & Ayata

LOCATION: 7 communities in the municipality of Chuma, 1 community in the municipality of Ayata
PROJECT PERIOD: December 2007 - November 2010
PICTURES: (temporarily not available)
DESCRIPTION: the construction of 200 greenhouses and provision of technical assistance for the ecological production of vegetables.

Problem:

The harsh climatic conditions on the high peak of the mountain where the remote community Kishuarani is situated, does not provide good cultivation possibilities. Nor is there any other profitable activity which could provide certainty about survival. Only in very few opportunities, is it possible to exchange some goods like wool or meat at the market at a distance of some hours walking. Nevertheless, in general the diet is not divers and therefore generates very difficult survival conditions.

Solution:

Every participating family builds their own greenhouse, for which Chakana provides them with the non-local materials, like the agricultural plastic for the roof, tools and the Californian Red Worms that provide the families with ecological manure. The technical assistance consists of the improvement of the soils and an explanation of the use of the crops. The training of the population and the monitoring of the projects continues at least during two harvest cycles.

Every community has two local facilitators who are trained intensively in the construction of the greenhouse and the growing of vegetables. The coordination between the villages and Chakana is done by a local coordinator who works for Chakana. The trainings, the assistance and the monitoring of the project are executed by an expert employed by Chakana. This expert is an Aymara agronomist, who will spend many months of the year in the field. In each village, farming cooperations will be founded which take care that the villagers save some of the returns for the future replacement of the plastic roofs.

Result:

200 families have gained knowledge in the cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. This leads to a more varied diet, more food, and the production of a surplus which can be sold at the market. They will be able to independently manage, maintain and use their greenhouses, which makes the project sustainable.


FUNDING: Don Bosco Fonds, Nacht van de Fooi, NCDO