FOOD

FOR THE

FUTURE

Stories of farmer

communities in

transition

FOOD FOR THE FUTUREstories of farmer communities in transitionProgramme 2008 - 2010 “Food for the Future”

Financed by:New World – Belgium.www.bevrijdewereld.be

Facilitating institutes:ICO (Training Institute of the Eastern Region of Bolivia) – Bolivia.INCCA (Farmers’ Training Institute) – Bolivia.ISALP (Social Research and Legal Assessment Institute Potosí) – Bolivia.PROAGRO (Institute of Agricultural Promoters) – Bolivia.

With the support of:AIPE (The Network of Institutions in Promotion and Education) – BoliviaPROBIOMA (Productivity, Biosphere and Environment) - Bolivia

Systematized and edited by:René HerbasJavier Téllez MelgarAGRECOL Andes Foundation.www.agrecolandes.org

Revised by:Jaap Op de Coul – New WorldSofie Van Der Straeten – New World

Layout:Grissel Bolivar, Els Van Hemelryck

Photography:Coen Wubbels René HerbasJaap Op de CoulTeams of the counterpart institutions of the Program Mundo Nuevo

Translated by:Jocelijn François, Nathalie Brouwers

Cochabamba – BoliviaFebruary 2011

For more information on the projects of New World (Bevrijde Wereld) in Bolivia, contact us at info@bevrijdewereld.be

The present publication is a compendium of systematized experiences that have been selected as “best practices” within the pro-gramme “Food for the future 2008 - 2010”, supported by New World (Bevrijde Wereld) - Belgium, and with food security as its main focus. These experiences are related to the introduction of improved technologies, lo-cal capacity strengthening, support of new promising organisational initiatives and the strengthening of negotiation capacities. This publication describes a first approach to the process of how these experiences came into being, the identification of their principal actors, the intervention metho-dologies, the factors of success of the ex-perience, the difficulties that have been ex-perienced and the outcomes that have been achieved until now.

The first part contains experiences in the production, preparation and acquiring healthy food for food security. The first experience of this part relates to the inte-grated improvement of stoves, the condi-tions of food preparation and the impacts it has on health and the reduction of the need for firewood. The following innovation tells about the establishment of vegetable gar-dens that are protected against the attack of plagues and animals, in that way enabling

the growth of diversified and healthy crops. Finally, an experience of the construction and improvement of traditional micro irriga-tion systems is described, which have been constructed by the families themselves, showing its impact on the diversification of the production and on communities and authorities being lobbied to prioritize these systems because “water should be first”.

The second part of the document describes experiences that focus on the organisatio-nal strengthening in order to improve con-ditions for food security. One of the experi-ences tells about the marketing of yoghurt for school breakfasts by the women asso-ciation APARK, that succeeds in redirecting their organisation through the participation of its members in the management and so-cial control and taking advantage of a po-tential in production and income generation. The following experience describes how the community of La Higuera, through its deter-mination and joined action of solidarity of management and political pressure on the authorities, succeeds in overcoming the dis-aster of landslides. Finally, the experience of the breeding of trout and young fish shows how the decision to assume the responsi-bility of the management of the fish farm and the organisation of a private family enterprise under the control, participation and territorial management of the Ayllu Jila, enable the generation of income and the access to this high value food by the communities.

These experiences have been facilitated by the partner institutions of the Programme “Food for the future”: The Training Insti-tute of the Eastern Region of Bolivia (ICO), Farmers Training Institute (INCCA), the

Social Research and Legal Assessment In-stitute Potosí (ISALP) and the Institute of Agricultural Promoters (PROAGRO). Moreo-ver, it is important to mention the Network AIPE because of their training activities in nutritional food security, food sovereignty and the right to adequate food in the con-text of the new political constitution of the state of Bolivia, and PROBIOMA because of their contribution to the training of the partners and organisations of farmers and municipalities in organic agriculture.

The successful implementation of the pro-gramme would not have been possible with-out the fundamental support of our finan-cing organisations, allied organisations and volunteers. We would like to thank the Di-rection Development Cooperation - DGD, the Antoon Spinoy Foundation, Solidaridad of Limburg with the Kollasuyo, the Province of Antwerp, the volunteers and travel groups for community life experiences of the years 2008 and 2010 from Belgium and ICCO, the Netherlands. Likewise, we would like to thank the Municipalities of Moro Moro, Omereque, Pasorapa, Presto, Tiraque and Tomave for their important collaboration in the strengthening of these initiatives.

Finally, we would like to give our thanks to the families of the communities that parti-cipated in the experiences. Their efforts, in-novation, work and motivation have enabled us to disseminate these “best practices” to other families and communities where they surely multiply them and thus are able to solve communal problems, improving food security and the quality of life.

Jaap Op de Coulcountry representative Bolivia

InTRODUcTIOn

1

Part IExperiences in the production,

diversification and Consumption of

healthy food

3

Improving conditions for food

preparation - Improved stoves 4

Protected vegetable gardens for

family food security 7

Advantages and outcome of the micro

irrigation systems 10

Part IIExperiences in organisational

strengthening for food security 15

Local organisation and production of

food – APARK and the provision of

school breakfasts 16

Experiences of the reconstruction

of a community

19

The cultivation and consumption of

rainbow trout - An experience of

communal enterprise in the Ayllu Jila. 22

Phot

ogra

ph: ©

Coen

Wub

bels

TablE OF

cOnTEnTs

2

5Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

ExpERIEncEs In

THE pRODUcTIOn,

DIvERsIFIcaTIOn anD

cOnsUmpTIOn OF

HEalTHy FOOD

3

In the rural areas of Bolivia, kitchens use to be small and dark spaces with walls and roofs blackened by smoke. The spaces are improvised and are characterized by ina-dequate conditions for food preparation and a lack of hygiene.

In the year 2009, with the support of the Training Institute of the Eastern Region of Bolivia (ICO), 13 families of the community Wanacuni Grande have taken part in an ex-perience of transformation of their stoves and food preparation conditions, together with other families of the Municipality of Omereque and Pasorapa in the Department of Cochabamba, as well as the Municipality of Moro Moro in the Department of Santa Cruz.

ICO was able to find a way and conditions to improve stoves in such a way that actu-ally 280 families in the valleys of Bolivia use this equipment in order to prepare their

food. The introduction of improved stoves has been part of an integrated programme that is directed towards the improvement of life conditions in order to guarantee family food security.

Thanks to the organization of actions to-gether with PROMARENA (Natural Resources Management Project), don Filomon Guara-chi, who is an experienced promoter of im-proved stoves and has been trained by this institute, constructed an improved stove together with the community of Wanacuni Grande. This activity became a practical learning experience which gave way to new promoters of various communities. They started constructing improved stoves in their own houses after which they helped other families to do the same, assisted by the technical staff of ICO.

“Improved stoves are being constructed in the shape of a counter which is the founda-

tion. They have a central part in which the pots are being put and a chimney to lead the smoke away from the kitchen… This is an innovation that is being introduced in different parts of Bolivia and originates from the so-called Malena stoves.”

The women, who use the stoves on a daily basis, can tell us about its qualities, advan-tages and some defaults that they are over-coming by introducing adaptations to the stoves.

“We used to construct small stoves, the

smoke made it difficult to get it working, the

kitchen was all black...all things we took were

blackened, the plates were all black …”

(Maritza Rojas)

People in rural areas first want to see things before they believe. It has not been easy, we first had to show them how the stoves oper-ate… to motivate them. (Alcides Vargas)

Our kitchens used to be a shame… the roof was

black, the walls were black… even we were

black. (Mauricio Rocha)

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

ImpROvInG cOnDITIOns

FOR FOOD pREpaRaTIOn -

ImpROvED sTOvEs

4

Testimonies and practical experiences of the families identify several advantages:

There is no smoke in the kitchen; it does not affect health and the conditions for food preparation are more hygienic.We only have to use a small amount of fuel, so we can cut back on fuel and the pressure on the forest diminishes.The food needs less time for cooking.Its construction is easy, based on local material and the family is the principal actor in its construction and improve-ment.They keep warmth in the room during more time.The ash can be removed very easily once the charcoal is burned completely.Its height enables an easy handling of pots and utensils.

In communities like Wanacuni Grande, peo-ple not only constructed improved stoves but they also completely modified the spa-ces used for the preparation of food. Many people reconstructed their kitchens from the foundations on, made them bigger, con-structed an additional space in order to eat, shelves to arrange utensils and they painted the walls.

According to calculations realized by the families, the use of improved stoves reduces the consumption of firewood with more than 50%. This reduction does not only reduce the time to gather this wood, but is also an efficient way to reduce pressure on the forest which is becoming more and more scarce.

The motivation about the importance of diversified and healthy food has been the most important condition for the improve-ment of stoves. Although significant restric-tions still do exist in Wanacuni with regard to the access and availability of vegetables and other food, some families are making important efforts to diversify their food.

aDvanTaGEs

anD OUTcOmE OF

THE UsE OF

ImpROvED sTOvEs...

“... wheat, quinoa, maize...We used to eat only energetic food, not food that provides us more de-fenses, we did not even know what that meant..., but from now on we have started to grow and eat vege-tables...”

(Claudia Rojas)

“...we reconstructed kitchens right from

the beginning… other people have done

the same thing with the space they use for

eating ,...before this we were always busy in

the middle of the smoke.” (Reina R.)

When we make fire, we only have to get it go-ing at the start, after that the stove becomes all red at the inside, the heat is intense... and makes the food keep boiling. (Adrián Rocha)

5

In contrary to other initiatives, ICO ma-naged to motivate farmer families through practice and training to construct their own improved stoves.

Only the coordination with institutions like PROMARENA enables that competent peo-ple with experiences train promoters of the communities who are on their turn multi-plying the experience with several families. This made it a lot easier for the technical staff of ICO to follow up and assist.

The families learned about the design, how to select the right place for construction, the material needed and details like its height, the size of the burners, etc.

After the training, all families constructed the stove in their houses. The learning pro-cess has been practical and didactical. Local tools could be used and the material needed for the construction was within the possi-bilities of all families.

The improvement of stoves was being sup-ported by the municipalities, together with ICO cooking utensils were being provided for a hygienic handling of food.

Undoubtedly, the improved stoves have contributed to the improvement of the con-ditions of the preparation and the handling of food in this region thanks to the deter-mination and motivation of the families themselves, the acquired knowledge and the advantages of its use and handling.

lEaRnInG FROm

THE ExpERIEncE

You make it with mud, adobe, straw,

sand, donkey excrements… mix

well, have it ferment for ten days

and then you can finally construct

the stove. (Maritza Rojas)

6

...somebody who knew the practice, has taught us. He made us see how to do it and that is how we learned...the people were motivated after having observed how it worked. (Egipcia Amurrio)

Protected vegetable gardens are small pie-ces of land, surrounded by a wall of stone and mud. Nowadays, more than 410 families of the Ayllus1 Yura and Sullka , in the Muni-cipality of Tomave, Potosi - Bolivia, are able to grow vegetables to feed their family and have introduced apple and peach trees for their own consumption, with the prospect of generating income.

In these communities, maize has been prio-ritized as the most important strategic crop as it contributes to family consumption, gen-erates income and can be used as fodder for the animals.

“In the community of Visijza we have to mi-grate to earn money - tells don Alberto - …we men are hardly here at home, our women are taking care of the place because we have very little pieces of land what is not suffi-cient …”

In this situation, growing vegetables and ap-ples has become the basis of an alternative that can guarantee food security and in that way families would be able to stay within their community. This would strengthen a re-gional identity and potential because of the fact that the apples produced by the Ayllu Yura are highly valued.

ADvAnTAgES AnD OUTCOmE OF THE PROTECTED vEgETAbLE gARDEnS

The protected vegetable gardens have suc-ceeded in guaranteeing a safe place for pro-duction and food, where nor domesticated animals nor hares can enter any more to damage the crops. First, people tried to protect the vegetable gardens with barbed wire and wooden poles. It did not turn out to be the right solution as hares continued to destroy the vegetable gardens, moreover the material was very ex-pensive and the wood was easily damaged.

The walls of stone and mud recover a lo-cal technology, are made of material that is available in the communities themselves and the families know how and in which conditions to construct them.

pROTEcTED vEGETablE

GaRDEns FOR FamIly

FOOD sEcURITy

What are protected vegetable gardens

and why should they be established?

vegetable gardens imply a more

integrated vision about food: it becomes

a place of food storage of the family...

the people just go to their vegetable

garden, take the products they need and

prepare their food. This didn’t happen in

that way before.

Yura is a village where since ancient times people grow apples. Yura is synonymous with apples…

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

1 an Ayllu is the original name of a group of indigenous communities that manages its territory together

7

Before, harvest time would come in April and we had to take everything away…because in rural areas we use to liberate the animals in the dry season and let them feed for themselves which made it difficult to preserve the land. Now the vegetable garden is being protected and we keep on producing until now. (Ramiro Q., fieldworker ISALP)

Thanks to the assistance of the institu-tion ISALP (Social Research and Legal Assessment Institute Potosi), it was possible to finance the transporta-tion of the stones and pay 80% of the costs of the plants. Likewise, tech-nical assistance was offered during the establishment of the vegetable garden for its concept, the building of compost heaps, fermentation of cattle dung, preparation of the soil, the digging of pits and at last the plantation of the fruit trees.

Between 2008 and 2012, thanks to the protected vegetable gar-dens, people have been able to plant approximately 5.800 apple and peach trees and thus have habilitated around 4 hectares of land for 109 families.

The example of the vegeta-ble gardens has motivated the authorities of the Ayllu to prioritize this experience and do the same with more than 300 families of diffe-rent communities, planting around 12.000 apple trees and habilitating approxi-mately 8 hectares of pro-tected vegetable gardens.

The protected vegetable garden enables to produce at least eight different kinds of vegetables during nine months of the year, while before only four kinds were available. In many cases, families have ac-cess to vegetables all year round.

In contrary to earlier projects, the vegeta-ble gardens are family initiatives and the way they are being managed, the diversity of the sowed vegetables and the size of the vegetable garden are all based on the po-ssibilities and interest of each family.

In fact, the vegetable gardens are a place that are mostly managed and controlled by women. They are the ones who have learned the secrets of vegetable growing, the best time to sow, the way to store, the control of diseases, the preparation of home remedies and grafting.

I have been staying here for a week, surveying. At night, when

there is moon, the hares come out and damage the bark of the

apple tree plants which makes it dry, after that it is of no use

anymore...

The years before, ISALP brought plants for

the whole community, as a cooperative; and

it did not work out well...it does not work on

a communal level. This has to be done with

those who want to work... (Luis Vergara)

8

ASSESSIng THE ExPERIEnCE

Various factors have contributed to the fact that the experience of protected vegetable gardens is recognized as a best practice for farmers’ families.

In the first place, people have guaranteed a safe place for food production on the ba-sis of local material which makes it easy to construct it.

A critical problem of the families has been solved: guaranteed access to diversified food at all time and now women are the main actors in guaranteeing the availability of food during the whole year.

There are families that are carrying on with the experience, maintaining their vegetable gardens by themselves and without help of any institution, which shows that the indi-genous farmers’ families recognize the value of this practice.

A real need has been taken care of, but most of all, a regional potential has paid off: ap-ples, which strengthens the local and ter-ritorial identity of the Ayllu Yura.

Nevertheless, the apple and peach trees have been planted two or three years ago and still have no produce; the pioneer fami-lies who have introduced improved apple trees more than five years ago serve as an example.

These families are producing ecologically; they prepare home remedies with local ma-terial and consume their own fruit while knowing that it is free of pesticides. Moreo-ver, the first families are already selling their products on the market.

These examples are predicting a future with production security, opportunities for a bet-ter income, no need to leave the community in search of work and food security for the families.

... for two years already we are selling on the

market …each of us has been selling 10 to 15

boxes… we have been selling in Potosi….we can

sell them easily, each box generates like a 100

or 120 bolivianos.

Our apples are natural, without any chemicals,

we use dung from the lamas, goats, sheep...

(Alberto Beltrán).

...now we have apple trees, we can feed ourselves. We used to have to buy onion, we bought it in town, now we sow it, we grow onion, carrots, we do not have to buy it anymore. (Serapio Ali)

“We women are working more and taking care of our vegetable gardens, sometimes, our husbands go to other places to work and we women stay at home with our children,….we take care of the vegetables, we dedicate ourselves more to this …”

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

9

* 10 Bs = +-1 Euro

Presto is one of the Municipalities of the De-partment of Chuquisaca that is particularly vulnerable and experiences food insecurity. Water is scarce, the agricultural production depends on rainfall and people are obliged to migrate when harvests fail.

During the last three years, the Institute of Agricultural Promoters- PROAGRO has been working through a network of communities together with farmers’ families and with the assistance of the Municipality in the con-struction of micro irrigation systems, carried out by the families themselves.

These systems aim at taking advantage of the scarce water resources that nature has donated to this area and guarantee water on a regular basis in order to transform the rural area, the hopes of the farmers’ fami-lies and offer them the opportunity to live a dignified life.

The limitations caused by the lack of wa-ter have created very restricted conditions for the families with respect of food avai-lability, obliging people to use part of their income for the purchase of vegetables.

“In the past, when there was nothing here, we used to go to Tarabuco for a week, two weeks, a month and we brought onion...now we produce all kind of vegetables, even tomato, beet, cabbage, Swiss chard. What we need now is the will to go on; we have enough to eat now... (Benedicto Mamani).

“WaTER Is alWays

EssEnTIal FOR lIFE..”

- ExpERIEncE OF mIcRO

IRRIGaTIOn sysTEms

cOnsTRUcTED by

FamIlIEs

“This municipality is an area without irrigation… there is little water…life therefore is not good and as little rain is falling, we live a failed life… because when there is water there is life… for people as well as for animals… water is always essential for life …” (Don Miguel... Councilor of the Municipality of Presto)

“In this place we have guaranteed water… at least for the irrigation of my crops.

That is why we take care not to lose even a drop of water or a bucket ...” (Fausto Mamani)

I used to travel to Santa Cruz...That is where

I used to produce a small kind of maize of

only one meter 20 in height; wheat used to

grow some sixty centimeters in height or

may be even less …, also barley was sold.

Those crops not even generated hundred, not

even two hundred bolivianos.

For that reason, we migrated when there was

no water, … (Fausto Mamani).

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

10

ADvAnTAgES AnD OUTCOmE OF THE mICRO IRRIgATIOn SYSTEmS

The micro irrigation systems, despite of the fact that they are limited in their individual potential, have considerable potential and impacts of the system as a whole. Between 2008 and 2010, PROAGRO has constructed 32 micro irrigation systems, in this way benefitting 161 families and providing 40 hectares with irrigation.

These systems enable the families involved in guaranteeing their vegetable production for family consumption, to plant fruit trees, introduce new crops like oregano and gene-rate a higher income.

But above all, the water is creating condi-tions enabling to stop migration, invest re-sources and efforts to improve and extend the production, experiment, reduce costs and expenses of the purchasing of particu-

larly vegetables in the market and be as-sured that the family is consuming food pro-duced by its own hands, fresh and without pesticides.

In the communities, people have given pri-ority to water as a condition to guarantee family food security, and in that sense have formulated a different request to the Mu-nicipality compared to the usual requests for schools, health care centres, etc. This priority has been identified in a participa-tive way by both men and women, who suc-ceeded in reaching an agreement about the importance and strategic value for all fami-lies, pushing the initiative from the basis, the social organizations, based on their own experience.

As a reaction to the identification of this priority, the Municipality of Presto is dedi-cating more than 40% of its budget for the administrative year of 2011 to training, im-provement and use of water for irrigation and human consumption.

Working for such a fundamental resource as is water for people, has generated so much motivation that the families every other day are animated to introduce new improve-ments and investments in their agricultural fields.

In the past, our maize, wheat, barley

did not even yield two hundred nor five

hundred bolivianos..

Nowadays, we harvest oregano three times

a year, this oregano produces within three

months. I received two thousand two

hundred bolivianos in the first harvest, in

the second two thousand three hundred

bolivianos and before August, two

thousand one hundred bolivianos in the

third harvest...

11

THE SUCCESS AnD THE ADDED vALUE OF THESE mICRO IRRIgATIOn SYSTEmS

Various aspects explain the impact of this experience:

Working in order to attend to one of the most urgent and sensible needs of farmer’s families, which is water and facilitating their access to it.

The method which promotes construction by the families themselves through their labor and local material, while PROAGRO finances qualified assistance and the investment in material from outside. This method has not only guaranteed an effective participation of the families but has also enabled the increase in number of beneficiaries and micro irriga-tion systems that have been constructed, the improvement of family irrigation systems in rustic conditions or systems that the families had started to construct but could not be fi-nished because of lack of funds.

The experience of this area is valuable to di-rectly pressure the Municipality to elaborate an irrigation plan or program at the level of the Municipality. The road is free to multiply the activities that have been carried out by this project. The social organizations them-

selves claim to extend the experience with the irrigation systems, and the conditions are there.

The quality of the human resources of PROAG-RO, the experience and institutional capacity to raise awareness and motivate the families through adequate methodologies and actions like workshops, events to exchange experi-ences and practical experiences in the field. Awareness has been raised in the Municipa-lity that water should be a priority when con-sidering the needs of men as well as women. Now, a collective awareness exists within the Municipality, within its leaders, authorities, institutions that ““WATER SHOULD BE FIRST”

And surely water will arrive to the commu-nities, to the families… they have laid the foundation and parting from this example and its impacts… it is only a matter of time.

Life used to be very sad in this place, we did not have a bit, not even a Swiss

chard,...we had to buy everything …and when there was not enough money, we had

to leave to earn something … (Jacinto Yanqui)

When people suffer to receive their coca, their food, that is when they start understanding the value of things...

12

“…, those who work will receive, for them there will be

assistance,… the lazy people will not have anything,… that

is the way it is, the lazy people are not receiving anything...”

“... we have even worked while being tired, until the night,

in the moonlight, with the whole family...”

(Benedicto Mamani)

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

13

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

14

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

ExpERIEncEs In

ORGanIsaTIOnal

sTREnGTHEnInG

FOR FOOD sEcURITy

15

APARK: ITS FIRST STEPS AnD SCHOOL bREAKFASTS

With these words, the former president of the Association, doña Vitalia, remembers how the Association of Agroecological Pro-ducers Regional Koari - APARK, an organisa-tion of female farmers, succeeded to start and continue with an experience of the or-ganisation, production, transformation and marketing of yoghurt in the Municipality of Tiraque, Department of Cochabamba - Bo-livia.

APARK has been founded with the objective to produce and sell ecological vegetables; however, the difficulties experienced at the moment of selling and the opportunity to

deliver yoghurt for school breakfasts2 made the association change its direction.

The Farmers’ Training Institute (INCCA), en-abled through their technical and financial assistance firstly, the secrets and the condi-tions for the production of a high quality yoghurt and secondly, to achieve an agree-ment with the authorities of the municipa-lity for the delivering of yoghurt for school breakfasts.

At the same time that the association ac-quired a piece of land in Koari Alto for their office and the processing centre, INCCA managed to canalise financial resources for its construction and equipping.

When the association counted with a high quality product, they made the authorities of the municipality taste and thus succee-ded in convincing them to have them de-

liver the product for school breakfasts. In February 2009, the association started its experience in the production and delivering of 13.500 portions of yoghurt and its weekly delivery to the schools of the municipality.

InTERnAL DIFFICULTIES AnD CHAngES

During the school year of 2009 they ma-naged courageously and with sacrifice to take care of the school breakfasts according to the agreement. Nevertheless, it was clear that there were some problems; some of them were taken care of during the process, but others turned out to be insuperable and pulled APARK into its first internal crisis.

lOcal ORGanIsaTIOn

anD pRODUcTIOn OF

FOOD – apaRK anD

THE pROvIsIOn OF

scHOOl bREaKFasTs

“not even in our dreams we would

have thought to elaborate yoghurt

and deliver it for school breakfasts,

because we people from the rural

areas are used to the land, to grow

crops, potatoes, beans, barley...”

(Vitalia Paulo M. member of APARK)

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

2 State programme that enables municipalities to buy local food for school breakfasts.

16

At one side, the association did not have a sufficient quantity of milk for the volume needed, which obliged it to buy the rest on the market.

On the other side, the lack of transport of its own, forced the association to request a pickup of INCCA and after that to make use of local transport.

But the mayor problem the organisation was confronted with was the transparency in its management. Decisions were made by just a few persons who managed the whole admi-nistration, contacts and negotiations.

At the end of the administrative year of 2009, there was no information available about the management, statements of ac-counts and projects that had been carried out; this situation started to create mistrust between the members leading to internal conflicts that affected the integrity of the association.

In January 2010, during the new elections, a person stood up who was going to play an essential role as the new President: doña Vitalia. This woman turned out to be a key person in the management in order to put an end to the organisational problems and basically succeeded in making information more transparent.

“This period we went through, made us wake up...” state the members of APARK, “…. Because after this crisis, our organisa-tion was truly born”.

THE ASSESSmEnT AnD THE LESSOnS FROm THE ExPERIEnCE

It was not easy to have the organi-sation get on the right track again. Its members did not know the essen-tial details of the way in which the organisation had been managed such as where they needed to buy the milk, the bags, the yeast, the expenses, if the association had sufficient financial resources in order to continue the deli-vering of school breakfasts; these were all aspects totally unknown to us.

Because of the commitment taken on by the members and with their participation, the right conditions were created to let the organisation face the challenges in the continued delivering of the school break-fasts and the consolidation of the organi-sation under the leadership of the women themselves.

In fact nowadays, more unity and commit-ment has come along within the associa-tion; the accounts are controlled and at the end of 2010, a significant profit for the or-ganisation is expected. This is a new period of challenges and commitments, not only for the member families, but also for the farmers’ organisation, the municipality, and INCCA, which have supported the founding of the organisation.

We can have this money, the money of our

children, instead of having the Municipality

spend it on private enterprises.

(Zelina Garcia M.)

Sometimes, transport is delayed and we arrivelate, the directors get angry at us, the portersdo not want to receive us, they are closing thedoors on us, ... we had to suffer for not havinga car of our own.

During the rainy season, our car got stuck andwe could not get it out... (Elsa G.)

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

17

While assessing the experience, we can highlight various aspects:

The municipal authorities and the social organisations trusted their own people which made it possible to make this ini-tiative work.

The knowledge gained by the women of the association, thus enabling them to deliver a product of quality and to over-come problems and difficulties found on the way.

The determination of the social organisa-tions and the women of APARK, which has resulted in giving a new direction to the organisation and its management.

The opportunity to identify an economi-cally productive alternative, changing from the cultivation of vegetables to dairy activities, which implies an impor-tant potential for the generation of in-come for the families of the region that is still in process.

The assistance of INCCA in this process, its capacity to auto-criticize and its sup-port to APARK to regain the confidence and support of the family members, the municipality, and the social organisations.

20

“We must know how to handle money…andwork. Here we need to register everything,how much we are spending, how much thislittle bag costs, how much the ferment costs,what things we have to buy, how muchthe transport costs, how much we earn....everybody needs to know...Not only themembers of the management or only theworkers...” (Vitalia P.)

We learned a lot of things:

To avoid an excessive confidence in a small group of people

and handing over to them the entire management of the

organisation.

To provide tools and means at the right moment to facilitate

an adequate control of the economical resources, an effective

social control and time and space for information and decision

making with the participation of the people.

18

HOW DID LAnDSLIDES START TO bECOmE A PRObLEm In THE COmmUnITY?

“A little bit more than two years ago, – re-members don Daniel Cruz - we experienced the rainiest year in the history of this place. During a whole week it was raining day and night… when the rain stopped, the sun started to shine and the soil started to break into parts, especially in the part be-low where the soil is very loose”.

In April 2008, the community La Higuera in the municipality of Moro Moro of the Depart-ment of Santa Cruz - Bolivia, experienced a serious landslide. Due to that disaster, many families lost their houses, crops, the com-munity was deprived of drinkable water and the road was totally buried, which divided the community into two parts.

La Higuera is located on a mountain site with steep slopes, loose soil and where people have constructed their houses and established their fruit orchards. This is an instable area and it is known that every now and then landslides occur.

In the community of La Higuera, people de-rive their income exclusively from the pro-duction of fruit, especially chirimoya (cus-tard apple), apple and peach.

At the moment of the disaster and also still afterwards, each family was confronted with the dilemma to leave the community or not because of the risk of even worse catastrophes.

Although they were confronted with this dilemma, people decided to stay motivated and started looking for solutions and face the problem with everyone’s help.

As usual, most difficulties showed up after the disaster. The authorities and other ac-tors that could have assisted the people, ignored the problem.

ExpERIEncEs OF THE REcOnsTRUcTIOn OF a cOmmUnITy

In the gardens, the fruit trees… were torn apart… they were ripped. That year, we almost lost all fruit, it did not grow anymore, the roots were pulled out...

(Daniel C).

“During a whole year...we took

water from the mountain stream...

which is very contaminated...

the water system was completely

destroyed... (Daniel C.)

19

THE HARD ROAD OF RECOnSTRUCTIOn

The reconstruction turned out to be a tough job and the little assistance that was offered from the outside did not solve the problems but rather made them worse or created other problems. Being faced with this situation, the community held on and slowly started to solve its problems.

Many families objected to have the road works carried out by a tractor as they were afraid of new landslides. Due to the persis-tence of their leaders who managed to con-vince the community and have the necessary work done, a new road has joined the com-munity again.

The most critical matter was the lack of pota-ble water. The persistence of the community and the assistance of the Training Institute of the Eastern Region - ICO have made it pos-sible that all families of the community have access again to potable water.

“….. we kept on sending requests and tal-king to the authorities, maybe that is why they were a bit moved. ICO has been very active in this and that is also why even the Mayor herself started to become active… sometimes they don’t listen to us, people from the communities...” (Clever Cruz).

Although a lot of time was needed for the re-construction of the system, the municipality, ICO and the labour of the community, suc-ceeded to install the inlet of the water, the water canal, a new storage tank, the instal-lation of a distribution system and sinks in each house.

All families together have contributed 200 working days and the Municipality and ICO guaranteed the payment of qualified labour and the purchase of equipment like pipes, cement, water taps, etc. In fact, people pay on a monthly basis for the consumption of the water to make it possible that the sys-tem continues functioning.

There were actions that we closelycoordinated with counselors and the Mayor…… because there was this unconditionalsupport of the community; we managed torestore the water system, the road, to uniteagain the families from the part above andbelow. (Miguel C, technical assistant of ICO)

“…. The Mayor herself came one of thesemoments that landslides occurred and we

observed how the soil started to break intopieces in the part below…. Maybe this

situation has also moved her...and well,she offered some financial support for thereconstruction.” (Cléver C.)

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

Phot

ogra

ph: C

oen

Wub

bels

20

“I can see that - at least in this

place - we have something to

eat… declares don Daniel...”

ASSESSIng THE ExPERIEnCE AnD LEARnIng FROm IT

The experience shows us the great persis-tence of the families that decided to stay in the area in spite of the disaster and took the responsibility of reconstruction in their own hands. This decision made people move and start knocking on the doors of various institutions who were confronted with a united community ready to help the most affected families with their input, effort and solidarity.

This achievement has been enabled thanks to the close relationship be-tween the Municipality, ICO and the community. This situation ensured immediate awareness raising within the authorities and channel funds in an organised manner, enabling even the negotiation of new proposals that have a broader perspective than just the disaster.

At the same time, ICO is deve-loping a complementary and integrated project focused on food security which implies the promotion of family vegetable gardens, tanks for irrigation water and encouraging organic production, taking advantage of the characteristics and a-gricultural potential of the area and guaranteeing the sustainability of the living conditions of the families.

In contrast with the assistance of the insti-tutions, people from the area and the Mu-nicipality, many actors still do not know nor involve themselves in the problems and rea-lity of the farmers’ communities. Authorities of the Departmental Government and institu-tions of the National Government that actu-ally are responsible to take care of the situa-tion in case of disasters have not reacted in an adequate way; on the contrary, they have created unnecessary internal tensions.

That is the reason why in La Higuera, al-though there are a lot of achievements, there is still a sense of bitterness and frustration about requests that never have been atten-ded like housing, the improvement of irriga-tion systems, etc.

Despite this hard experience, the people of La Higuera have taken on again their daily lives and feel even more attached to their territory as before. Because of this catastro-phe, they also got to know their own powers and discovered their own capacities to for-mulate solutions and to make requests from and for their community.

21

The Great Ayllu3, Jila Grande and Chico, is located in the Municipality of Tomave, Prov-ince of Guijarro in the Department of Po-tosi, Bolivia. There is plenty of water in this territory, a resource of which its available volume contrasts with the small quantity of land, its low productivity and irregular harvests. Moreover, the communities and its authorities never had the opportunity to de-velop any initiative to make the community benefit from this resource and little value was given to the potential of the fish that can be found in the rivers.

So in 2007, by initiative of a hydroelectric plant a small fishing farm for the reproduc-tion of young fish was created in accor-dance with the Ayllu. They made an agree-ment that in exchange for the water used by the plant, the Ayllu would dispose of the young fish to generate income.

But they had different opinions on how the fishing farm should be managed which led to a demand of the Ayllu to close this cen-tre and instead of that, develop their own proposal for the use of trout, involving the communities and the management of the Ayllu in the definition of its scope, organi-sation and expected outcome.

THE cUlTIvaTIOn anD cOnsUmpTIOn OF RaInbOW TROUT - an ExpERIEncE OF cOmmUnal EnTERpRIsE In THE ayllU JIla

“In this Ayllu we do not have a lot of land...we grow for example potatoes, beans, wheat, barley, maize...

Here there is not much to live off, we are many and we have too little land... that is why our children are migrating”

(Tomás Paco G.)

“The basic idea comes from the organisationof the Ayllu. As Ayllu people, we havefirst guaranteed the legal situation of ourcommunal land of origin (TCO)… then, weproposed a project of indigenous territorialmanagement… With this project we would liketo improve our living standard and our foodsecurity… In that way, less young people haveto migrate to the cities because there is nowork here”... (Vidal Cáceres)

3 An Ayllu is the original name of a group of indigenous communities that manages its territory together.

22

THE FIRST STEPS, ORgAnISATIOn AnD TRAInIng

At the end of 2009, with the help of the Social Research and Legal Assessment Insti-tute Potosi - ISALP, the people managed to obtain the financial resources to construct the fishing farm in the community of Vi-luyo, taking into account the advantages of electricity and the quality of water on the spot. Meanwhile, the organisation starts to introduce its own model of organisation, management and participation in this ini-tiative.

On one hand, not all communities nor all families were interested in taking part in this initiative, in the same way. With the approval of the Ayllu, it was decided to cre-ate a native organisation of fish growers (OROPPAJ), that actually counts 16 volun-teer member families which are commit-ted to the project’s vision and making this dream come true.

As it is about the exploitation of a natural resource that belongs to the whole com-munity and the infrastructure is property of the Ayllu, the association agreed with the condition to hand over part of the profits that will be generated by the activities of the fishing farm, to reward the support of all communities.

ISALP made resources and means available for families who had decided to participate in this initiative so they could get to know and learn from other experiences through visiting Pongo, Tiquina and receive an in-tensive training in the Bolivian Centre of Research and Development in Aquaculture (CIDAB). At the same time, they assisted in the construction of small rustic ponds in the communities, where families that were not members, could buy young fish from the fish farm, grow and fatten it in the commu-nity itself for their own consumption.

…. they had sold young fish without the

Ayllu knowing...The farmers got upset and

they closed the fishing farm, deciding to

construct one of their own.”

(Gilberto)

“...the profits of the fish farm … in the first place serve to guarantee food security of the Ayllu. If the association generates benefits, these have to go to the communities. (Fabio Atho)

23

SOmE OUTCOmES AnD LESSOnS LEARnT

Since the start of the experience, approxi-mately a year has passed and a pleasant sen-sation of optimism exists within the families and the authorities of the Ayllu, as the fish growers have committed themselves to the management of the fishing farm and have started to grow and to fatten the trout in their ponds.

There is a huge progress in the knowledge that the people developed. Instead of de-pending on young fish and food for the fish that have to be purchased from private en-terprises and in La Paz, in fact the people have managed to reproduce the young fish on the spot and prepare the fish food with products that are available in the community. This makes it a very sustainable experience.

The members of OROPPAJ have organised the management of the fish farm in working shifts which obliges each family to go as far as the community of Viluyo and carry out its duty taking care of the fish.

The rustic ponds are being managed by the family, especially the women and their chil-dren, who are responsible to feed the fish each day and to take care of them. The fami-lies have started to consume the first trout having reached at this time an adequate weight and size.

The communities and its authorities de-serve credits for having the capacity for decision-making and to stimulate the ex-ploitation of their resources based on their own management.

Also ISALP deserves credits for its efforts and its institutional commitment that did not spare any effort to train the people in a proper way and make them learn in practice; likewise, it supported to construct the rustic ponds for the fattening of the trout for its consumption.

The organisational challenge that has been faced, shows it is possible to combine col-lective interests of the community with the initiative of some families that firmly believe in the possibilities and perspectives of this experience.

“...They had selected committed persons, people could not leave just for holidays to La Paz, but they had to be really committed to our project, there we did some important exercises with the facilitators of that centre ... (Vidal C.)

I can see that our brothers ofJila have done a great thing. Wehave seen for example how theytake turns to go and feed thosetiny fish coming from far away,

from Saruyo, going until Viluyo…which means crossing this wholemountain, just to stay in thecommunity, feed those animalsduring two, three days. (Magda)

24

New World (Bevrijde Wereld) is a Belgian non profit organisation for supporting

developing initiatives since 1964 in West Africa, the Philippines and Bolivia. At

the moment, it gives priority to food security in an integrated vision. Its most

important strategies are the strengthening of the local organisations and the

work with its partner organisations in the different regions which are considered

to be essential in order to achieve a sustainable situation.

With this publication, we would like to socialise some of the most interesting

experiences of the program 2008-2010 “Food for the future”. The objective of this

programme is to improve the food security of the most vulnerable communities

in the Bolivian rural areas. New World works by financing, following up and

strengthening capacities of local actors. Because the key of success of the

programme is the way in which these families and their local organisations are

able to take their future into their own hands.