Fortaleciendo nuestra Organización Campesina

Fortalecer las organizaciones de productores es fundamental para la promoción y sustentabilidad de iniciativas tales como el proyecto AGROECO. Por esta razón, este articulo resalta las experiencias de supervisión y evaluación por parte de la Asociación Nacional de Productores Ecológicos (ANPE)

Una Marca Colectiva para el Desarrollo Agroecológico

En el Perú el crecimiento económico sostenido, la mayor preocupación por una alimentación sana y el boom gastronómico crean un contexto favorable para la venta de productos de la agricultura familiar ecológica. Por otro lado, los pequeños agricultores tienen deficiencias graves en los aspectos técnicos y organizativos, no cuentan con apoyo del estado y su integración al mercado es poca o casi nula. En este contexto, ANPE Perú y el proyecto AGROECO iniciaron en 2012 el proceso de desarrollo y posicionamiento de la marca colectiva “Frutos de la tierra”, para afrontar esta situación con productos de la biodiversidad, ecológicos y de alta calidad, a partir del empoderamiento de los agricultores y sus organizaciones, buscando mejorar la economía familiar de los pequeños productores y su seguridad alimentaria

A collective mark for Peruvian non-certified organic products: smallholder market differentiation and product development

In order to enhance the integration of non-certified smallholders into improved short value chains, the AGROECO Project supported the National Association of Ecological Farmers of Peru (ANPE PERU) to develop its “Frutos de la tierra” (Fruits of the earth) brand into a multi-product collective mark. The development process and bottlenecks are analyzed as well as suggestions presented

Proyecto AGROECO, Informes y Avances en Campo 2011-2012

El proyecto Intensificación ecológica y socioeconómica de la pequeña agricultura andina (AGROECO) es un proyecto de investigación-acción que buscar analizar y explicar los efectos de la práctica agroecológica en la seguridad alimentaria de las familias campesinas y de pequeña agricultura andina. Es financiado por el Fondo Canadiense de Investigación Internacional en Seguridad Alimentaria (CIFSRF) y se desarrolla entre 2011 y 2014 con acciones de campo en las regiones de Cusco y Cajamarca en los Andes peruanos

Organic smallholder women supplying the gastronomic sector in Cusco, Peru

Aimed at promoting better conditions of food security, this practitioners’ paper describes the short-chain market integration of smallholder women supplying organic vegetables to the gastronomic sector in tourist destination Cusco (Peru), complementing PGS progress and local organic marketplace initiatives. Economic viability and bottlenecks along the value chain are analyzed as well as suggestions and challenges for sustainability presented

Procesos y avances en campo 2011 – 2012 (anexo 36 del informe técnico final)

The report “Processes and field progress 2011 – 2012” of the AGROECO Project, corresponds to a report written at the end of the second year of project implementation. The document reports quantitative achievements and progress towards goals related to: a) the acknowledgement of family agriculture value in shaping and in the evolution of Peruvian culture and biodiversity; b) the organic agriculture practice based on science and agroecological experience to improve productivity, quality and environmental services; c) participatory social innovation fostering spaces for individual and collective growth; d) efficient management of producer organizations for advocacy and integration with developed value chains under best conditions; e) networks of national and regional stakeholders with multiple interests and commitments, f) contributions to food security at the household level. The document, addressed to producer organizations, partners of the project, shows the progress while also contributing for monitoring and evaluation of the actions implemented. While it is not intended to be a research report, it conveys a set of basic and concrete indicators to facilitate understanding. The report is also a public acknowledgement to all the participants, especially communities and family farmers, as well as the team project

Collective mark to improve local value chains for Peru's smallholder organic products (annex 25 of final technical report)

The collective mark “Fructos de la tierra” was created as a multi-product mark for organic smallholders- representing family agriculture, biodiversity conservation and farmer associativity as its core values. This paper describes its’ pioneering, from brand development and development of rules of use, to awareness-raising and capacity building among farmer groups in pilot studies in 4 regions of Peru, finalizing with product selection, evaluation, development and market launch. Improving food security of non-certified ecological smallholders by enhancing their integration into improved short food supply chains, is a strategic objective for the National Association of Ecological Farmers of Peru

Acceso a fuentes de financiamiento para la agricultura familiar ecológica : manual para líderes y directivos de asociaciones de productores (anexo 39 del informe técnico final)

The publication “Access to funding sources for organic family agriculture: manual for leaders and directors of producer associations” is a contribution of the AGROECO project for producers and their organizations and aims to support them in the elaboration of their proper project proposals to access local funding. Agroecology has shown to be the most efficient of all existing models in agricultural development for smallholders, particularly in the Peruvian Andes. Agroecological intensification demands that the Government should facilitate the creation of sustainable business with appropriate investment in infrastructure, facilities, public services and training. Nowadays, many farmers with a heterogeneous base (land size, organization level, investment capacity) have the possibility to access several funding mechanisms to strengthen their organization and be part of the value chain in best conditions. Nevertheless, the market and the credit system can be risky fields to assume as smallholders. This manual gives insights in finance basics and value chains terminology and provides practical steps for participatory business plan development, with the aim that with the right orientation and access to funding sources, farmer organizations can move towards a better livelihood in rural areas and overcome food insecurity

Implementación de Sistemas Participativos de Garantía (SPG) en las regiones de Cusco y Cajamarca (anexo 22 del informe técnico final)

The “Implementation of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in the regions of Cuzco and Cajamarca” report assesses the intervention of AGROECO in the field of alternative organic certification mechanisms to improve market access and product differentiation as drivers of food security. Findings are based on three years of field work, including 5 provinces in each region, and reaching out to more than 1,000 smallholder farmers with training on organic farming techniques. Highlighted results include the active involvement of more than half of them in the PGS peer evaluation mechanisms, and the handing out of 227 certificates of PGS organic guarantee to the first group of qualifying farmers. A key adjustment to the PGS model implemented in Peru: a provincial approach, reaching independently functioning PGS councils led by local authorities in 3 provinces and aiming at local empowerment. While sustainability is highly dependent on external resources and commitment of local authorities and support actors, uptake has been noticeable in certain cases. Despite market access being the main incentive for farmers to participate in PGS, the focus shifted from organic differentiation in the market to training and guiding farmers in their transition towards organic, as a consequence of local conditions. As such, results and a series of specific recommendations focus on PGS implementation, including social capital building, apart from analyzing preliminary results on linkages with market access and effects on food security

Ecological and socioeconomic intensification of smallholder agriculture in the Andes : final technical report (March 2014 - August 2014)

Annexes not includedResults show the power of agroecological practices to improve livelihoods and food security, limited by situations where most agroecological respondents are participating in projects that are funded by donors, within conditions of government weakness, corruption and/or social turmoil. Through this research and collaboration, we have provided Cusco’s university with the whole germplasm collection of native potato diversity for further research and provided five peasant communities with a full collection of morphologically distinctive varieties. This is a first step in the democratization of access to genetic resources where peasant communities gain in terms of additional tools to increase resilience in farming systems