Climate Change Adaptation in the tropical Andes

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF LIZARDS (Document in Spanish)

Lizards are a particularly important species in the municipality of Loreto. On the one hand, these animals play a role of "keystone species" in ecosystems, maintaining the structure and functionality selectively preying on fish, recycling nutrients and maintaining moisture in shelters during times of drought. On the other hand, they represent a source of income for indigenous people and peasants who traditionally hunted them to use their fat, and skin.

Andean communities in Bolivia face three major risks: drought, soil erosion and extreme cold and frost. Over a thousand years of experience have led local communities to develop food security strategies through the management of biodiversity, production conditions (soil, water, topography) and climate risk management. For this, communities have institutionalized practices of food production that takes into account soil sustainability.

Andean culture has developed important strategies to predict weather through the observation of the phenology of flora, the behavior of certain animals, as well as the movement of stars on determined dates. Knowing the forecast helps farmers make decisions within the framework of prevention, knowing the behavior of the trend of rainfall and the likelihood of frost and choose the right places to sow (plains or slopes), the varieties used in agricultural management and planting time (early, mid or late).

Agriculture in the highlands faces severe weather conditions that negatively impact food security of rural families. In view of this situation, farmers of the UNAPA (Union of Producers in the Altiplano) producer organization are developing, among others, a good practice in which crops are more resistant to adverse weather conditions, and in particular to frost and hail: the development and application of bocachi fertilizer.

THE "CHACRA": DIVERSIFYING PRODUCTION TO REDUCE RISKS

The eruption of Tungurahua volcano in 2006 was characterized by the falling of ash and pyroclastic material. However, community resilience was visibly increased due to a range of ancestral strategies that had been put in practice by some families in the previous years to diversify production and the spatial location of production at different altitudes, reducing thus the impacts of volcanic eruptions. 

The Quijos River in Ecuador is an important element of the Chaco ecosystem, as approximately 18,000 people depend on it for water supply. Ecuador introduced the payment for environmental services scheme about 10 years ago, under the leadership of local governments (municipalities) and is an alternative that contributes to the management and conservation of forests and wilderness areas.

Watershed boundaries rarely coincide with political boundaries, creating a conflict for public policy. The integrated watershed approach seeks to demonstrate that the restoration and sustainable management of the water cycle is everybody's responsibility. Throughout the Chone River basin it is possible to distinguish three different areas (upper, middle and lower), each with potentials for different economic activities and vulnerabilities. The inter-municipal watershed approach promotes collective responsibility for the management of natural resources. 

FORAGE PRODUCTION (Document in Spanish)

Camelids are traditionally fed with natural grasses that grow in the area. The low availability of forage resources is due to poor management practices (grazing), to limited availability of cultivated grasses and to the low nutritional quality of natural pastures, resulting in low productivity of livestock. To address this problem, priority was given to the production of cultivated fodder and health care through appropriate use of health calendar and the planting of selected fodder, and its conservation by ensiling.

The main products of camelid breeders are alpaca fiber and meat, which used to be sold in the weekly market at low prices due to the strong presence of middlemen, and the poor quality of sub-products. In order to improve their incomes, the producers decided to create a second-tier organization for the marketing of fiber, known as the Council of Camelid Breeders of Northern Ayacucho (COPUCNA), and built a fiber storage facility and implemented a training program in techniques for shearing, selecting and categorizing the fiber, thus achieving higher prices and increased profitability.

When working in the proper use and management of renewable natural resources, in particular soil, water and vegetation, communities not always were strengthening their management capacities and in some cases it was the cause of internal conflicts within communities. In order to overcome this problem, it was promoted the establishment of a Watershed Committee constituted by the different Conservationist Committees focused on meeting institutional criteria to reach the physical and financial objectives.

Potato is the staple food in the Andean region in Peru, however, adverse weather conditions are worsening the problem of availability of seeds and tubers. In this context, PRONAMACHS promoted the "Conservationist Committees", a form of social organization for production and conservation of seeds, with the aim of promoting the proper use of land and develop best practices in potato cultivation, seeking to improve the quality and quantity of production.

One of the main problems in areas such as Taype and Escalera in Peru is the lack of plots suitable for cultivation, a factor that is combined with inadequate management of the natural resources. To address this problem, FAO and PRONAMACHCS are introducing the methodology of Integrated Crop Management (ICM) based on market demand. This comprehensive approach to systems and "parcel as a whole" incorporates appropriate technologies and good agricultural practices.

In Cajamarca, Peru, the agricultural production is predominantly rainfed, with natural irrigation (rain) in 90% of the area. Increased availability of water beyond the period of rain gives confidence to the rural families to develop activities that will ensure increases in yields of major crops, better nutrition of the local population and surplus production for exchange and for the market, among others. To meet this aspiration of rural families, a set of strategies and options were implemented which aimed at looking for tools to improve the regulation and optimization of the use of irrigation water: the microreservoirs.