In the high Andes of Peru, rural farmers are becoming sustainable stewards of the ecosystems on which they depend – bolstering the region’s water security and their own livelihoods. IFAD is supporting these rural farmers the Conservation and Sustainable Use of High-Andean Ecosystems project, through compensation of environmental services for rural poverty alleviation and social inclusion.

The campesinos, as they’re known, carve out their living at high altitudes, competing with the harsh sun and the seasonal (and increasingly variable) rainfall, snow, and extreme cold.

Ninety per cent of the occupants of the Cañete and Jequetepeque river basins rely on these bodies of water, the surrounding courses and wetlands, and the native grasslands for cultivating vegetables (potato, wheat, pea, maize, ulluco, and oca) and tending livestock.

In these regions, the levels of extreme poverty are high. There are also around 10,000 hectares of degraded ecosystems across Cañete and Jequetepeque, meaning the river basins’ ability to provide ecosystem services – in particular, a consistent water supply throughout the year – is severely curtailed. They thus rank high on the Peruvian Government’s environmental agenda.