Los pueblos de montaña se organizan e inventan en

165
The effect of a pastoralist tradition in the mountains of
Lesotho today
Livestock, and particularly cattle, have always played a central role in the lives of the
Basotho (Lesotho people). Traditionally herders, the people from the small mountainous
country of Lesotho are culturally and economically attached to livestock. Raising animals
is their principal economic activity; they provide meat, milk, wool, transport, labour
power and income. Lesotho’s main exports are wool and mohair and, besides, livestock
is regarded as an important indicator of wealth, which can be sold for cash in times of
need. Therefore, the larger the number of animals a family owns, the wealthier it is.
This cultural value amongst a rapidly increasing population, coupled with inadequate
livestock husbandry techniques is imposing a large pressure on land in the mountains of
Lesotho. Severe environmental degradation is occurring, and arable land is being lost; it
is estimated that around 40 million tons of soil is lost by erosion in Lesotho every year1.
This land degradation is affecting both crop and animal production, soils are losing
their fertility, yields are low and quality of livestock is poor, which is generating food
insecurity for a large number of families whose livelihoods depend on farming.
Alarm is raising and there are different approaches being taken to tackle this issue
throughout the country. Farmers like Lejang Tsotetsi, who taught forestry at the
Agriculture College, are using their limited resources and knowledge to experiment
different livestock management techniques that can stop land degradation and improve the
quality of their animals and crops, with the hope that, one day, they will be self-sufficient.
/// In sight of the increasing land degradation in the
mountains of Lesotho, some farmers are bringing in
alternative livestock management practices to preserve
their livelihoods and their environment.
Overgrazing and land degradation
According to the traditional Basotho way of raising livestock (cattle, goats and sheep),
the animals are taken by herders to graze on communal land. In the case of the foothills,
which are plateaus at the base of the mountains, most of the land is ploughed for crops,
so there is a limited area for grazing. For this reason, livestock owned by the farmers
in the foothills are taken to higher pastures in the mountains during the summer, with
the traditional authorities regulating the right of access to pastures. This means that
during the summer, grazing areas in the highlands hold livestock from mountain and
foothills farmers. Today, the population is increasing at an annual growth rate of 2.6%,
and livestock is still seen as a sign of wealth like in the past, so mountain people have
an average of 15 to 20 cows per family. Most of the farmers continue practising the
traditional way of grazing, taking the animals to the range lands in the mountains. Over
stocking of mountain pastures is causing that the land grazing capacity of these areas
is overpassed, leading to soil compaction and poor animal health. The results are that
there is not enough food for the animals, they are forced to travel long distances to find
grass, and the land is being severely eroded. Traditionally, Basotho farmers from the
mountains do not grow fodder for their animals, all their food intake is from grazing, so
now, as livestock does not have enough food during the summer, in the winter they run
out of reserves, and often die.
167
Lesotho
Changing the livestock farming approach
Some farmers, in the sight of the negative consequences that the traditional practices
are having in the present context, are starting to re-orientate their activities, with the
objective of maximizing productivity, securing food supply, and insuring some income
for their households. This is the case of Lejang Tsotetsi, and his eleven fellow members
of the Machache Dairy Farmers Association. The association drew the conclusion that
given the present situation, raising dairy cows is more suitable than raising meat cows.
On the one hand, one needs a lower number of animals to make a living and, also, dairy
cows need to stay confined by the household, so the pressure of livestock grazing in the
highlands is reduced. A reduced number of cows can be kept in the homestead, be fed
fodder grown in the nearby fields and water fetched for them by the farmers. This way
the animals do not have to walk long distances, which is energy intensive that now can
concentrate in the production of milk.
The Machache Association is focussing all its efforts on upgrading their breeds.
Imported improved dairy breeds are too expensive, so what they are doing is upgrading
the local breeds. The objective is to obtain very productive cows but adapted to the
particular conditions of the foothills and highlands of Lesotho. The advantage of the
local breeds is that, apart from resistant, they are good for milk and for meat, so the
farmers get a dual-purpose animal. The Association is being supported to upgrade its
livestock by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock which is providing them with
training and insemination material.
In terms of marketing of the milk, the Association does not have enough volume yet,
so the farmers are using the milk for home consumption and selling the little surplus
locally. In the future, they aim at organizing the sale together in town, and there are
also plans of engaging in processing of dairy products. At the moment they use the
association to raise funds to buy inputs in bulk together, like fodder for the winter.
The good results of this change of direction on the farming techniques are starting
to be observed by the neighbour farmers, and the association is used as a ground to
share ideas and experiences, and to learn from each other. They also receive trainings
from the extension services and other organizations, so they can keep improving the
management of their land and their animals.
Need to educate on good management practices
It is crucial that farmers are educated on how to manage their environment. People
need knowledge to be able to use their resources without depleting them. For this,
efforts should be put together in order to share information and exchange experiences,
at local, national and Southern Africa regional level. The media should be used to
spread good management practices, so they can reach everyone.
The mountains can be a better option for future
generations
Life in the mountains means self-sufficiency, with a capacity to produce everything that
is needed, and without having to consume imported products. It also gives a sense of
peace and security, with a stronger feeling of belonging to a community.
In order to preserve this, and create a future for the mountains, we need to involve
our children in our activities, inculcate in them the interest for agriculture, and the
knowledge to manage their environment in a sustainable way. Staying in the mountains
to farm can be a better option for the future generations than being unemployed in
towns, but for that, the children and youth need to be educated, and to know how to
best manage the land, and to get the maximum profit from the resources they have.
Education would make a good change in the communities, and could solve most of the
present problems in the mountains.
1. EU, 2002., Tackling Lesotho’s food crisis. The Courier ACP-EU, no194, sept.-oct. 2002
169
Lesotho
Key words
Agriculture and environment
Soil degradation
Breeding
Housing management
Erosion
Traditional techniques upgrading
Nestled in the Himalayas, the Kingdom of Nepal is a small country elevated over the
world’s summits, where mighty rivers flow from glaciers and feed on the monsoons.
The water naturally bathes the territory as it slides down from heights of up to
29,000ft. Anyone would envy the green landscapes that fill the farmers with bliss.
Nepal maintains relatively intact forests in 25% of its surface. Most of the population
lives by the fertile plains of the Terai, since hilly and mountainous terrain has made
the building of infrastructure and the introduction of technology a difficult task. This
implies that organic production is nothing new to the inhabitants of the mountains; it
has been kept in the mountains for many years and it is just waiting to be launched by
the government and the market. Nevertheless the certification, labelling, and the very
culture of organic consumption are far from this country’s reality.
/// The Organic Village (TOV) was founded only a year
ago by a group of Nepalese environmentalists whose
objective is to support and contribute to the development of
local and foreign markets in which the organic products
of the communities and those manufactured with energy
renewable technologies, are promoted; selling them with
their «Enviro-Guard» certification.
Bringing the mountain closer to the market
171
While the exporters look for high quality and low cost products, the communities
located in the mountains face great difficulty placing these products in the market.
Samir Newa, founder of The Organic Village, studied Business Administration but his
“real education”, as he likes to call it, was obtained in the village of Baglung, where he
worked for several years. He was in charge of implementing a solar energy system from
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Access to electric energy in Nepal is difficult and expensive due to the complexity
of the terrain. The solar energy program consisted of bringing this service to the
communities that could not afford it in exchange for their local agricultural production.
Through this programme Samir Newa took solar energy to the communities, looked
for a way to market their products, and linked the communities to the market for
future sales.
The people did not need to worry about coming up with the money to pay for the
electricity and technology; once they joined the program they got help promoting their
work and products as long as they had a way of organising themselves.
This gave Samir an idea that would later lead to the creation of The Organic Village.
The first step was to get financing for a new project and then he would market the
communities’ finest products in the cities. The financing came from the UNDP and The
Organic Village was registered. This new project began its activities in December 2005
in the city of Kathmandu, the country’s capital, with a store that sold organic products
and handicrafts.
Nepal
Joining efforts, sharing benefits
However, the biggest chore was just beginning. The store was ready and it was necessary
to create a sense of awareness among the city people regarding the importance of
consuming organic goods or products manufactured using renewable energy. This was a
whole new challenge in the area.
The Nepalese population was not used to consuming this kind of products, so Samir
Newa had to come up with a way to create a market. A few months after the store
opened, he found himself working on the creation of a restaurant that served its clients
food made from 100% organic products produced by the communities. The Organic
Bistro was born.
In his opinion, the Nepalese middle class can not afford the standard prices of organic
products. With this in mind, the restaurant designed inexpensive menus in order to
reach broad segments and spread the organic culture message as far as possible. In spite
of these measures, The Organic Bistro is mainly visited by upper class locals and foreign
tourists. The gastronomic experience turns out to be quite delightful and the news
reached the media: newspapers, magazines, and national television have visited the
place confirming its novelty.
The Organic Village and the wide network of producers are using the restaurant as a
magnet to attract clients into the store, where they can find the resulting efforts of the
communities’ work: 100% organic products or different articles manufactured from
organic materials using renewable energy from technology that Newa himself brought
to the mountains.
A clear example of a successful synergy – among the mountain people, the promotion
of the communities’ autochthonous work, the use of solar energy, and a store in charge
of marketing – are the products made from Lokta paper, naturally obtained from the
homonymous tree. This paper is completely natural, free of acid and chemicals.
It has great quality and durability and has stronger fibres than the average machinemade paper. The crafting of these sheets is an ancient Nepalese tradition; Buddhist and
Hindu scriptures were written on this paper centuries ago. Lokta offers calendars,
notebooks, greeting cards, lamp shades, and other products for the contemporary
market. The Organic Village sells these products in the city and is now exporting them
throughout Europe.
All the products in The Organic Village catalogue are labelled with an “Enviro-Guard”
seal. This assures the costumer that the products with the mentioned seal were
produced free of pesticides or chemical fertilizers or are produced with renewable
energy sources.
Today, The Organic Village Works with 200 communities distributed along 30 of the
70 districts of Nepal, which benefits approximately 4,000 families. This has been
accomplished by working alongside already established networks in Nepal; such
is the case of its biggest ally, FECOFUN, the largest network of forest producers.
The Organic Village does not go directly to the communities; instead it goes to the
established groups that work with those communities. Being able to count with these
alliances has allowed The Organic Village to be the only company in its field to offer
such a wide and diverse variety of products. The other players in the Nepalese scene
usually offer one kind of product.
The variety of products, the established networking, and the national and international
marketing of products from the Nepalese mountains make The Organic Village the
undisputable leader in its field. These are considered pioneering efforts by the Nepalese
government. But this position is precisely what makes them struggle with a national and
international market. They urge the government to help and support them in taking
these products to other countries and continents.
“It’s difficult to climb to the top of a mountain,” Newa says, “it’s hard to walk steep
routes. But once you reach the top you feel very proud. Only the sky is above you.
Nothing bothers you. Mountains are quiet and peaceful places.” His struggle consists of
taking the people that already live in the mountains to that place where they can enjoy
the peace and quiet, only a few meters above. The peak is not that far.
173
Nepal
Key words
Organic agriculture
Local market
Solar energy
Community organization
Market access
Lesotho, a mountain farming country
Lesotho is a small country in Southern Africa, completely surrounded by South Africa.
It has a population of less than two million, with 49% living below the poverty line.
86% of Lesotho’s labour force is engaged in subsistence agriculture, and the majority of
the small scale farmers are poor. About 30% of rural people live in extreme poverty.
Approximately 80% of the country is mountainous; the population of the foothills
(plateaus) and highlands are significantly poorer than in other parts of the country1. The
primary cause for this is soil erosion, caused by over-grazing and bad land husbandry,
which have lead to low agricultural productivity and food insecurity.
The Machobane Farming System has been especially designed for these conditions.
The techniques it promotes are becoming more and more popular amongst rural
communities in the country. This system has been proven to provide food security and
income to farmers practising it. Stephen Ralitsoele, a retired plant pathologist, is the
Director of the Machobane Agricultural Development Foundation, which is in charge of
spreading the philosophy of the farming method.
/// The development of a particular farming system,
especially designed for the hard conditions of the
mountainous country of Lesotho, called “Kingdom in the
Sky”, is proving to be successful in achieving food security
and reducing poverty amongst rural communities.
175
Migration, land degradation and poverty in the
mountains
Lesotho, as a small landlocked country, has strong economic dependence from its large
neighbour. As such, Lesotho was a net exporter of human labour into the South African
mines and industry in the past.This had a large impact upon mountain communities, as
the migration of the male working force left females in charge of labour in households and
fields.The lack of resources and the inappropriate farming techniques, such as monoculture,
resulted in declining yields and therefore, food insecurity for many families in the mountains.
The increase in the density of livestock is causing land degradation all over the country due
to the over-grazing of pasture. Over-grazing coupled with deforestation for firewood, has
lead to severe erosion and associated loss of soil fertility.The result has been a great reduction
of land available for agriculture. In a country with more than 80% of the population reliant
on subsistence agriculture, this is having a large social and economic impact.
The particular situation in the mountains gets aggravating for the isolation of
communities. Inherently poor communication and transport infrastructure make it
more difficult for advice and extension agents to reach them. Then, people in the
mountain remain unaware of alternative management techniques which could improve
the fertility of their land and their food security.
Lesotho
A farming system to maximize the use of the available
resources
The Machobane Farming System was developed by Dr J.J. Machobane in the 1970s,
after 13 years research on the agriculture management techniques that Basotho2
smallholder farmers were using. The aim was to provide resource to poor farmers with
a sustainable system that did not require expensive inputs, easy to implement, and
supplied them with food all year around.
The Machobane System not only proposes a change in farming techniques, but demands
a certain conduct from the farmers who want to engage in it. The philosophy and
conditions required are based on: self-reliance without external assistance, appreciation
of their own resources available, readiness to work hard, practical learning and teaching
on the field and teaching other neighbour farmers for spreading the technology3.
The System promotes organic fertilisers such as animal manure, ashes and organic
waste, mixed in different proportions depending of the crop, to build and maintain
soil fertility. It insists on having at least one animal in the household, which provides
manure and food (milk, eggs, meat). It is important to reduce the number of animals
grazing in the mountains, and better to have fewer animals of better quality and
stronger; for this, the system recommends to have improved local breeds, rather than
imported ones, which need more inputs and are less adapted to conditions in Lesotho.
A central aim of the approach is to produce crops along the year. Traditional farming
in Lesotho only considers three months for growing crops, and it focuses on monocultures of maize, wheat or potatoes. Machobane System uses crop rotation, intercropping (mixing different crops) and rely-cropping (planting the same crop at
different times, so is harvested at different times). It introduces species and varieties,
adapted to different weather conditions, such as winter wheat, peas and carrots.
This way, even a small garden can supply a family’s food throughout the year, the soil
is covered with crops all the time, reducing erosion. The Machobane System also
promotes cash crops, such as potatoes. In the mountains of Lesotho the conditions are
excellent for this crop and, also, for the production of potato seeds of very high quality
which, if certified and sold internationally, could raise incomes for mountain farmers.
The farming system designed by Machobane is labour intensive requiring labour input
all along the year. The difference with the conventional system is that the work required
is not as hard, it is closer to the household, and the animals are stronger to do labour on
the field like ploughing. This eases the work of women in charge of the field work.
The value of the system has been recognised for
achieving food security and poverty reduction.
It has only been in recent years that some development agencies and the Lesotho
government are introducing this system in their programmes. An example is the
“Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme for the Mountain Areas”, funded
by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) ten years ago. This
programme was implemented by the Lesotho Government, who contracted the
Machobane Agricultural Development Foundation to spread their farming system
amongst farmers in the three main mountain areas of the country: Mokhotlong,
Thaba Tseka and Qachas’nek. The Machobane Foundation was chosen for the
appropriateness of the system for the conditions in the mountains; and because their
staff works directly on the ground in the mountains, so the Programme could use this
infrastructure already in place. Also, the government extension officers were trained
on the farming system.
Today, the Machobane Foundation continues its task of promoting this particular
farming approach and making it accessible to smallholder farmers. In 2006 the
Foundation has published a training manual on the practices of the Machobane System,
and they have started networking with other countries to adapt the system to different
conditions, so farmers from other Southern African countries can benefit from it.
1. IFAD, Rural poverty in Lesotho, www.ifad.org
2. Generic name for people from Lesotho.
3. Pantanali, R., 1996. Lesotho: a note on the Machobane System. FAO Investment Centre,
Occasional Paper Series, No. 7, September 1996
177
Lesotho
Key words
Sustainable agriculture
Soil degradation
Food security
Fight against poverty
Crop rotation
Product diversification
Soil fertilization
Pueblos andinos, una historia de lucha
Pakajaqi hoy conocido como Pacajes es una nación milenaria de raíz aymará. La
provincia de Pacajes esta ubicada en el Altiplano Central, en el departamento
de La Paz.
El pueblo Pacaje siempre fue un pueblo cultivado, pacifico y progresista. Fue el
constructor del Tiwanaku o Tiahuanaco megalítico (civilización precolombina cuyo
territorio estaba ubicado en lo que ahora es la frontera del Perú y Bolivia). Este
milenario pueblo de vida armónica con la Naturaleza o Pacha, desarrollaba el arte, la
ciencia y la tecnología. Fue violentamente diezmado por la invasión española de 1492.
Desde la caída del Imperio Inca, los españoles emprendieron el exterminio del Pueblo
Pacaje en las minas de Potosí, en las haciendas y en los obrajes.
Los Pacajes son una de las naciones aymaras que se encuentran representados en el
Consejo Nacional de Ayllus y Markas de Qullasuyo (actualmente Bolivia), CONAMAQ.
Fundado el 22 de Marzo de 1997, aglutina a once organizaciones denominadas SUYUS
o Regionales. Los Ayllus y Markas son estructuras territoriales y socio organizacionales
prehispánicas y que han sobrevivido a las divisiones administrativas o electorales
impuestas por el Estado.
/// Cada día más se requiere de un ordenamiento jurídico
que de cuenta de las diferencias y reconozca la riqueza
de las culturas ancestrales y la especificidad de los pueblos
de montaña.
No sólo 30 centímetros
La Organización de la Naciones Unidas ha desempeñado un papel decisivo en la
descolonización de los pueblos sobre la base del «principio de la igualdad de los
derechos y la libre determinación de los pueblos» consagrados en la Carta de la ONU.
Sin embargo, las naciones indígenas todavía se sienten sometidas a la violación de sus
derechos y al no reconocimiento de su autodeterminación.
Uno de los mayores problemas que visualizan en la región es la necesidad de reivindicar
“tierra y territorio”, tenemos 30 CMS, no nos dan el espacio total, si hay minerales nos
sacan del lugar, señala Víctor Cortez. Defienden el derecho ancestral que tienen sobre
ese lugar, un derecho que no está ni escrito ni legalizado bajo las leyes actuales pero
tiene más relevancia bajo sus propias costumbres. Así mismo, existe frustración por
lo la marginación que sienten por parte del gobierno. No hay apoyo o estímulo en lo
productivo para las comunidades indígenas.
Leyes y tradiciones que resisten
Esta comunidad posee una organización propia, y aunque las cosas han cambiado, es
posible reconocer un sistema de gobierno ancestral, basado en la cosmovisión y en el
manejo completo que tenían sus antepasados del tiempo, de la Pacha y el análisis del
universo, que finalmente les entregaba información para planificar sus actividades.
179
Bolivia
Eso si, su sistema económico no logra encontrar el equilibrio de antaño. Si había
buena producción, el sobrante se entregaba al gobernante para que éste la guardara y
administrara en períodos de baja producción, hoy, ese sistema resulta imposible
de implementar.
Otra de las prácticas que tratan de conservar es la Ley de Reciprocidad Ayni, la
cooperación con el trabajo del otro, para luego recibir a cambio esa misma cooperación
sin pedir remuneración económica y poniendo en la tarea la misma voluntad que
se recibió.
Pero lamentablemente cada día se hace más difícil mantener esa forma de vida,
es por ello que, como nunca, estas comunidades reconocen la importancia de tomar
los resguardos correspondientes a fin de preservar estos modos de vida y saberes
ancestrales.
Reivindicaciones a todo nivel
Para CONAMAQ es indispensable el derecho a tierra y territorio, y al recurso agua
a fin de darle un uso racional para la producción y el consumo humano.
En lo político, han establecido alianzas con entidades cívicas que están representadas
en la Asamblea Constituyente para poder llevar allí sus reivindicaciones. Entre las
más relevantes se encuentran la elección de sus propios usos y costumbres
y la autodeterminación y su reconocimiento explícito por parte de la Asamblea
Constituyente.
Así también exigen al Senado la firma y respeto a los Tratados Internacionales,
especialmente el de la Declaración de Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas de la
ONU, que reconoce el derecho de estos pueblos a su autodeterminación y a preservar
y fortalecer sus diferentes instituciones políticas, legales, económicas, sociales y
culturales, al tiempo que mantienen sus derechos a participar de manera plena, si así
deciden, de la vida económica, social y cultural de los países donde viven. Ante esta
legalidad que los ampara, Cortez denuncia la falta la voluntad política para que en la
práctica estos mandatos se cumplan.
Una Pacha que reclama
Cada vez se hace más necesario para esta organización el compartir y articularse
con otros movimientos o pueblos con similares problemáticas, principalmente porque
es indispensable una articulación a nivel andino para generar un ambiente internacional
favorable a sus reivindicaciones.
Cuando la montaña es el lugar en donde se ha nacido y criado, ésta pasa a ser parte de
la vida, no podemos abandonarla, es como abandonar la madre. La tierra es nuestra
madre y a la madre no se le vende ni negocia, concluye Cortez.
Un país moderno e inclusivo no puede olvidar ni dejar de reconocer pueblos
originarios, hacerlo genera diferencias y odiosidades replicables durante generaciones.
181
Bolivia
Palabras clave
Dimensión cultural del desarrollo
Estado plurinacional
Derecho consuetudinario
Derecho territorial
Autodeterminación de los pueblos
Participación de la comunidad
A commercial crop for the small farmers in the
mountains
Malawi’s economy is based largely on agriculture, which accounts for more than 90%
of its export earnings, contributes 45% of gross domestic product (GDP), and supports
90% of the population . Agricultural products for export come from both, commercial
estates and smallholder farmers, with tobacco, tea, macadamia, cotton, coffee and sugar
being the major exports. In particular, coffee production is dominated by smallholder
farmers from the Northern Region of the country.
The three quarters of Malawi consist of plateaux (750 to 1300 metres), and the
Northern Region is divided into extensive highlands, including Viphya and Nyika
Plateaux, and lowlands by the lake shore. Smallholder farming predominates on the
highlands, besides the vast area protected by Nyika National Park, approximately 3,200
km2. Some farmers in these mountains, in the sight of the difficulties and limitations
that they face for the fact of living in remote areas, have engaged in the production of
coffee, taking advantage of the good conditions for this crop in the mountains. This
cash crop has been grown there for some decades now, and the organization of coffee
growers has evolved since then. Today, the small producers own their own business
at association level, through the Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust (SCFT), which
processes the coffee and packs the product. The SCFT has taken them to be Malawian
leaders in coffee exports and national market in Malawi.
Haswell Zimba has worked for the Trust since 1982, and today holds the position of
Coffee Association Adviser. He shares the ethos of his organization of empowering
mountain people through their economic development, and explains the historical
evolution and activity of the Coffee Trust. This is a singular initiative in the mountains
of Malawi that is bringing tangible benefits for small farmers and encouraging them to
remain in their territory.
/// Coffee growers from the mountains of Northern Malawi
have built up a strong structure to support them in the
production, processing and marketing of their cash crops.
The result is a lucrative business that is taking their
households out of poverty and encouraging farmers to stay
on their land.
Lack of opportunities for income in the mountains
Life in the highlands of Northern Malawi is definitely influenced by the lack of
communication infrastructures and remoteness. The country is one of the poorest in
the world, with 65% of the population living below the poverty line, and mountain
communities face even more constraints than the ones in the lowlands.
Practically all the transport in Malawi is done by road, but roads in the highlands, which
are often not asphalted, are in poor conditions and state of repair. Moreover, landslides
are quite common in the Northern Region’s mountains, given the fragile environment
and the degraded soil due to inappropriate land management. This leads to humanitarian
catastrophes, but also many bridges are washed away, cutting off any means of transport
for the communities. The result is the difficulty for farmers to reach markets outside
183
Malawi
their villages. They often have to carry their goods on their heads for long distances
(sometimes 10 km). In addition, high transport expenses are incurred for their products
to reach markets and their inputs to arrive to their farms. This makes subsistence
farming non-profitable and extremely difficult for farmers to raise any income.
A profitable crop for the mountains
Coffee in Malawi grows in high areas, with elevations starting from 1,000 metres
above sea level. It is mainly cultivated in the mountains of the Northern Region, where
climate conditions are particularly good for the crop. Planting coffee is also a soil
conservation measure in these areas, where erosion is a widespread problem, as the
bushes are planted in contour lines therefore controlling run-off and reducing soil loss.
Coffee is mainly planted by smallholders, so it is often inter-cropped with other species
in order to supply food to the household; recently some farmers have started to plant
macadamia trees, which can constitute another lucrative income source.
This cash crop was introduced by the colonials more than forty years ago, and since
then, small scale farmers have adopted it in search for income to their subsistence
economy. After Independence, the government recognised the role that coffee was
playing in raising incomes in the remote highland, and came up with the Special Crops
Act, in combination with the Government Parastatal Smallholder Coffee Authority. The
latter was in charge of marketing the coffee beans from farmers without processing
them. But the Authority became heavily indebted, despite only paying growers 20-30%
of the selling price, and in 1999 it was sold to the approximately 4,000 smallholder
producers, who converted themselves into the Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust.
The remarkable management of the coffee business
Since then, the strategy of the Trust has been to concentrate on increasing the quality of
the coffee and to add value to the product, by processing part of the beans and selling
a quality, packed and branded coffee; always trying to minimize costs, like reducing
the dependence on expensive pesticides and introducing integrated pest management
systems. This was achieved thanks to the team effort of the farmers, the Trust’s
management and some international donors. The result has been a turn-around of the
business, which managed to clear its debt in 2003, while farmers get 70 to 80% of the
revenue from their production. This success is even more remarkable as it happened
during a period of low international coffee prices.
The priority of the Trust and its employees has been to strengthen the farmers through
their economic development, by improving the yields and quality of their coffee,
organizing the grower members into local associations and increasing the financial
returns going directly to the Trust members. The local associations are a particular
characteristic of the Trust that give farmers a sense of ownership on the business, but
also decentralizes part of the process and brings it closer to the farms. The primary
processing of the crop is done at the local associations, where there are “pulperies” that
are the machines that separate coffee pulps from beans. Beans are then transported to
the processing facilities (secondary processing) in the town of Mzuzu, that are also own
by the Trust. There is a project at the moment of establishing shops for inputs at the
association level, which would solve the problem of transport so farmers would not
need to carry inputs for long distances anymore.
Towards a Fair Trade certification
Today, the processed and packed “Mzuzu Coffee” is the leader in the national market,
and the Coffee Trust’s exports dominate the commodity’s international trade from
Malawi. In the near future, the Trust is planning to become a farmers’ cooperative
which will complete the transfer of power to the farmers, making them stronger
and able to manage the business. Besides, the organization is about to obtain Fair
Trade certification, which will ensure a fair price for their coffee going directly to the
growers, and without being affected by the fluctuations of the international prices.
The case of the Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust is a clear example of how a sector
in mountain communities, with serious physical and economical constraints, can be
developed successfully, bringing income to least favoured areas in developing countries.
The key: to have a well organized strong bottom-up structure to empower the grassroots,
combined with a committed management team, and to orientate activities in a way that
the producers maximize their benefits while being respectful to their environment and
their territory. Moreover, any action to be taken has to be done through consultation,
addressing problems together and not imposing solutions to the communities.
The future of the smallholder coffee sector in Malawi, led by producers from the
Northern Region looks very promising. This cash crop is gaining importance in terms of
export revenues for the country, and therefore, the government is turning to be more
interested on it. This means more power for the sector, which is gaining more and more
access to decision-making grounds and influence. And, as smallholders’ coffee is always
grown in the highlands, this could bring a promising future for the mountains.
185
Malawi
Key words
Subsistence farming
Unequal land distribution
Sustainable land management
Education
Institutional development
Située au nord de l’Algérie, la Kabylie est une région berbère divisée en deux par les
français, la Grande et Petite Kabylie ou Haute et Basse Kabylie, suite à l’insurrection
de 1871. Son nom viendrait de l’arabe Al-qabila signifiant « tribu », mais aujourd’hui
ses habitants préfèrent l’appeler Tamurt n Leqvayel soit « La terre des Kabyles ».
Poétiquement, elle porte aussi le nom de Tamurt idurar, « la terre des montagnes ».
Elle fait partie des montagnes de l’Atlas, en bordure de la mer Méditerranée, et sa côte
étendue sur plusieurs centaines de kilomètres constitue ce que chacun désigne par « la
corniche kabyle ». Trois grands massifs occupent la plus grande partie de la région. Au
nord, la chaîne de la Kabylie maritime culmine à 1 278 mètres ; au sud, le Djurdjura
atteint 2 308 mètres ; et entre les deux se présente le massif Agawa. Ce dernier, d’une
altitude moyenne de 800 mètres accueille la plus grande ville de la Grande Kabylie,
Tizi-Ouzou, chef-lieu de la wilaya du même nom. L’activité pastorale est la principale
occupation de la société de montagne kabyle. L’élevage des abeilles est une activité
traditionnelle et séculaire des communautés rurales algériennes. Cette activité constitue
non seulement une source d’approvisionnement énergétique, le miel, et un instrument
dit thérapeutique, la gelée royale ; mais c’est aussi une source de revenus pour les
agriculteurs implantés dans des zones difficiles, comme c’est le cas de la montagne.
/// Dans les montagnes kabyles, les ruches sont laissées à
lʼabandon à cause des coûts dʼentretien quʼelles impliquent
et du manque de formation des apiculteurs.
187
Des ruches laissées à l’abandon
« Plus d’un an après les intempéries de l’hiver 2005, les apiculteurs de Kabylie se
remettent difficilement des pertes occasionnées par le froid » (El Watan, quotidien
indépendant). Ensevelies pendant plusieurs jours sous deux mètres de neige, leurs
ruches ont été décimées par le gel. L’apiculture, comme toute activité agricole, est
très influencée par le climat et doit en subir les caprices. Sa productivité est aléatoire
et peut être très variable d’une année sur l’autre. En Kabylie, la faible pluviométrie au
printemps, additionnée au constant réchauffement de la planète, est un réel problème
pour l’apiculture, la sécheresse de la terre empêchant la prolifération de flore mellifère.
Cette flore spécifique donne en abondance des substances sucrées accessibles aux
abeilles domestiques ; il est évident que sans elle les abeilles ne peuvent produire de
miel. Avec une bonne pluviométrie on peut obtenir près de 10 fois plus de miel que
lors d’une année sans pluie. D’autre part, le climat a un impact direct sur les abeilles
elles-mêmes. Les intempéries de juin et juillet, en pleine période de miellé, dissuadent
les abeilles de sortir de leurs ruches et les obligent à se nourrir de leur propre miel. La
récolte s’en trouve diminuée. Quant aux températures, bien plus rudes qu’en plaines,
elles exigent une préparation pour l’hiver plus importante et coûteuse. Nourrir les
abeilles en sucre pour tenir tout l’hiver est un vrai luxe que beaucoup ne peuvent se
permettre et ne se permettent pas, au risque de perdre ruche et essaim.
En Kabylie, les difficiles conditions de transport et la médiocrité des routes de
montagnes n’encouragent pas les apiculteurs à effectuer la transhumance. L’espace
exploitable, quant à lui, est restreint. A Ain El Hammam, on trouve 6 111 ruches, soit
une ruche tous les quarante mètres, alors que le rayon de survole de l’abeille est de
trois kilomètres ! Cette surpopulation, ajoutée à une flore insuffisamment développée,
provoque des phénomènes de pillage et des pertes conséquentes d’abeilles lorsque
Algérie
celles-ci entrent en guerre. Le résultat en est une production insignifiante ; d’autant
plus que sans transhumance, il n’y a qu’une miellé.
Enfin, s’ajoute le problème du coût de production. La ruche traditionnelle, installée
dans un tronc de liège, est la moins chère, mais son rendement est presque nul. Tandis
qu’une ruche moderne coûte près d’un tiers de la paie d’un fonctionnaire algérien, ce
qui n’est pas sans en dissuader plus d’un. Même si l’acquisition de ruches en Kabylie
est subventionnée par l’état, les traitements (des produits chimiques) restent hors
de prix. Malheureusement, la région est fortement touchée par le varroa, un acarien
qui parasite les abeilles, et ces produits sont indispensables pour le combattre. Voilà
pourquoi nombre de ruches sont laissées à l’abandon, faute d’avoir les moyens de les
traiter. Les caprices de la météo, le faible rendement, et surtout le coût d’entretien,
incitent naturellement les apiculteurs à abandonner leurs ruches et à se tourner vers la
vente d’essaims plutôt que la production de miel.
Un manque évident de technicité
Dans les sommets du Djurdjura, l’apiculture souffre également d’un réel manque de
formation. Le choix d’une reine forte permet de gagner du temps sur la production.
Une abeille novice, elle, a besoin de temps pour se former, mais plus le temps passe,
plus elle vieillira et moins elle produira. Voilà par exemple pourquoi les apiculteurs
de Kabylie devraient savoir faire un essaimage artificiel. Grâce ce genre de techniques
modernes pour choisir la reine ou bien entretenir ses ruches, chacun d’entre eux
pourrait améliorer sa production, en quantité comme en qualité, et les réconcilier avec
leurs ruches laissées à l’abandon.
Formation et information
Les ingénieurs agronomes et professionnels de l’APAM désirent transmettre ce qu’ils
ont appris. Une documentation informative et des CD explicatifs ont été élaborés.
Sur le principe du porte-à-porte, l’APAM propose aux apiculteurs de Ain El Hammam
de faire un stage de formation à l’essaimage artificiel, au traitement de sa ruche, à des
techniques modernes qui permettront une augmentation de ses bénéfices conséquente.
En plus des activités de formation, l’APAM participe à des journées d’information sur
l’agriculture, comme celles organisées à Ain El Hammam les 20, 21 et 22 mars 2006,
en célébration de la journée de l’Arbre. L’association en profite pour sensibiliser les
gens, leur expliquer les dangers de l’abatage des forêts, et les inciter à planter chez
eux des arbres mellifères et à créer leur petit coin de jardin. Elle recrute aussi une
équipe de volontaires pour nettoyer la zone afin d’agir contre la détérioration de
l’environnement. Enfin, elle organise des foires qui font la promotion de produits issus
de l’apiculture tels que le miel, la gelée royale ou la cire. Il ne s’agit pas d’écouler la
production des apiculteurs de la région car la quantité produite reste très faible, mais
bel et bien de faire connaître ces produits.
L’investissement de l’État ne doit pas s’arrêter
à l’acquisition
Contre les contraintes climatiques, rien ne peut être fait, ni même par l’Etat. En
revanche, il peut agir dans un autre domaine. Tout d’abord, il doit augmenter les
subventions pour que chaque apiculteur puisse prendre soin de ses ruches et les traiter
chaque fois qu’il sera nécessaire. En effet, le gouvernement ne doit pas se contenter
d’aider à l’acquisition de ruches, il doit aussi veiller au suivi de la production et
aider l’apiculteur tout au long de sa démarche. Pour cela, il est important de créer
des centres de formation en apiculture, avec du personnel enseignant compétent, et
d’offrir des cours gratuits sur les techniques modernes, mais aussi sur la prévention des
maladies. Prévenir coûte moins cher que guérir.
Enfin, la population elle-même doit veiller à l’équilibre naturel du milieu en le
préservant. Les arbres ne doivent plus être coupés ni les prairies polluées. Il ne
manquera plus alors que l’indulgence de la météo pour que la flore mellifère prolifère.
« Plus qu’un lieu, la montagne c’est un sentiment, celui que l’on ressent pour son foyer.
Tout comme lui, on ne veut pas la quitter et on veut partager sa richesse et ses idéaux.
Et pourtant, aujourd’hui, c’est un mur qui se dresse devant nous, et au rythme où vont
les choses, si elles ne changent pas, nous n’irons pas loin. »
189
Algérie
Mots-clés
Apiculture
Coût de production
Amélioration des techniques
Traditionnelles
Sécurité alimentaire
Aide publique au développement
Assistance technique
Nepal, a small Himalayan state, has continuously seen its tumultuous history forged by
its great neighbours: China in the North, a cautious India in the South, and the United
Kingdom, which finally recognised Nepal’s independence in 1923. The attempts to
form a parliamentary democracy in the 1950s were unsuccessful, but marked the
entrance of Nepal into the modern world stage. This country has a history filled with
powerful families, hereditary monarchies, conspiracies, a current civil war, and an
assassination of the royal family in 2001.
/// The autochthonous Nepal organisation, Poverty
Alleviation Fund, grants leadership to the communities
and marginalised groups in the fight against their poverty
A third of the national population in extreme poverty
After five decades of a planned modern development and because of such a political
scene, a third of Nepal population lives in extreme poverty. 47 % of the 27 millions
inhabitants do not have a stable job, according to the Nepal’s Central Bureau of
Statistics. Millions lack proper nutrition, clothing, housing, health services, education,
or even drinking water. A considerable amount of the population is excluded from the
modern development due to issues of gender, ethnicity, or caste.
Om Poudel states that in order to even think about a sustainable economic development
in Nepal, it is necessary to involve the whole population, specially the marginalised
population located in remote areas. Since its creation three years ago, the Poverty
Alleviation Fund (PAF) has made great efforts to realise this idea. The PAF Board is
Chaired by Nepal’s Prime Minister. This, insists Om Poudel, is a sign of the conviction
and commitment which the Nepalese government has towards PAF’s objectives. The
PAF’s benefit programmes are directed to the marginalised communities, poor women
in remote zones, and the Dalits and Janajatis.
The Dalits are the lowest group within the Hindu caste system; they have been
historically relegated to the servile and menial tasks for the upper castes. They are also
referred to as “untouchables.” Until recent changes to the Law (1963 Civil Code and
the 1990 Nepal Constitution), they were deprived of education and excluded from the
country’s socioeconomic activities.
The Janajatis are the native indigenous tribes. They have their own language, traditions,
and culture; therefore they are not organised by the Hindu caste system. They are
mostly located in the northern mountains, middle hills and the terai region in the
South. It may seem that they live separated from the rest of the country due to their
geographical and cultural isolation. Nevertheless, they sum up 35% of the national
population according to the Nepalese Central Bureau of Statistics.
The Poverty Alleviation Fund seeks the active participation of these groups and any
independent organisation locally involved in projects that go along with the PAF’s
objectives as well. Every project launched by this fund comes down to allowing
vulnerable and marginalised groups have access to more resources by promoting
self-employment and the creation of economical activities that will relieve them from
poverty and improve their quality of life.
191
Nepal
The poor are the best source of information
“The success in the battle against poverty lies in coming up with programmes where
they are really needed,” claims Om Poudel, Coordinating Portfolio Manager,
Mugu for the Poverty Alliance Fund. “To achieve this, there is only one rule of thumb
you must follow: the people who live in poverty are the best source of information
regarding their needs and resources.” This is the principle that constitutes the Poverty
Alleviation Fund.
The inhabitants of the communities involved in any of the PAF’s projects become the
main players in the fight against poverty. It is they who observe, identify, and plan
according to their capabilities, potential and priorities.
The people from the selected and self-chosen communities can get technical assistance
for social mobilisation, workshops to train them in the areas they request, and funds to
launch employment-generating projects or to build infrastructures that will improve
their quality of life. The Poverty Alleviation Fund’s four blocks are: social mobilisation
(empowerment), income generation and self employment, building rural community
infrastructure, and capacity building.
Based on these blocks, PAF has developed some innovating and clear strategies:
- Tools and processes to work and join forces with the poor.
- Approaching the communities upon a voluntary request: PAF only gets involved in
projects when explicitly asked.
- The funds and resources are handed over directly to the communities.
- Helping poor communities organise themselves; identifying the communities,
launching and monitoring each project.
In order to organise functional work teams in the communities, a classifying method
that takes place during the social mobilization was implemented. Particularly
women, Dalits, and Janajatis are sensitized and motivated into organising. Villages
and communities are classified as “extremely poor,” “very poor,” and “non poor.” Then
communitarian organisation takes place between these groups, excluding the non poor,
assuring that the poor are the ones who make the decisions regarding their community.
It is mandatory that women make up at least 50% of the community’s organisation, and
80% of the projects directly involve women, Dalits, and Janajatis.
Hand over the funds directly to the organised
community, not to intermediaries
Once the community’s problems have been listed - next to its interests, needs, and
aspirations - information is sought so that the decision-making process is based on facts.
Through its affiliated organisations, PAF seeks technical assistance, project designs,
market and viability studies, and the required training workshops. Based on these
studies, PAF hands over the funds directly to the communities so that they can develop
themselves the selected projects, which have to be viable economically, socially and
environmentally.
Nepal is politically divided in 75 districts. The Central Bureau of Statistics has classified
these districts into three groups using a series of socioeconomic indicators, leaving
group C, made up of 25 districts, as the most unfavourable. PAF works mainly in these
25 districts, where accomplished projects include communitarian infrastructure, rural
roads, cattle and draught animals, bridges, potable water systems, irrigation systems,
micro-hydroelectric power plants, among others.
To Om Poudel, the mountains and its inhabitants live in a privileged place full of natural
resources, forests, water, and minerals, but the access to the mountains is difficult and
the means of communication are scarce. These people can have a bright future if they
manage to use the available resources wisely.
193
Nepal
Key words
Caste
Fight against poverty
Fight against social marginalisation
Training programme
Self employment
Cuna y centro neurálgico del imperio inca
El Cusco, es un centro económico, cultural y turístico de primer nivel en Perú,
con renombre a nivel mundial debido su cercanía con la ruinas de Macchu Picchu.
La población de la ciudad del Cusco es de aproximadamente 300,000 habitantes y
crece a una tasa anual de 4%.Se ubica aproximadamente sobre los 3,350 m.s.n.m. y es
considerada una de las ciudades más altas del mundo. En tanto, en el Departamento del
Cusco habitan 1.208.689 personas, un 5,2%de la población total del Perú que asciende
a 23 millones de habitantes.
El Cusco fue la capital y sede de gobierno del Imperio Inca, convirtiéndose en la ciudad
más importante de los Andes. Se desconoce la fecha aproximada de su fundación, pero
los vestigios indican que desde hace 3000 años está habitado, lo que la convierte en la
ciudad habitada más antigua de toda América. Caminos del Inca es el nombre que recibe
el extenso sistema de caminos, construido durante el Imperio Inca, que convergen en
la ciudad del Cusco. Una de las rutas más conocidas es el Capac Ñam o Camino Real,
que, en sus 5200 kilómetros nacía en Quito, Ecuador y llegaba a Tucumán, Argentina,
pasando por el Cusco. Este complejo sistema de caminos no hace sino dar cuenta de la
relevancia que tenía, durante ese período, establecer contactos, intercambios,
comerciar con otras zonas, en fin, generar conectividad.
/// Campesinos de la montaña cusqueña se organizan
para abastecer de alimentos a la ciudad del Cusco (Perú)
creando un mercado local organizado y administrado
por los mismos productores.
Menos intermediarios y un espacio propio
de intercambio
El Cusco posee una intensa actividad comercial, los mercados bullen de gente, colores
y olores, pero detrás de esa intensa actividad subyacen conflictos propios de toda actividad humana. Desde hace unos años, los productores de la región del Cusco entendieron
que sus explotadores ya no eran los terratenientes, sino los comerciantes intermediarios
que llevaban sus productos a la ciudad, esto generó la necesidad de generar un espacio
propio libre de la presencia de los intermediarios.
Un intermediario subía en aproximadamente un 200% el precio de los productos que
traía al Cusco para su comercialización, es así como, organizados en la Asociación
Regional de Productores Agrícolas del Cusco (ARPAC), los productores comenzaron
un lento proceso para relacionarse directamente con los consumidores del Cusco.
Comenzó entonces la tarea de convencer al Ministerio de Agricultura para que cediera
un recinto ferial los días sábados. Éste tiene unas 7 hectáreas, y el Mercado de Productores ocupa un poco más de la mitad. En sus comienzos, uno de los mayores retos
fue ganar la confianza de los consumidores, debido a la poca experticia en el tema, los
productos no tenían la mejor presentación y el mercado mismo estaba espacialmente
desordenado, el tiempo y la experiencia han revertido esta situación.
En tiempos de sequía hay unos 1300 productores cada sábado, en épocas altas unos
2500 productores, con un promedio de aproximadamente 2000 por sábado.
195
Perú
Todos los productos que se venden en el mercado son exclusivamente de la región
montañesa del Cusco, no se permite el ingreso de productos de otras regiones, para
impedir la entrada de intermediarios al mercado. Las frutas, por ejemplo, vienen del
valle de la Convención y del valle de Yanatile, en la provincia de Calca; las carnes
proceden de las alturas del Chumbivilca, Espinar, hasta la llanura Anta; y las cebollas
de las provincias que rodean al Cusco.
El acceso a un puesto en el mercado esta estrictamente regulado, cada uno de los
productores tiene una credencial certificada por el Ministerio de Agricultura y entregada por la ARPAC. En un principio, el proceso de certificación generó corrupción, por
lo que hubo que hacer más estrictos los controles, hoy, quienes cometen alguna irregularidad son expulsados definitivamente de la organización, así, además de controlar la
calidad se regulan los precios, manteniendo ciertos estándares básicos. Además, los
estatutos de la organización impiden que quien tenga un puesto en el mercado tenga
otro en algún mercado de la zona. Aún así, actualmente la ARPAC cuenta con cerca de
20 mil productores inscritos, que abastecen al 20% de la demanda del Cusco, entre 20
y 25 mil consumidores por semana.
Además, y para atraer a los consumidores se ha hecho publicidad con los propios
productores entregando volantes por las calles, se han organizado corridas de toros,
festivales, etc.
Mejorando las condiciones de vida de los pueblos
de montaña
No está en los planes de la ARPAC que los campesinos se trasladen a vivir a la ciudad,
sino que se queden o retornen a sus lugares de origen y sigan produciendo para
alimentar a las ciudades con productos de calidad. Una calidad dirigida además al
consumo familiar y no sólo para destinar lo mejora la venta.
La ARPAC calcula que en promedio, los productores han duplicado sus ingresos desde
que participan en el mercado. Así también han tenido acceso a capacitaciones para
mejorar los procesos productivos, alternativas al uso de pesticidas, y otros.
Durante las mañanas, desde las 4 am que abre el mercado hasta las 2 pm se atiende a
los compradores, desde allí en adelante se generó un sistema de trueque entre los
productores a fin de que no vuelvan a sus localidades con productos sobrantes. Este
es, sin duda un modelo propio e innovador, el mercado ya no sólo es un lugar de venta
de productos, sino que se ha convertido en una instancia de trueque, lo que, sin duda
repercute en un mejor aprovechamiento de la producción y se evitan pérdidas.
La ARPAC tiene dirigentes en las 13 provincias del Cusco, existen ARPACs provinciales
que funcionan con asambleas que nombran a un dirigente para representarlos en la
dirigencia distrital. Además, en el mercado hay organizaciones por líneas de productos,
cada línea de productos tiene su pequeña organización, ARPAC sección carnes,
por ejemplo, resuelve los problemas internos de la sección.
Nuevos desafíos, nuevas luchas
Entre los problemas que aún presenta la organización se encuentra la falta de un espacio
más adecuado para el intercambio, el fortalecimiento de la ARPAC y principalmente la
necesidad de capacitación para la buena atención al consumidor.
Hasta el momento el buen funcionamiento del mercado se basa en la buena voluntad
de todos, en ese sentido falta una profesionalización de los procesos y mayor apoyo por
parte de las autoridades, las que se han ido uniendo al proceso en la medida en que ha
ido funcionando.
Entre las metas de la ARPAC se encuentra el poder crear mercados de productores en
otras partes, si bien ya están presentes en Quillabamba,Yanatile, Sicuani y Espinar, la
idea es expandir esta experiencia a nivel nacional. Así también se busca crear las condiciones para poder exportar los productos, sin embargo, ello requiere mejorar, previamente, las condiciones generales de la población productora.
El desafío planteado por la ARPAC es importante, generar una soberanía alimentaria
que proteja a los pueblos campesinos de montaña frente a los intentos foráneos de
patentar productos que forman parte esencial de su cultura y tradición. Además, frente
al constante y progresivo empobrecimiento y migración de los pueblos de montaña
hacia las ciudades, esta organización trabaja para crear, desde las bases mismas de los
modos de hacer de montaña, las condiciones para una vida mejor para quienes allí
habitan y más atractiva para las futuras generaciones.
En este anhelo, se hace necesario ir avanzando paso a paso, a fin de reunir distintas
voluntades en torno al desarrollo de los pueblos campesinos de montaña. Los mismos
productores, reunidos en la ARPAC, han iniciado este largo camino, faltan otros, que
con su aporte vengan a pavimentar esta vía hacia una calidad de vida mejor.
197
Perú
Palabras clave
Intermediarios
Mercado de Productores
Trueque
Soberanía Alimentaria
Migraciones
Calidad de Vida
Migu el Loa iza
A difficult land issue in the post-independence of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, with a population of almost 13
million people, 70% of which live below the poverty line. Its recent history has been
strongly influenced by a colonial period which lead to great inequalities in terms of
wealth and land distribution. White settlers, supported by the colonial government,
took property of large areas of fertile land, forcing local people to move to marginal
lands. The Independence War also called the Second Chimurenga, from 1971 to 1979,
led to the country’s Independence in 1980. Since then, the Zimbabwean government
has taken several approaches to the land issue. The first resettlement schemes were
for war veterans and occurred on land abandoned by white settlers after the war.
The land reform process has continued, culminating in the controversial land reform
implemented in 2000, which has driven the country to an economic and social crisis.
The case of the Chimanimani Mountains, in the Eastern Highlands of the country,
and specifically the Nyahode Union Learning Centre, is an example of a resettlement
scheme carried out just after Independence, and the evolution of this organization
since then, to give response to the different constraints faced by the local communities
throughout time.
Shylet Muchayi works as a trainer on sustainable agriculture and permaculture, within the
permaculture training activities that the Learning Centre carries out with smallholders as
part of the approach to develop local sustainable economies in this mountain area.
/// How the indigenous communities recovered their land
in the Highlands after independence, and organized
themselves to manage their land in a sustainable way,
recovered ancestral techniques and developed a local
economy in Zimbabwe.
Return to the land and territory
During the colonial period, most of the fertile well watered areas of the Chimanimani
Highlands were acquired by the white settlers, forcing the local people to move
from their traditional land to less fertile dry land, which often was already crowded,
dispossessing them of their main livelihoods and their dignity. In the early 1980s, after the
country’s Independence, former farm workers, demobilized guerrilla soldiers and people
whose families had originally been evicted from the Nyahode Valley, at Chimanimani
Foothills, began to move back. This valley had become a “liberated zone” during the war,
given that the white settlers had either left or died, leaving behind their commercial
farms. In 1985 the Government declared the “Nyahode Valley Resettlement Scheme”.
Building up a mountain economy
Before Independence, traditional agriculture by the indigenous mountain people
(“mountain agriculture”) had been confined to the Chikukwa Communal Area, a small
area of land where the Chikukwa people had been concentrated after displacement, and
by the people of the Rusitu Valley, which was too remote for the colonial settlers. In
these areas they managed to keep alive a remnant of their traditional peasant mode of
production, although very overcrowded and ecologically stressed.
Mountain agriculture in this area is characterised by the difficulties to work land in
199
Zimbabwe
an ecologically sensitive environment. But, at the same time, the rain-fed land offers
potentially productive agro ecological conditions in terms of water availability, fertile
alluvial soils and indigenous forest.
The main priorities of the people that moved back into the valley were to re-establish
their traditional small scale mountain agriculture systems and to receive the education
and training to do so. To achieve this, nine “Collective Co-operatives” were created in
the valley, taking over infrastructure from the former commercial farms, refurbishing
mills and grazing lands, ploughing fields, establishing tree nurseries, orchards and
piggeries. The aim was to re-build a strong local economy based around mountain
agriculture. The co-operatives were registered and formed the Nyahode District Union.
Education, an essential tool for development
Alongside the need to organize themselves for production and economic activity, the
re-settled communities needed education services, on adult literacy, agriculture and cooperative management. For that purpose, Nyahode Union Learning Centre (NULC) was
created in 1985, as a community based organization (CBO). Today this Centre has evolved
into a Community Technical College and Secondary School which focus on technical
subjects such as agriculture, mechanics, clothing technology, building and carpentry.
From 1990, NULC’s involvement in “mountain agriculture” adopted permaculture
as a methodology, as it enables smallholder farmers, especially in mountainous areas
where land is limited and terrain irregular, to design their available area with some
precision. Permaculture is the practice of integrating and connecting indigenous
resources with available appropriate technology in diverse and productive systems
which mimic natural ecological processes. The approach enables farmers to maximize
productivity with respect to local ecologies, using participatory training techniques to
embed knowledge into the communities. This approach is well accepted by indigenous
Zimbabweans, as it reaffirms many traditional land and animal care practices.
Following this methodology, NULC facilitated the creation of Permaculture Clubs
amongst farmers and co-operative members in the valley. These clubs evolved into
the first farmers association organized around sustainable agriculture, which is called
“Ruzivo Smallholder Farmers Association” (RSFA), and the Centre provides technical
and management advice to it.
Engaging farmers into food processing and recovery
of the traditional food biodiversity
NULC, provides technical assistance and services to the association, and continually
develops new projects to respond to the problems farmers encounter as they continue
to pursue their goals in the valley.
Recently, they started providing training and facilities for food processing. Farmers
were finding difficult to sell their surplus fresh products locally and had to rely on
intermediaries that came to the area to buy the products at very low prices, as poor
road infrastructure has lead to high transport costs, limited market access and poor
market knowledge. Now, with processing facilities and skills in place, farmers are able
to process their diverse produce into jams, marmalades, peanut butter, syrups, cakes,
dried fruits, etc. This project has lifted many farmers from poverty to subsistence, as
it provides them with some extra food and income, which often makes the difference
between being able to send the children to school or not, or being able to buy clothing.
Another example of new initiatives is the Seed Saver Network, focused on traditional
food biodiversity, which came just on time when many species were about to be lost.
They had been preserved by old people, Chiefs and Spirit Mediums, and families, who
even took some species when they were forced to move away from their land, and
kept propagating them throughout time. The Network organizes annual Seed Fairs,
where farmers exhibit their species, and the diversity they have managed to achieve,
competing for the prize for the best farmer. They have learnt how to select and store
their own seeds, assisted by the service providers (NULC) and following ancestral
traditions of selection, cleaning and storage. The success of this initiative is reflected
in the increase of number of different species exhibited at the Fair every year, from 12
in 1998, to 160 in 2006. This has resulted in a widening of the nutritional base of the
community, as staple crops different to maize are introduced (cassava and yams), and
different vegetables, fruits, nuts and fungi come back into the culture. It also benefits
the productivity of gardens, as crop rotations become more effective, all this to the
benefit of the local mountain agriculture.
Building a strong voice for smallholder farmers
Smallholder farmers need to be empowered and recognised by the government. Their
voices, culture and way of life need to be heard and valued. The Ruzivo Smallholder
Farmers Association, from Nyahode Valley, is a founder member of the East and Southern
Africa Smallholder Farmer Federation (ESAFF) in Zimbabwe. As such, they are being
recognised and are gaining a voice at local, regional, national and international level.
At regional level, smallholders in the Chimanimani Highlands are starting to claim for
their traditional territories, which are occupied by Parastatal timber companies, with
the support of service providers like NULC, who gives them with legal advice. Land in
the area continues being a controversial issue at the moment, as people in the mountain
are only allocated 2.5 hectares, which is not enough for big families. At international
level, ESAFF Zimbabwe has been accepted as the emerging LaVia Campesina Chapter in
Zimbabwe, so it will allow smallholder farmers to take their voice to international forums.
Working together for the future of the territory
201
Zimbabwe
The case of the Nyahode Valley gives a space for hope, as it shows that farmer
organizations in the mountains can work together with the service providers for
the mutual benefit, constructing a better future, through the development of local
economies and the sustainable management of the resources. If this continues, and the
life conditions in the mountain improve, it will help stop the migration of young people
to urban areas or abroad, so the future of the territory will be insured.
Key words
Land reform
Traditional knowledge enhancement
Sustainable agriculture
Food security
Harvest protection
Rural economy
Shylet Mucha yi
Could you introduce yourself and your work?
I work as an extension agent for the National Association of Smallholder Farmers of
Malawi, based in Namwera, in the mountains on the Eastern side of Mangochi District,
in Central Malawi. I work with four smallholder associations, which contain over 5,000
farmers, the majority living in mountains. My job involves providing the farmers with
the skills to be able to solve their own problems, focusing on their agriculture activities,
but also tackling other issues that affect the development of the community. I act as a
facilitator, helping rural communities to analyse their problems and to find appropriate
and viable solutions.
/// Mountain people in Malawi are getting together and
putting structures in place in order to reach decisionmakers, so they can influence the policies affecting them.
In your opinion, which are the main problems
affecting your mountain community?
One of the major problem in the communities I work with is the lack or scarcity
of infrastructure. Roads are badly maintained, schools and hospitals are far away
from rural communities, so children and ill people have to walk long distances.
Communications facilities are not in place, which makes the isolation of these
communities more acute.
In terms of agriculture, the soils in the mountains are very poor, the top soil is very
thin, and often has been washed away by erosion. Deforestation is a growing problem
in our area, population increases have led to encroachment into forests, and timber
extracted for firewood is not being replaced. Bare soil is also more susceptible to be
washed away by rains, which results in lower fertility and land degradation. This is a
nationwide problem, which especially affects the mountain areas in Malawi.
Which initiatives (that you represent) are being
carried out at the moment that could improve the
situation in the mountains?
The methodology that NASFAM uses to tackle the problems of infrastructure affecting the
communities is to promote and involve the farmers in self-aid projects. For that, we mobilize the community to appreciate the problem; then the committees will discuss it and
elaborate solutions. For example, if the community identifies that in a certain area there is
a need for a primary school, after discussing about it, they may decide to make bricks, and
to organize themselves to provide the labour and the resources to build the school.
Alongside the self-aid projects, the NASFAM extension agents act as representatives of
the farmers and advocate for them at local and national government. Through the Government of Malawi’s decentralization programme, decisions on public expenditure are
taken at district level. This is why it is so important that extension agents like me, who
work directly with the mountain communities, attend the Area and District Development Committees. At those meetings we expose the issues affecting mountain people,
particularly their specific needs of infrastructures (hospitals, schools, etc.), so
203
Malawi
the District Commissioner and the representatives from the different sectors of the government at district level (health, education, forestry, agriculture, etc.) can appreciate
the problems and allocate funds for the initiatives that we are carrying out to improve
the situation of these communities.
On the other hand, in order to tackle the problem of deforestation, NASFAM has
developed a Natural Resource Management Programme, which is being implemented
by the smallholders’ associations. The main objective of the programme is to encourage farmers to reforest degraded areas. Each association manages a tree nursery, and
some farmers have started their own individual nurseries; this way they raise their own
seedlings, which are planted once a year during a “national tree planting day”. NASFAM
supports the programme by providing the seeds, and sometimes some funds to purchase seedlings.
I have been running this programme with the associations I work with over the past five
years, and we are already seeing benefits. We encourage farmers to plant both, indigenous and exotic trees. Indigenous trees are essential to maintain original ecosystems and
forest, and some of their fruits constitute a source of food; exotic trees are chosen because they grow fast, providing building materials and ensure the reforestation occurs over a
short time frame. We normally use agro-forestry species because they are multi-purpose,
as they provide fodder for animals and nutrients for the soil, as well as firewood.
Which actions do you think should be prioritized to
improve the situation in your sector - at local, national
and international level?
At the local level we believe that the people in the mountains are the ones that can
solve their own problems, we can not just wait for the government to come and solve
them for us. We must initiate our own programmes. There is a saying in Chichewa, our
language, which is “the future belongs to the organized”, as we believe that if people
get organized in a group, they are stronger to reach the decision-makers. That is why
my association is organized in local committees, with their own structure, which are
the driving force of the system. They use the extension agents like me to channel their
demands to reach the government, and therefore be heard.
I believe it is crucial that mountain people get organized at local level, to get structures
in place make them stronger and allow them to advocate for their own interests at a
governmental level, either encouraging policies that benefit them or forcing policy
changes.
At the regional level of Southern Africa, it is important that the organizations working
with mountain people in the different countries create a network, to allow us to learn
from other experiences and to support initiatives that are happening in other countries.
And again, only those who are organized can achieve changes, and a strong regional
organization of mountain communities can help us be stronger and influence policies at
an international level.
What is your personal definition of mountain?
Mountain communities have a special attachment to their environment and, although
they have been excluded from privileges and services that only reach the people in the
lowlands, mountain people will always refuse to go away as they value the benefits,
rather than the difficulties of living in the mountains.
How do you see the future?
My main message is that the people in the mountains are responsible for the solution
of their problems, and for their development. We, people of the mountains, must be
proactive and put together our efforts to protect and maintain the resources that we
have, continuing with the activities and the direction that we are taking now. Only then,
the mountain and the people that live there will have a future.
205
Malawi
Key words
Community participation
Community organization
Local power
Empowerment of grassroot groups
Management of natural resources
Un Perú dividido
La historia peruana reciente se caracteriza por haber alternado periodos de democracia,
de dictadura militar y por el hecho de lidiar con una sociedad profundamente dividida.
El sistema político peruano esta tremendamente atomizado, existen 57 partidos
políticos y luego de varios períodos presidenciales ha sido imposible formar una
bancada de mayoría, ni oficialista ni de oposición.
En Perú existen amplios sectores de la población excluidos, ya sea por motivos étnicos,
culturales o económicos. A pesar del profundo debilitamiento de los movimientos
subversivos que alguna vez atemorizaron a la población, subsisten problemas de
inseguridad, sobre todo en las zonas urbanas.
La Confederación Campesina del Perú CCP nace en respuesta a la concentración de las
tierras en pocas manos y la explotación a los campesinos, hoy, además se ha planteado el
desafío de insertarse en el sistema político.
/// Las regiones andinas poseen problemáticas comunes, lo
que hace viable la integración de las propuestas y por ende,
la integración de las fuerzas.
De los temas campesinos a la sociedad en su conjunto
207
En 1947 surge la CCP para recuperar, mediante tomas, las tierras que pertenecían, en
ese entonces a terratenientes, para ser entregadas a campesinos. Esta lucha alcanzó su
apogeo entre 1964 y 1965, cuando tuvo lugar la reforma agraria, de la cual la CCP
fue partícipe.
Perú
Una vez alcanzado ese primer objetivo comenzaron a surgir otras necesidades como
mayores recursos, créditos, asistencia técnica y alcanzar los mercados. Es allí donde
nace un segundo proceso para obtener estas herramientas mediante movilizaciones y
protestas, siempre presentado alternativas políticas propias.
El trabajo de la CCP, entonces, se centra tanto en lo agrario como en lo político. El
apoyo campesino crece en los años 70 incentivado por sequías e inundaciones que
agravan la pobreza del sector y por la violencia política generada por Sendero
Luminoso, que ha dejado más de 60 mil muertos, la mayoría campesinos indígenas.
Posteriormente, principalmente con Fujimori, se implementan políticas neoliberales,
que agravan la precariedad y exclusión del sector. Cuando Fujimori asume el poder
se propone acabar con organizaciones como la CCP y crea movimientos alternativos
funcionales a su proyecto. A pesar de todo ello, la CCP ha sobrevivido.
Una agenda andina
La Confederación Campesina del Perú propone una agenda andina, que incluye temas
como los TLC, desarrollo agrario y rural, soberanía y seguridad alimentaria, y la
defensa de la biodiversidad de la montaña, del territorio, la tierra, sus recursos, el
derecho a la producción de hoja de coca y de una integración regional que tenga como
eje estos y otros temas que afectan a las zonas campesinas de montaña.
En lo político se propone la profundización de los procesos democráticos, el respeto a
los derechos humanos, el repudio al modelo económico, las privatizaciones y la
corrupción; y una descentralización efectiva.
Según lo planteado, esta agenda debe tratarse con la flexibilidad necesaria para que
puedan incorporarse a estas reivindicaciones la mayor cantidad de organizaciones
campesinas o sociales posibles.
La unidad e integración regional como condición para
el futuro
Para la CCP, la posible firma del tratado de libre comercio (TLC) con Estados Unidos
es un paso lamentable en la historia del Perú. Se estima que las importaciones de trigo,
cebada, maíz amarillo duro, arroz, carne, leche y la industria avícola tendrán un
impacto negativo en la pequeña producción, especialmente en los valles interandinos
en la sierra peruana, donde se encuentran alrededor del 70% de los productores
campesinos del país.
Se han llevado a cabo una serie de movilizaciones, paros, marchas y encuentros para
discutir la problemática que genera el TLC, sin embargo, hoy están concentrados en
buscar apoyo a nivel internacional para ejercer presión hacia el gobierno de Perú.
En el trabajo de esta organización, un punto central es la integración con otros
movimientos afines, la meta es lograr que desde Chile hasta Colombia se planteen
propuestas similares a los problemas comunes que unen a la región. Después de todo,
afirma Sanchez, compartimos una montaña, los problemas, los recursos, la defensa y
nuestro desarrollo depende de la unión.
Una de las articulaciones en la que participan es la Coordinadora Latinoamericana de
Organizaciones del Campo (CLOC), en la que participan movimientos campesinos de
16 países de la región que articulan sus propuestas en base a sus similitudes.
En este contexto, en la APMM ha sido posible encontrar numerosas coincidencias, en
cuanto a la sensibilidad de los pueblos de montaña que habitan los Andes, como un
aliado válido para ejercer presión sobre los gobiernos a fin de lograr los anhelos
planteados.
Siguiendo los pasos de Bolivia
Aunque existen particularidades, la CCP mira con admiración el proceso Boliviano,
sin embargo Bolivia o Ecuador, tienen movimientos indígenas muy poderosos y
articulados. Para que algo así pueda ocurrir en Perú, advierte Sánchez, se requiere de
una reconstrucción del tejido político que permita la representación de todas las capas
de la sociedad.
Las problemáticas campesinas, hoy como antes, siguen siendo una bandera de lucha en
las reivindicaciones de las sociedades andinas, y el eje generado por Los Andes obliga
a mirar de manera integral las problemáticas de un sector que comparte especificidades
y carencias.
Los problemas que vive América Latina, concluye, nos obligan a dejar las diferencias y
pensar juntos en alianzas estratégicas, en vías campesinas que han sido relevantes en la
no implementación del ALCA en América Latina. Hay que sumar esfuerzos.
El mundo camina hacia una transformación, debemos movernos desde hoy, existen
muchos retos para los hombres vinculados a las organizaciones y a la acción política
desde abajo.
209
Perú
Palabras clave
Desarrollo rural
Seguridad alimentaria
Acceso a la tierra
Protección de la biodiversidad
Cooperación regional
Organización campesina
El proceso boliviano
En las elecciones legislativas de 1997, un dirigente aymará de la región del Chapare,
Evo Morales, llega a ser el primer diputado cocalero apoyado por el Movimiento al
Socialismo MAS, una concertación de movimientos sociales que reúne a campesinos,
sindicatos, comerciantes y organizaciones de izquierda.
A comienzos del 2002, y luego de violentos enfrentamientos entre cocaleros y las
fuerzas armadas con apoyo estadounidense, Evo Morales es expulsado del Congreso.
En junio de ese mismo año es candidato a la Presidencia de la República y por
menos de dos puntos es derrotado por Gonzalo Sánchez de Losada, un empresario
multimillonario formado en Chicago, EEUU . En octubre del 2003, Sánchez de Losada
huye en un helicóptero del Ejército a la ciudad de Santa Cruz, desde donde envía su
renuncia por correo electrónico, luego, sube a un avión que lo lleva de vuelta a Estados
Unidos.
Cerca de dos años después, y luego de convulsiones sociales que casi llevaron al país a la
guerra civil, el 18 de diciembre del 2005, Evo Morales gana las elecciones con un 54%
de la votación. Es la primera vez que un indígena accede al poder y la segunda vez que
un presidente es elegido por mayoría absoluta de votos. En el mes de enero del 2006 el
Movimiento al Socialismo comienza en Bolivia un proceso de transformación política y
social que ha llamado la atención del mundo entero.
En el programa de Evo Morales, entre otros puntos, se incluye la nacionalización
de los hidrocarburos y la realización de una Asamblea Constituyente formada por
representantes de las organizaciones sociales, con el mandato expreso de redactar una
Constitución del pueblo y para el pueblo.
La elección de Evo Morales, por su pasado cocalero, abre nuevas esperanzas para todo
un sector de la población que vive de la producción de la hoja de coca, que reivindica
el uso ancestral de la coca para fines económicos legítimos y que se ha visto seriamente
afectado por una serie de políticas y prejuicios cargados de injusticia.
/// En un hecho sin precedentes y ante la mirada atenta
del mundo, indígenas y cocaleros revolucionan la región
andina.
La Coca como eje de las sociedades andinas
El gran problema que sufren los productores de hoja de coca es la criminalización
de esta actividad, considerándola una droga o confundiéndola con la cocaína. Esta
consideración proviene de la Convención sobre Estupefacientes de las Naciones Unidas
el año 1961, que decidió incluir a la hoja de coca en la lista de drogas peligrosas. La
medida se produce en medio de una gran presión internacional, que con fines políticos
y económicos, busca poner cortapisas a la industrialización de la actividad. Hoy, los
países productores y las 200 mil familias que se dedican a esta práctica ancestral en
Bolivia, se enfrentan a políticas represivas que permiten, por ejemplo, que el ejército
violente las zonas de cultivos.
Estas políticas han estado desde siempre, apoyadas y muchas veces impuestas desde
Estados Unidos, en una campaña que propicia el descrédito de los productores y de
sus reivindicaciones como movimiento social, vinculándolos con el narcotráfico o el
terrorismo.
211
Bolivia
Esto representa una violación al derecho consuetudinario que tienen las poblaciones
indígenas al uso de la coca. Esta planta es sagrada para los pueblos andinos, se utiliza
como una ofrenda que se deposita en lugares específicos y en muchas ceremonias, para
recibir protección y propiciar las buenas cosechas.
Por otro lado, la coca constituye fundamentalmente un medio de cohesión social en el
mundo andino. En celebraciones como nacimientos, matrimonios o funerales donde se
reúne la comunidad no puede faltar la coca, sin ella es difícil imaginar la vida social de
los pueblos originarios de los Andes.
Tal es la importancia de esta actividad que se convirtió en el eje aglutinador que ha
permitido la toma de conciencia y organización de un gran movimiento, primero
reivindicativo y, luego político, que ha llegado al gobierno y que pretende refundar el
Estado con la participación de representantes de los 9 millones de bolivianos.
Despenalizar el cultivo de coca
La propuesta del movimiento político generado por los cocaleros es implantar un
modelo alternativo al neoliberalismo, de corte nacionalista, con énfasis en el desarrollo
indígena, la nacionalización de las riquezas mineras y el desarrollo económico del
cultivo de la coca para fines diferentes al del tráfico ilegal.
Más específicamente, se propone que la Asamblea Constituyente, reconozca el uso
espiritual, alimenticio y medicinal; el consumo y la producción de la hoja de coca como
central en la identidad de la cultura de los pueblos andinos.
Se exige que se retire la hoja de coca de la lista de drogas elaborada por las Naciones
Unidas y que se despenalice su cultivo y uso. Ello permitiría exportar e industrializar
la hoja de coca y sus derivados.
Así mismo, se plantea propiciar un cambio del actual esquema propuesto desde EEUU
de combate al narcotráfico. Éste centra su acción en el quemado de plantaciones de
hoja de coca, dañando el ecosistema en los países productores y desentendiéndose de
la demanda que se genera dentro de sus propias fronteras. Según Núñez, el tema de las
drogas, que se consumen preferentemente en EEUU y Europa, debe ser atacado allí, es
decir en la demanda de la droga, y no en la oferta de un producto natural como la coca
que tiene múltiples usos medicinales.
A fin de llevar una propuesta unificada y concreta a la convención de Naciones
Unidas del 2008, Bolivia esta planteando realizar un encuentro mundial, el 2007 en
España, que reúna a las organizaciones y pueblos que han sido víctimas de las políticas
antidrogas (Región Andina, Oriente y África)
En el contexto internacional, se busca que las naciones del mundo comprendan la hoja
de coca en su verdadera expresión y que no se confunda con la cocaína ni se le asocie a
narcotráfico ni a actividades ilícitas.
Un mundo que observa y evalúa
Existen inmensos desafíos que explorar y enfrentar, demostrar hasta qué punto los
movimientos indígenas tienen la capacidad de generar estabilidad política, de lograr
un Estado incluyente, con la participación de todos. Si se fracasa, advierte Núñez, es
posible que se afecten procesos similares más allá de nuestras fronteras, a todas las
organizaciones del mundo que buscan reivindicaciones para los pueblos originarios.
Para generar estabilidad política, este movimiento se ha planteado continuar generando
alianzas al interior de Bolivia para lograr transformaciones profundas en un marco
democrático. Para ello, así mismo, se hace necesaria la presencia y apoyo internacional.
La nacionalización de los hidrocarburos y una Asamblea Constituyente incluyente es
un anhelo de muchos países andinos, especialmente aquellos con presencia de pueblos
originarios, porque han sufrido la misma represión, exclusión y abandono que hizo que
Bolivia se levantara.
213
Bolivia
Palabras clave
Coca
Planta medicinal
Producto agrícola y alimenticio
Despenalización
Consumo de droga
Amérique du sud
Cusco (Pérou), 7-10 septembre 2006
Marco Chevarría Lazo
Abogado, especializado en derecho agrario
y en derecho ambiental, candidato a doctor
en el IRD (Institut de recherche pour le développement), Francia
FLADEIN - Oficina 205
Av. Tito Condemayta, N.520 Wanchaq
Cusco, Perú
Tel: (+51) (84) 23 32 12/(+51) (84) 99 70 31 53
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]
Víctor Cortez
Mallku de Relaciones Internacionales y Educación del Consejo
Nacional de Ayllus y Markas de Qullasuyo CONAMAQ (etnia aymara)
La Paz, Bolivia
Cel: (+591) (2)7 12 82 709/(+591) (2)7 12 60 874
E-mail: [email protected]
Gonzalo Guzmán
Encargado de Recursos Naturales de ECUARUNARI
Julio Matovelle 128 (entre Vargas y Pasaje San Luis)
Edificio El Conquistador, 1er Piso
Quito, Ecuador
Tel: (+593) (2) 25 80 700/Fax: (+593) (2) 25 80 713
Cel: (+593) 09 31 73 316/(+593) 09 31 74 316
E-mail: [email protected]
Dirk Hoffmann
Coordinador del Instituto Boliviano de la Montaña
Tel: (+591) 22 31 77 42/3
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]/[email protected]
Tomas Huanacu
ex. Jiliri Apu Mallku, Suyu Jach’a Carangas
Oruro, Bolivia
Consejo Occidental De Ayllus De Jachacarangas y Consejo Nacional
De Ayllus Y Markas Del Qullasuyu (COAJC-CONAMAQ)
Tel: (+591) 23 81 750/Cel: (+591) 73 05 11 54
E-mail: [email protected]
René Huenehuñir
Representante Lafquenche, “Identidad Lafkenche”
Coordinación de identidades territoriales CITEM
Los Carreras 152
Temuco, Chile
Tel: (+56)45 21 75 24/Cel: (+56) (0)8 93 06 185
E-mail: renehuenchuñ[email protected]
Miguel Loaiza
Presidente Asociación Regional de Productores Agrícolas
del Cusco (ARPAC) Perú
E-mail: [email protected]
Fernando Mendoza
Investigador independiente y miembro fundador
de la APMM (2001) Bolivia
Tel: (+591) 71 705 629
E-mail: [email protected]
Dionisio Núñez
Productor de coca de los Yungas, dirigente sindical por 22 años,
ex diputado y vice-presidente de la cámara de diputados de Bolivia
E-mail: [email protected]
Mario Palacios Panes
Oficina CONACAMI
Jr. Carlos Arrieta 1059, Sta Beatriz
Lima, Perú
Tel: (+51) (1)4 70 58 54/(+51) (1)2 65 38 60
E-mail: [email protected]
Elena Pardo
CEPROSI, Niñez y Biodiversidad Cultural
Av. Osvaldo Baca 309
Urbanización Magisterio
Cusco, Perú
Tel: (+51) (84) 22 69 38/Cel : (+51) 96 93 805
César Pilataxi
Fundación de Culturas Indígenas Kawsay, Corporación
de Organizaciones Indígenas
de Olmedo, Ecuador
E-mail: [email protected]
Vidal Pino
Ingeniero agrónomo, ex alcalde del Cusco, miembro
fundador APMM
Urbanizacion Los Andenes B-1
Cusco, Perú
Tel: (+51) (84) 22 49 57
E-mail: [email protected]
Ernesto Ramiro Estacio
Senador de la República, representante del Movimiento
de Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia, AICO,
por la zona del sur occidente Colombiano
Edificio nuevo del Congreso
Oficina 619
Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: (+57) (1)3 82 36 11/(+57) (1)3 82 36 13
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]
Wilder Sanchez
Responsable de relaciones internacionales de la
Confederación Campesina del Perú
CCP. Dr Plaza Bolognesi 588
Lima, Perú
Tel: (+51) (1) 42 51 655/(+51) (1) 96 32 36 21
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]
Efrén Tarapuez
Ex senador de Colombia
Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia
Carrera 7#15-61
Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: (+57) (1)3 36 40 80
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]
Dora Troyano
Ecóloga del SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje) de Popayán
Departamento del Cauca
Carrera 11#10-28
Popayán, Colombia
E-mail: [email protected]
Asie
Himachal Pradesh (Inde), 11-15 octobre 2006
Raymond Ruben Furtado
Society for Motivational Training and Action Director
P.O. Vikas Nagar, 248198, Dehradun, Uttaranchal, India
E-mail: [email protected]
Vijay Jarhdhari
Founder of Save the seeds movement
P.O. Box Nagni
District Tehri Garhwal 249175, India
Phone: (+91) 13 76 27 52 21
E-mail: [email protected]
Yasso Kanti Bhattachan
G.P.O. Box 5353, Katmandú, Nepal
Phone: (+977) 15 55 14 69
E-mail: [email protected]
Narendra Lama
Chief of the Manaslu area Preservation Project,
King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC)
P.O. Box 3712 Jawalakhel
Lalitpur, Nepal
Phone: (+977) 1 552 65 71/Fax: (+977) 676 54 56
E-mail: [email protected]
www.kmtnc.org
Mayfereen Lyngdoh Ryntathiang
Voluntary Health Association of Meghalaya
Mavis Dunn Road, Mawkhar, Mawkhar Main Road,
Shillong 793 001, India
Phone: (+91) 0364 25 44 142
E-mail: [email protected]
Subhash Mendhapurkar
Founder of Society for Social Uplift
Through Rural Action (SUTRA)
Dharampur, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 17325, India
Phone: (+91) 17 92 28 37 25
E-mail: [email protected]
Harsh Mitter
Great Himalayan National Park Director
Shamshi, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India
Phone: (+91) 19 02 26 53 20
E-mail: [email protected]
Samir Newa
Founder of The Organic Village Pvt. Ltd.
G.P.O. Box 8975, EPC 840
Baluwatar, Katmandú, Nepal
Phone: (+ 977) (1) 44 14 383
E-mail: [email protected]
www.theorganicvillage.com/www.sdclekhani.org
Om Prasad Poudel
Coordinating Portfolio Manager, Mugu
Poverty Alleviation Fund
Chakupat, Lalitpur, Nepal
Phone: (+97) 71 55 53 671
E-mail: [email protected]
www.pafnepal.org.np
Ravindranath
Rural Volunteers Centre Director
Village P.O. Akajan Silapathar, Sissiborgaon
Assam, India
Phone: (+91) 37 53 24 63 06
E-mail: [email protected]
Afrique australe
Maseru (Lesotho), 16-17 octobre 2006
Gladys Faku
Principal of the Bishop Allard Vocational School
and Chairperson of Participatory Ecological Land
Use Management (PELUM) Lesotho
P.O. Box 0186, Boinyatso, Lesotho
Phone: (+266) 223 14 142
E-mail: [email protected]
Phelezela Alson Hadebe
Sakhisizwe Farmer Group
Emmaüs Village, Berguille Town,
Republic of South Africa
Elisha Kakhobwe
Extension agent of the National Association
of Smallholder Farmers of Malawi (NASFAM)
P.O. Box 1, Namwera, Mangochi District, Malawi
Phone: (+265) 15 86 115/(+265) 85 04 256
E-mail: [email protected]
Stephen Lepoqo Ralitsoele
Director of the Machobane Agricultural
Development Foundation
P.O. Box 17139 Maseru 100, Lesotho
Phone: (+266) 63 13 99 67
E-mail: [email protected]
Michael Malinga
Farmer Support Group
University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg,
Republic of South Africa
E-mail: [email protected]
Senzo Methethwa
Farmer Support Group
University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg,
Republic of South Africa
E-mail: [email protected]
Shylet Muchayi
Trainer on sustainable agriculture and permaculture
in the Nyahode Union Learning Centre (NULC), member of
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe
Nyahode Union Learning Centre
P.O. Box 9, Chimanimani, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263) 26 22 451
E-mail: [email protected]
Nelson Mudzingwa
Coordinator of the agricultural programmes of the Association
of Zimbabwe Traditional Environmental Conservationists (AZTREC)
39 Connemara Road, Clipsham Park, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263) 23 25 70 79/39 25 26 97
E-mail: [email protected]
Jabulani J. Ndaba
Integrated Sustainable Agriculture Project
Okhombe Village, Berguille Town, Republic of South Africa
Lejang P. Tsotetsi
Member of the Machache Dairy Farmers Association
HA Mosuoe, PO Box 43, Machache 130, Lesotho
(Foothills along Machache Range, Maseru District)
Phone: (+266) 22 34 72 03
Molikuoa Tumane
Chairperson of the Thabanene Small Scale Farmers’ Association
and Chairperson of East and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers’ Forum
(ESAFF) Lesotho
Thabanene Village, Mafeteng District, Lesotho
Phone: (+266) 58 72 11 28
E-mail: [email protected]
Haswell B.K. Zimba
Coffee Association Adviser in the Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust
P.O. Box 20133, Luwinga, Muzuzu, Malawi
Phone: (+265) 86 45 692/(+265) 94 76 520/(+265) 13 32 899
Afrique du nord
Nador (Maroc), 7-9 novembre 2006
Mohamed Benali
Association de Développement
Local Méditerranéen (ADELMA)
Avenue Youssef Ibn Tachfine
Immeuble Ibn Tachfine, 2ème étage N°5
90 000 Tanger, MAROC
Tel/Fax : (+212) (0)3 93 21 418
E-mail: [email protected]
www.adelmaroc.org
Jamal El Jebari
Coordinateur logistique du CERAI Maroc
(Centro de Estudios Rurales y Agricultura Internacional)
Tel: (+212) 66 26 16 93
E-mail: [email protected]
Souleymane Icha
Directeur de l’agence de voyages Tinarawene
Désert Expéditions
B.P. 84 Agadez, République du Niger
Tel : (+227) 96 96 25 40
Fax : (+227) 20 75 37 90
E-mail: [email protected]
www.tinarawenexpeditions.com
Fatima Itri
Membre de l’association El Amane
pour le développement de la femme
Ighoudame, B.P. 118, Iframe, Maroc
Tel: (+212) 35 66 32 02
E-mail: [email protected]
Association El Amane pour le développement de la femme
203 Derb El Guebesse Syba, Marrakech 40 000, Maroc
Tel: (+212) 44 40 43 79
E-mail: [email protected]
Jaime Saenz
Président de l’association Solidaridad Canaria
Apartado 22
35 400 Arucas, Gran Canaria
Tel: (+34) 928 62 34 88
E-mail: [email protected]
Pascual Moreno Torregrosa
Vice-président du CERAI Centro de Estudios
Rurales y Agricultura Internacional
Calle del Justicia 1, Puerta 8
46004 Valencia, Espagne
Tel: (+34) 96 35 21 878
[email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
Mustapha Ouzouhou
Médecin, Président de l’Association Azilal
pour le Développement, l’Environnement
et la Communication
B.P. 100 Quartier administratif-Jardin public,
Azilal 22000, Maroc
Tel.: (+212) 23 45 98 12/(+212) 71 33 91 06
Fax : (+212) 23 45 98 12
E-mail : [email protected]
www.aadec.yabladi-voila.fr
Hassina Yacini
Ingénieur agronome membre de l’Association
pour la Promotion de l’Apiculture de Montagne (APAM)
Maison de la culture Maatoub Lounes
Ain El Hamman,Tizi Ouzou, Algérie
E-mail: [email protected]
Hassan Maaouni
Vice-président du Parlement marocain
Cel: (+212) 61 30 83 86
Tel: (+212) 37 67 95 28
E-mail: [email protected]
Afrique de l’ouest et du centre
Bafoussam (Cameroun), 27-29 novembre 2006
Djouokou Jean Blaise
Maire de la commune de Mombo
B.P. 78 Mbanga, Cameroun
Tel : (+237) 771 37 38
E-mail : [email protected]
Solo Maninga Kiabilua
Enseignant chercheur, membre du Centre Interdisciplinaire
pour le Développement et l’Education Permanente (Cidep)
et de l’Association Citoyenne pour la Défense
des intérêts collectifs (Acdic-Rdc)
Tel : (+243) 89 89 32 102
E-mail : [email protected]
Marc Nzikobari
Membre de l’Adisco (Appui au Développement Intégral
et à la Solidarité sur les Collines)
B.P. 2695 Bujumbura, Burundi
Tel : (+257) 58 91 20 /(+257) 83 88 13/(+257) 90 58 39
E-mail : [email protected]
Marie-Claire Rutayisire
Directrice déléguée d’Agrofor (Coopérative agricole et forestière)
Jean-Louis Moubamba
Président de l’Agrofor, Docteur d’Etat en sciences agronomiques
et ingénierie biologique et ingénieur agro-économiste
B.P. 5945 Libreville, Gabon
Tel. : (+241) (0)5 33 29 33/(+241) (0)7 41 64 33
E-mail : [email protected]
Institutions
Amérique du Sud
Bolivie
Consejo Occidental De Ayllus De Jachacarangas
y Consejo Nacional De Ayllus Y Markas
Del Qullasuyu (COAJC-CONAMAQ)
Tel: (+591) 23 81 750 (Oruro)/(+591) (2)7 12 60 874 (La Paz)
Instituto Boliviano de la Montaña
Tel: (+591) 22 31 77 42/3
E-mail: [email protected]
Chili
Coordinación de identidades territoriales CITEM
Los Carreras 152
Temuco, Chile
Tel: (+56)45 21 75 24
Colombie
Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia
Carrera 7#15-61
Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: (+57) (1)3 36 40 80
E-mail: [email protected]
SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje) de Popayán
Departamento del Cauca
Carrera 11#10-28
Popayán, Colombia
Pérou
CEPROSI, Niñez y Biodiversidad Cultural
Av. Osvaldo Baca 309, Urbanización Magisterio
Cusco, Perú
Tel: (+51) (84) 22 69 38
CONACAMI (Confederación Nacional de Comunidades
del Perú Afectadas por la Minería)
Jr. Carlos Arrieta 1059, Sta Beatriz
Lima, Perú
Tel: (+51) (1)4 70 58 54
Confederación Campesina del Perú
CCP. Dr Plaza Bolognesi 588
Lima, Perú
Tel: (+51) (1) 42 51 655/(+51) (1) 96 32 36 21
Movimiento de Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia (AICO)
por la zona del sur occidente Colombiano
Edificio nuevo del Congreso
Oficina 619
Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: (+57) (1)3 82 36 11/(+57) (1)3 82 36 13
E-mail: [email protected]
Asie
Inde
Rural Volunteers Centre
Village P.O. Akajan Silapathar, Sissiborgaon
Assam, India
Phone: (+91) 37 53 24 63 06
Save the seeds movement
P.O. Box Nagni
District Tehri Garhwal 249175
India
Phone: (+91) 13 76 27 52 21
Society for Motivational Training and Action
P.O. Vikas Nagar, 248198, Dehradun,
Uttaranchal, India
E-mail: [email protected]
Society for Social Uplift Through Rural Action (SUTRA)
Dharampur, Solan
Himachal Pradesh 17325, India
Phone: (+91) 17 92 28 37 25
E-mail: [email protected]
Voluntary Health Association of Meghalaya
Mavis Dunn Road, Mawkhar, Mawkhar Main Road
Shillong 793001, India
Phone: (+91) 0364 25 44 142
E-mail: [email protected]
Nepal
King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC)
24 northen Street
Kingston, Nepal
Phone: (+977) 676 54 55/Fax: (+977) 676 54 56
www.kmtnc.org
Mugu Poverty Alleviation Fund
Chakupat
Lalitpur, Nepal
Phone: (+97) 71 55 53 671
www.pafnepal.org.np
The Organic Village Pvt. Ltd.
G.P.O. Box 8975, EPC 840, Baluwatar
Katmandú, Nepal
Phone: (+ 977) (1) 44 14 383
www.theorganicvillage.com/www.sdclekhani.org
Afrique australe
Lesotho
Machache Dairy Farmers Association
HA Mosuoe, PO Box 43, Machache 130, Lesotho
(Foothills along Machache Range, Maseru District)
Phone: (+266) 22 34 72 03
Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust
P.O. Box 20133, Luwinga
Muzuzu, Malawi
Phone: (+265) 86 45 692
Machobane Agricultural Development Foundation
P.O. Box 17139
Maseru 100, Lesotho
Phone: (+266) 63 13 99 67
République dʼAfrique du Sud
Farmer Support Group
University of KwaZulu Natal
Pietermaritzburg, Republic of South Africa
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management
(PELUM) Lesotho
P.O. Box 0186
Boinyatso, Lesotho
Phone: (+266) 223 14 142
E-mail: [email protected]
Centre for Rural Community Empowerment,
University of Limpopo (CRCE/UL),
Private Bag X1106 Sovenga, Republic of South Africa
Phone: (+27) 15 268 22 03
E-mail: [email protected]
Thabanene Small Scale Farmers’ Association
Thabanene Village, Mafeteng District, Lesotho
Phone: (+266) 58 72 11 28
East and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF)
P.O. Box 0523, Maseru West 105, Maseru, Lesotho.
E-mail: [email protected]
Malawi
National Association of Smallholder Farmers
of Malawi (NASFAM)
P.O. Box 1, Namwera
Mangochi District, Malawi
Phone: (+265) 15 86 115/(+265) 85 04 256
E-mail: [email protected]
GRET Eastern and Southern Africa
E-mail: [email protected]
Zimbabwe
Association of Zimbabwe Traditional Environmental
Conservationists (AZTREC)
39 Connemara Road, Clipsham Park
Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263) 23 25 70 79/39 25 26 97
E-mail: [email protected]
Nyahode Union Learning Centre (NULC)
P.O. Box 9, Chimanimani
Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263) 26 22 451
Afrique du nord
Iles Canaries (Espagne)
Solidaridad Canaria
Apartado 22
35 400 Arucas, Gran Canaria
Tel: (+34) 928 62 34 88
E-mail: [email protected]
Maroc
Association Azilal pour le Développement,
l’Environnement et la Communication (AADEC)
B.P. 100 Quartier administratif-Jardin public
Azilal 22000, Maroc
Tel: (+212) 23 45 98 12
E-mail : [email protected]
www.aadec.yabladi-voila.fr
Association de Développement Local Méditerranéen (ADELMA)
Avenue Youssef Ibn Tachfine
Immeuble Ibn Tachfine, 2ème étage N°5
90 000 Tanger, Maroc
Tel/Fax: (+212) (0)3 93 21 418
E-mail: [email protected]
www.adelmaroc.org
Association El Amane pour le développement de la femme
203 Derb El Guebesse Syba
Marrakech 40 000, Maroc
Tel: (+212) 44 40 43 79
E-mail: [email protected]
CERAI Maroc (Centro de Estudios Rurales
y Agricultura Internacional)
Tel: (+212) 66 26 16 93
Niger
Tinarawene Désert Expéditions
B.P. 84 Agadez, République du Niger
Tel: (+227) 96 96 25 40
www.tinarawenexpeditions.com
Algérie
Association pour la Promotion de l’Apiculture
de Montagne (APAM)
Maison de la culture Maatoub Lounes
Ain El Hamman
Tizi Ouzou, Algérie
Afrique de l’ouest et du centre
Burundi
Adisco (Appui au Développement Intégral
et à la Solidarité sur les Collines)
B.P. 2695 Bujumbura, Burundi
Tel: (+257) 58 91 20 /(+257) 83 88 13/(+257) 90 58 39
E-mail : [email protected]
Gabon
Agrofor (Coopérative agricole et forestière)
B.P. 5945 Libreville, Gabon
Tel: (+241) (0)5 33 29 33/(+241) (0)7 41 64 33
E-mail : [email protected]
L’équipe d’Almedio consultores
Reportages et photos :
Carla Estrada Jopia au Cusco (Pérou), pour la Bolivie, la Colombie, le Chili, l’Equateur,
le Pérou, du 7 au 10 septembre 2006
Manuel Llano Vásquez Prada à Himachal Pradesh (Inde), pour l’Inde et le Népal,
du 11 au 15 octobre 2006
Laura Arnalte Mur à Maseru (Lesotho), pour la République d’Afrique du Sud, le Lesotho,
le Malawi, le Zimbabwe, du 16 au 17 octobre 2006
Davina Ferreira à Nador (Maroc), pour l’Algérie, les Iles Canaries (Espagne), la Libye,
le Maroc, du 7 au 9 novembre 2006, avec l’aimable participation du Cerai-Espagne.
Joseph Fumtim à Bafoussam (Cameroun), pour le Cameroun, le Burundi,
La République Démocratique du Congo, le Gabon, du 27 au 29 Novembre 2006
Conception et création du livret :
Camille Combes - [email protected]
/// Ces entretiens et ce livret ont été réalisés par Almedio Consultores
avec le soutien de la Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer.
/// Estas entrevistas y este libro han sido realizados por Almedio Consultores
con el apoyo de la Fundación Charles Léopold Mayer.
/// These interviews and this book have been realized by Almedio Consultores
with the support of the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation.
Almedio Consultores
Norma 233
Maitencillo
Comuna de Puchuncaví - Chile
Contact: Vladimir Ugarte & Anne-Claire Fourgeaud
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.almedio.fr
APMM
Association des Populations des Montagnes du Monde
50, boulevard Malesherbes
75008 Paris – France
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 93 86 60
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 22 28 18
[email protected]
www.mountainpeople.org
FPH
Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer
pour le Progrès de l’Homme
38, rue Saint-Sabin
75011 Paris – France
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 14 75 75
www.fph.ch