Promotion of agrodiverse peasant farms

Cotacachi is a high Andean area considered as an important center of agrobiodiversity. In addition, it is an area with wide cultural and ethnic diversity. The inhabitants of indigenous communities have as their main economic activity peasant family agriculture, which is led by women, and this is the source of food and economic income for the family. Since 2001, the Union of Peasant and Indigenous Organizations of Cotacachi, Ecuador in collaboration with the Community Organization of Andean Women of Cotacachi have carried out the following objectives: promote a diversified agricultural production in accordance with the ecological, social and cultural conditions of the indigenous peasant communities; restitution of seeds at risk and with important characteristics for production; guarantee, as a priority, the production of food for the families' own consumption; generate complementary economic income for families, especially women; conserve native agrobiodiversity; preserve traditional knowledge; and train in agroecological management of farms, through the exchange of knowledge from farmer to farmer. Key components include: the promotion of peasant farms involves agriculture, livestock, water management, production of bio-inputs, agroforestry practices, training and knowledge exchange. This project has led to more peasant communities practicing diverse farming system, and an increase in family income by 20 percent.