Peruvian farmers facing Global Warming

The farmers of Huillcapata, a small village in the Peruvian Andes near Cusco, are aware of global warming and its consequences for the future like the increasing lack of water. They are now installing tubes for a system of gravity-driven irrigation in order to better use small streams on the mountainside.

Gravity-driven irrigation saves water and allows farmers to cultivate formerly abandoned areas. These mountain slopes can have a slope of 20 to 30%, but with this technological support, farmers will be able to grow crops even in the cold period from May to August.

Florentino Jancco, president of the community, quickly organized the farmers to adapt this new way of doing things and the farmers have been enthusiastic about helping out.

(note from the editor) Sergio Mora is the director of IIDAA (Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Andino Amazónico) and speaks Quechua. He has been working many, many years in agricultural engineering, first with the Peruvian government and then with his own local NGO. He has a remarkable relation with these isolated farmers high in the Andes and his projects are not only driven by his own enthusiasm and dedication, but by the communities and farmers themselves who understand what they need to better their lives. It is this type of grass roots project that Pix-Aid tries to promote and bring to your attention for support. It’s people helping themselves with support from your contribution and all of us learning from each other.

“These farmers want to get out of poverty by better using the water they have to grow vegetables, potatoes and pastures, etc.,” explains Sergio. “To be able to do this, they are working and asking to work, even in the rainy season, to dig ditches for irrigation tubes. They are ready to face up to future water problems.”

The following is the article sent by Sergio in Spanish:

Agricultores de un poblado rural de los andes peruanos ubicados en la comunidad "Huillcapata" del Cusco, enterados del informe de expertos a la ONU sobre el calentamiento global y sus consecuencias en el futuro, como la escasez del agua, emprenden mejoramientos de la eficiencia del riego, para lo cual están instalando tuberías a presión para aprovechar pequeñas fuentes de agua en laderas, con ayuda económica de "Eng Bréck mat Latainamérika de Luxemburgo" y apoyo técnico del partenaire local IIDAA (Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Andino Amazónico). Aplicando riego por aspersión generado por la fuerza de la gravedad habrá ahorro de agua, que les permitirá cultivar alimentos en nuevas áreas que estaban abandonadas y como son laderas con 20% a 30 % de pendiente, con apoyo tecnológico cultivarán también en período de heladas (Mayo a Agosto).

Florentino Jancco, Presidente de la Comunidad ha organizado rápidamente a los agricultores beneficiarios del nuevo sistema de riego, quienes aportan entusiasmados la mano de obra.

El Ing. Sergio Mora, Director del IIDAA comenta" Como estos agricultores quieren salir rápidamente del estado de pobreza aprovechando con mayor eficiencia el recurso agua para sus cultivos de hortalizas, papa, pastos permanentes, etc., por eso aún en época de lluvias estamos instalando tuberiás a insistencia de ellos. Ya están capacitados para enfrentar los problemas del futuro en cuanto a escasez del agua"

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