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FROM THE FIELD

Eco-Friendly Economic Development Project Improves Health and Nutrition in Bolivia
12 Jun 2009 13:52:00 GMT
 Source: Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International
Nadia McGill

Website: Website: http://www.adra.org

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The seven-year Food Security and Integrated Development: A Market-Oriented Approach project was financed by the United States Agency for International Development.
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The seven-year Food Security and Integrated Development: A Market-Oriented Approach project was financed by the United States Agency for International Development.

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ILVER SPRING, Md. —In the rural communities of southern Bolivia, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) recently completed a development project that improved the household incomes for more than 56,000 residents, increasing their access to food, while implementing sustainable agricultural practices that protect and preserve existing natural resources.

Through the seven-year Food Security and Integrated Development: A Market-Oriented Approach project, which was financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), farmers learned eco-friendly farming techniques, implementing natural resource management practices, including soil conservation, reforestation and water management. Additional methods have improved the fertility of their land, which has helped enhance their crop quality and productivity.

"Farmers literally live off the land, so they are immediately affected when the health of their environment is compromised," said Johnny Velasquez, country director for ADRA Bolivia. "By practicing environmentally friendly measures and training the farmers in these techniques, we help to ensure the long term development of these communities."

Residents from the municipalities of Camargo, Culpina, Incahuasi and San Lucas in the provinces of North and South Cinti, among the poorest in Bolivia, participated in the construction of eco-friendly infrastructure, including small water reservoirs, organic compost pits and agro-forestry plantations. ADRA also built valuable irrigation systems in the region, provided maintenance for 200 miles (323 kilometers) of the communities' local roads, and constructed six storehouses and 17 water and sanitation supply systems.

Throughout the project, ADRA worked in coordination with the Unit for Natural Resources and Environment of the Prefecture of Chuquisaca to ensure that the environmental regulations set by the Bolivian government were met. In recognition of its work, in 2008, the unit awarded ADRA a certificate for completing the environmental license. ADRA is the only organization in the region to have received this recognition.

In addition to the agricultural training, farmers also received technical assistance in marketing and business management. The project helped farmers improve their access to market information and strengthen the links between their farmers' associations and local and regional markets. As a result, their household incomes have grown from approximately $941 a year to $2,861.

"The basis for this project is income generation," continued Velasquez. "If the participants are able to improve their incomes, they will be better able to improve their health, access basic services, and feed their children. By improving their incomes, we can positively impact nearly every area of their lives."

Along with the environmentally friendly agricultural and business training sectors introduced by ADRA, targeted communities also benefited from the implementation of the "Cusi Ayllu" health project, which means "Happy Community" in Quechua, one of the primary languages in the region.

Through Cusi Allyu, a team of doctors, nurses, and nutritionists provide training for local governmental partners and volunteers, benefiting approximately 3,000 families each year. Cusi Ayllu also led the way for local municipal leadership to learn how to better meet the health needs of their communities. Furthermore, ADRA helped create four Municipal Councils of Diet and Nutrition, working with the community to improve local health services.

By utilizing support groups and nutritional rehabilitation workshops, ADRA raised community awareness on important health concerns, teaching methods that continue to improve the health of local families. Because of these activities, the rate of chronic malnutrition among infants between the ages of three and 35 months dropped from 47 percent to 26 percent. Meanwhile, infant feeding practices improved by 56 percent, and the number of children under the age of five suffering from diarrhea dropped by 89 percent.

ADRA also built 13 water tanks and installed more than 14,000 meters of water pipes in the region, providing access to clean water and sanitation for more than 3,300 beneficiaries.

The project began in January of 2002 and was completed at the end of April 2009.

"We are very proud of what has been accomplished over the past several years," Velasquez added. "Through the continued work of the beneficiaries, they will be able to continue to improve their incomes, health, and nutrition, providing a better, and more productive future for their children, for generations to come."

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

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