Closing of the Café cacao agroforestry project in Amazonia

SAF (agroforestry system) plot belonging to Mr Wiliam of the Unión Pucusani group:
his coffee crops include native trees distributed by Envol Vert,
as well as fruit trees and flowering plants.

The end of the year is a very important time for Envol Vert and for the communities. It is a time to remember all that has been done during the year, but it is also a time to share more social activities with the communities. It is also a special moment since the end of the agroforestry Café Cacao project in the Amazon, after more than 5 years of presence in the areas of Pichanaki and Tingo Maria.

Most of the producers who have been with the project for several years no longer have the space to plant more trees. We said goodbye to the Rio Blanco and Union Pucusani groups, two groups that managed to reforest their coffee plots, who participated in several internships and exchanges of experience, with a strong motivation and application in the group work. Envol Vert started working with both groups in 2020. These groups who haven’t developed economic alternatives, were able to discuss the results of the 4 to 5 years of Envol Vert’s support for sustainable agricultural and agroforestry practices and to close the group in a serene manner, looking back on all the lessons learned during these years. These years of work allowed the participants to develop better agricultural practices, strengthen their leadership skills, raise awareness of the gender perspective and improve their living conditions (food security, reforestation…). It is very nice to see the results of the project when you visit the participants’ plots of land. Closing these groups means that they have reached the top level and are now examples to follow in the region! We will continue to keep in touch and perhaps in the future we will organise joint activities with other villages to exchange experiences.

On the other hand, in the 12 groups that have economic alternatives, a review of the year was carried out to reflect the achievements, lessons learned and limits ; and the participants received a certificate of participation in the activities. This document that recapitulates the notions dealt with during the training and the activities of the year can be useful later on if farmers want to work in other projects, or with other public entities such as SERNANP (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado), INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agronómica), SERFOR (Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre). It is also a document that allows them to realise what they have learnt during the year, which is important to make them feel proud and eager to continue applying sustainable practices!

The end of the year is also the time to share a chocolatada (hot chocolate and panneton, a Peruvian tradition in December) with all the groups and do recreational activities to strengthen our links with farmers.

Chocolatada with the Union Pucusani group

Preparing for volleyball at La Nueva Florida

Chocolatada with the Bella Alta Group

Participants of the Pueblo Nuevo group with their 2024 certificates

Residents of the new group ‘La Nueva Florida’ with their 2024 certificates

Group photo with the Unión Pucusani village

We are coming in 2025 with a new project, in continuity with the Café Cacao agroforestry project, with a focus on community conservation of forests and biodiversity. The economic alternatives will also be continuing in order to strengthen farmers’ capacities to be autonomous in the sale of economic alternatives.