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| Alejandro Quispe Chilón |
By Dowser.org, October 8, 2013
The Andes
Mountains, the largest mountain range in the world, are home to 32 percent of
Peru’s population, many of which rank among the poorest communities in the
country. The struggle to keep crops and livestock alive in the harsh conditions
brings many to either leave for hope of a better life in the city (which often
fails to provide relief due to the mass amount of people with this same
sentiment all unable to find work), or be stuck with little hope of creating a
better life in their own community.
As I sat in the
back of a taxi driving through these mountains, headed to Granja Porcón, a
small farm town, I watched the landscape change from arid, grassy, cold plains
to a beautiful forest of pine trees. I noticed that the trees were growing in
perfectly straight lines, though. And then, I learned they are all planted by
hand—all 13 million of them.
Forestry has
saved this once desolate and poor area. It has created jobs, income, and
resources for new businesses, all because of the trees.
Problem:
Poverty in the Andes Mountains due to limited natural resources.
The people in
this region were among the poorest in all of Peru and only had livestock as a
source of income. There was no fuel. Freezing temperatures would kill their
crops. There were no roads to connect them to the cities. And potable water was
scarce. Work options were limited.
Solution: Plant
trees and use forestry as a means to create jobs and income.
"Planting
trees where opportunities exist can generate much-needed income, especially
through the establishment of community-based enterprises," states Chapter
3 of Better Forestry, Less Poverty (published in 2006 by the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations).
In the 1950s,
the Peruvian government began promoting the creation of cooperatives, farms,
and businesses owned and operated by its members, who share the profits and
benefits. An evangelical cooperative called The Workers Agrarian Cooperative
Atahualpa Jerusalem (more commonly known by the city’s name, Granja Porcón) was
created about 45 minutes outside of Cajamarca.
Its leader, Don
Alejandro Quispe Chilón, believed that planting trees would be the means to
lift his people out of poverty. However, the people did not believe in Chilón’s
vision at first. In fact, he was deemed crazy, in need of a doctor. This was an
area known for straw grasses; no one wanted to wait 20 years to see trees
mature.
"The
people here would ask me, ‘So what, you’re going to give us sticks to eat?’
" said Chilón. “‘We aren’t going to eat the sticks,’ I would tell them.
‘We will eat because of the sticks.’"
In the 1970s,
he pushed forward. He planted 1,000 hectares (about 2,500 acres) of trees,
which caught the attention of Belgian representatives, who were looking to
invest in forestry in Peru. The Belgian corporation was impressed by what the
people of Granja Porcón had done.
Subsequently,
they decided to invest in this area. Why? They were drawn to the people: a
hard-working community focused on creating a better life for themselves.
Belgium helped provide training and resources, and invested in research to find
which types of trees would work best in the harsh Andean environment,
eventually settling on pines.
"They
planted with the thought that in the future if they wanted to have a program
that would have a successful economic and social impact, they would need to
start from square one, using a very organized and ordered system," said
Charles Carton, the Belgium forester who has been working with Peru since the
beginning of this program.
"The trees
are all planted in rows, 3 feet by 3 feet apart. If the soil is good, you are
able to harvest them by their 20th year. The cooperative has a strict rule of
planting two trees for every one tree cut down," Chilón said. The result:
Job creation and a steady flow of income for the people of Granja Porcón.
The project
hasn’t been without its struggles and failures, but overall the lives of the
people in Granja Porcón have improved, and people from other areas in Peru have
asked to become a part of the cooperative because of the stable and good life
they can have here.
"The
house, the log, the wood, completely changed the life of the women and the
people," said Carton. "They now have fuel to cook, a means to boil
water, it gives them a way to have light in the evenings and meet up as a
family because before this was not possible."
Stand alone,
solid structures have been erected; whereas before, mud and straw huts dotted
the landscape. Roads have been built, and new businesses such as artisan shops,
dairy production, restaurants, and even a hostel (for tourists to come and
spend the night in) are now creating livelihoods.
"As a
nurse, I have seen an improvement in the health of people," said Manuel
Quispe Chilón, one of the members of the cooperative who saw the program evolve
from Day One.
Schools have
also been constructed, whereas before people didn’t think they should have
schools or education, for fear that education would make their children want to
leave to find jobs and not herd the sheep, Chilón explained to me. He taught
himself to read while tending to the sheep when he was young. He told me
stories of how he would dig through trash cans to find old newspapers in order
to learn how to read.
The opportunity
to create other communities and resources such as this exists. However, the
conditions of Granja Porcón make it a rare and exceptional case. This place is
a cooperative full of people all willing to work together for the greater good
and share the benefits and profits. They are all dedicated to the evangelical
faith and made the joint decision to not allow drinking and drugs for any
members of the cooperative, saving them a lot of money and creating a sense of
responsibility and determination throughout the cooperative. They are
incredibly hardworking and honest, all striving to create a better future.
"We’re
getting there," said Carton when asked how he felt the progress of the
project was going. "Not everything is finished, and we are still far from
being perfect. But the will and the work is here. It’s not a paradise without
problems, but at least we can walk together with hope."
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