Sustainable livelihoods for rural Andean farmers

Rainy season is finally in full swing in the Sacred Valley after a slow start. As if the roaring rush of the river and lush green mountainscape isn't enough, we're admiring many a post-rain rainbows splashing accross the sky. These rains are so crucial to ensuring the success of the rainfed agricultural system. As the rains support the healthy growth of thirsty crops, we've also been nourishing our farmer education center. You may remeber from our last update that we  just started building out these structures with the help of countless volunteer hours and locals alike (shout out to Surf for Life volunteers!). Now we're getting even closer to finishing.

The walls are painted, floors are in process, windows are nearly all installed and doors are in place for the classroom, kitchen, and dormitories. We can't wait to have a beautiful space to host visiting farmers and groups. But, we still have a lot more work to do, including completing the buildings and furnishing them. We want to close our resource loops as much as possible so we're thinking through this process right now, including installing a biodigester! 

Currently we're looking for funding to finish up the spaces. Help us spread the word and keep an eye out for our micro-project fundraiser coming later this month! 

How we've been engaging with the local farming community lately: 

• In December AASD's EcoHuella farm hosted a Slow Food Peru event. Local producers and farmers gathered to share ideas and a delicious farm fresh meal.
• The Ministry of Agriculture sent us interns from La Salle, the local agrarian university, to learn about participatory, ecological farming extension practices.
• This week we set some plans in motion to host more workshops, including facilitating converstations between restauarnts and market ready farmers. Some will be in parternship with Nuna Raymi restauarant which features EcoHuella produce on their menu in Cusco.
• We're designing some nutrition and cooking classes with local farmers to launch in the Spring

 As always, we're so grateful for your ongoing support! Please stay in touch: 

• Follow us on facebook, Instagram, and our website
• Sign up for our newsletter on the bottom of our website
• Share this campaign with friends and family who may be interested
• Interested in a service learning project with us? Get in touch!

Much love from the AASD crew!

Links:

• AASD website

Hey there! As always, we have lots of exciting news to share about our agriculture initiative. 

The rainy season rolled in a few weeks ago with fluffy clouds and daily bursts of rain, painting the majestic Andes a beautiful green. Days are filled with the fresh after rain smell, crops are bumping, and flowers are blooming. We continue to build out our agriculture programs, with a big focus right now on the educational farm. Along with the changing season, we’re making some exciting developments at the Eco Huella farm. 

Before we jump into updates, here's a fun fact:  Did you know that Eco Huella means Ecological Footprint? We use the space as a learning center for organic farming that is healthy for the environment and the local communities. We’re a regional hub for ecological practices, doing our bit in this corner of Peru to contribute to the globally responsible farming and environmental practices that support climate resilience globally. What makes us unique? We put people first. Farmers and the farming community are at the center of our work.

Here’s what we’re up to:

• All November long, we’re tapping into the Incan concept of reciprocity, called Ayni, to build out our classroom and dormitory spaces on the farm. Developments to date have been made possible partially through donations from this very campaign. So what's new? We’ve partnered with Surf for Life  to bring donations and volunteers from the US and Canada to work alongside local community members, mixing and laying cement and preparing the spaces for future learning! We work hard and rest well, sharing meals and chicha, a fermented corn drink with the community members. In total, we're receiving about 540 volunteer hours in November alone!
• We envision using these spaces for workshops and hosting farmers from afar, such as from high altitude communities. Visitors will be able to stay on site for multi-day workshops. These developments enable us to host even more farmers, agriculture technicians and students from around the world.
• Next big dream: The completion of our on farm kitchen space for teaching about post-harvest production, cooking, and workshops. Some workshop ideas so far include value-added products like canned and fermented goods.

We’re currently in need of further funding to roll out our big picture vision. Help us get to our $10,000 mark on the Global Giving Platform during our end of the year fundraising push. 

We are incredibly grateful for your support in making all this possible. If you like what we're doing, help us keep up the momentum on this campaign! Here's how to keep involved and in touch: 

• Donate during our Giving Tuesday (Nov. 27th) and end of the year campaign via this Global Giving project. We're just over halfway there!
• Interested in organaizing a service project? Contact us to set on up!
• Follow us and share updates on Instagram and Facebook and website
• Join our newsletter (sign up on the bottom of our website)
• Suggest this campaign to people you think may want to support us too!
• Interested in organizing a *service project*? Contact us to set one up!

Stay in touch. Much love from our team at The AASD!