Value Chain Development in Quechua Communities of the Andes

Countries:

Bolivia

Start project:

2016

Donors:

Kerk in Actie

Partners:

Fundación SARTAWI SAYARIY

One of the problems that Quechua communities face is the marketing of their products, because they are lack of information, opportunities and market knowledge in terms of quality, frequency and product presentation. This project will help 200 households in 10 communities of Colquechaca strengthen value chains of llama wool fiber and other agricultural products. The Sartawi Sayariy Foundation is a faith based organization that promotes development in rural areas of Bolivia since 1985.

Background

Andean producers face a magnitude of problems in the production process due to climate factors (drought, frost, hail, pests and diseases), which make agriculture a high-risk activity, so they are forced in many cases to sell their products directly to middlemen at very low prices that generally does not cover their production costs. Therefore, the "producer and intermediary" relationship is inequitable, unfair and unsustainable.

Despite facing those problems, the Altiplano area of Bolivia has agricultural and livestock potential, including the production of camelids (llamas and alpacas), and the production of Andean crops (potato, quinoa, beans, wheat, oca and others).

Based on this agricultural potential and work experience acquired by SARTAWI-SAYARIY, this project aims to strengthen the links of the processing and marketing of surplus agricultural products, which contribute to sustainable agriculture, mainly led by women. The Sartawi Sayariy Foundation (formerly Foundation Sartawi) is a non-profit NGO that promotes development in rural areas of the Bolivian Altiplano, founded in 1985. It is a Social Work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, known for its legal personality No. 43/2009.