case studies undp: women artisans' association of arbolsol and huaca de barro, peru

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: WOMEN ARTISANS' ASSOCIATION OF ARBOLSOL AND HUACA DE BARRO, Peru

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Peru

WOMEN ARTISANS’ASSOCIATIONOF ARBOLSOL ANDHUACA DE BARRO

Empowered live

Resilient nation



UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that woor people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practitionthemselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners – vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succto scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to ‘The Power of Local Action: Lessons from 10 Years of

Equator Prize’, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiative’s searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chief: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Par

Brandon Payne, Mariajosé Satizábal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the guidance and inputs o the Women Artisans’ Association o Arbolsol and Huade Barro (AAAHB). All photo credits courtesy o AAAHB. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Women Artisans’ Association of Arbolsol and Huaca de Barro, Peru. Equator Initiative C

Study Series. New York, NY.

http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf



http://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858





PROJECT SUMMARYFounded by local women in 2003, the Women Artisans’Association o Arbolsol and Huaca de Barro ( Asociación

de Artesanas de Arbolsol y Huaca de Barro – AAAHB) worksto recover traditional methods o cotton productionthat are environmentally responsible and create positive

socioeconomic change in Mórrope District, Lambayeque,northern Peru.

The association oversees planting and harvesting o nativecotton varieties using only pesticides rom natural sources.

In addition, the association has been active in managingwater resources in this semi-arid region. Traditional colourso native cotton have been recovered, water resources are

cleaner as a result o better management, and organiccotton products are sold in local markets. The associationhas been at the oreront o a national movement in Peru tochange perceptions o native cotton production.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2008

FOUNDED: 2003

LOCATION: Mórrope district, Lambayeque region, Peru

BENEFICIARIES: 35 families

BIODIVERSITY: Five native cotton species

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 5

Biodiversity Impacts 6

Socioeconomic Impacts 6

Policy Impacts 7

Sustainability 8

Replication 8

Partners 9

WOMEN ARTISANS’ ASSOCIATION OFARBOLSOL AND HUACA DE BARROPeru



4

he Mórrope District o Peru, located in the region o Lambayequen the country’s northern coastline, lies within an agro-ecosystemonsisting o dry orests and arid plains irrigated by rivers owingrom the higher plains o the Andean oothills. In much o the arid

egion, irrigation is needed to support any arming. Over time, severewater shortages have led to an increase in soil salinity, resulting in

oil degradation, erosion, and low crop yields. This has adverselympacted the district’s local communities, who rely on small-scale

griculture as their main source o income. Cultivated crops includeotton, corn, beans, and various ruits.

Recovery of a culturally-important native crop variety

Cotton has played a particularly prominent role or local livelihoods,s both a high-value and culturally important cash crop. The native

otton species grown in Lambayeque (Gossypium barbadense)ormed the basis o the pre-Inca northwest civilizations o the Mochend Chimú people. Many native cotton varieties were naturally

igmented. Dating back to the 1930s, however, the Peruvianovernment has attempted to eradicate these native varieties o

otton, earing that they carried pests that could spread plagueso more commercially-valuable white cotton crops. These eorts

were renewed in the 1970s, when armers throughout Peru wererdered to cut and burn all native cotton species. These policies led

o the near extinction o native cotton varieties. Without this cash

rop, communities in Mórrope were let with ewer opportunities to

iversiy their sources o income, leaving many reliant on subsistencearming o ruits and vegetables. In turn, this led to high rates o

migration to urban centres, especially or male community members,

utting economic and emotional strains on rural households.

stablished by local women in 2003, the Artisan Association o

Arbolsol and Huaca de Barro o the Mórrope District (AAAHB) soughto conront these social and economic challenges by reviving

raditional methods o cotton production in an environmentallyesponsible ashion. This entrepreneurial group o Mochica

ndigenous women used unding rom the UNDP/GEF Small Grants

Programme in 2005 to begin recovering and reintroducing ncotton varieties. This work has involved overseeing the planand harvesting o native cotton varieties using natural pesticand ertilizers, and sustainably managing local water resou

Traditional colours o native cotton have been recovered, wsupplies have been improved (as a result o new irrigation syste

and organic cotton is produced or sale in local markets. Atsuccessul rst phase o operations, AAAHB’s work was scale

with a second SGP grant o US$50,000 in 2007. The group, wbegan as a women’s organization, has now expanded to includwhole community.

Given the extent o the systematic eorts to eradicate native co

varieties, locating and reintroducing native cotton seeds wchallenging proposition. Community members were enliste

search or traditional cotton seeds wherever they might be oSeveral community members recall resorting to such measurcutting open cotton-lled pillows which predated eradication e

Seeds were classied and stored until, eventually, the organizahad a critical mass to begin cultivation. On a small plot o

initiative members planted ve native cotton species and provided with training on the processing o cotton bres and

production o high-value handicrats. AAAHB has since evolveda robust and thriving organization, oering skills creation, incgeneration, capacity building, cultural preservation, biodive

conservation and a holistic sustainable development solutio

communities o the Mórrope District.

The organisation holds the long-term objectives o rehabilit

all traditional varieties and colours o native cotton, cultivatraditional cotton on ten hectares o land, establishing seed bor cotton seedlings, and identiying new markets or the sa

handicrats at air prices. The initiative has become an examo community-based action or the district population, with

previous instances o communal organisation or development

Background and Context



55

Key Activities and Innovations

he association’s activities centre on the planting, harvesting,nd processing o native cotton into value-added products. Thessociation oversees and supervises the planting and harvesting o

ative cotton species using only natural pesticides and ertilizers.Association producers cultivate plots o land measuring between

00 and 500 square meters. With a yield o 12 quintals o cotton perectare, each association member could expect to produce between

.46 and 2.3 kilogrammes o cotton. Organic, native cotton is moreesilient to water shortages and high salinity soil than other cottonarieties available on the market. As such, native cotton varieties

raw a higher premium. Post-harvest, cotton bre is spun andwoven into waist looms, which are sold as crats at a variety o local

nd regional markets, at the association’s workshop, and to outsideistributors. The business model is ully integrated through a credit

ystem that loans local women the materials needed to make cratsnd allows material costs to be repaid when revenues come in romhe sale o nished crat products.

Native cotton cultivation and production activities place equal

mphasis on poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation.Association members use only natural pesticides and ertilizers.

his not only ensures the conservation and preservation o healthycosystems, but eliminates the sizable costs previously associated

with chemical ertilizer inputs. Traditional ecological and cultural

nowledge also inorm and guide the arming and production

echniques employed by association members. Traditional eco-griculture practices include environmentally-riendly management

o insect plagues and sustainable irrigation systems that prioritize

he conservation and protection o local watersheds. The associationas orged a partnership with the Regional Fund or Appropriateechnologies or the Sustainable Management o Natural Resources

o improve irrigation and harvesting practices.

Once the cotton is harvested and collected, it is spun and woven bywaist looms to gather the lament. This base cotton material is used

o produce a variety o crats, yarns and garments. Products are sold

at local and regional markets, commercial and trade airs, to natand international distributors and through an association works

Trade airs have been particularly ruitul orums; in additio

providing a platorm to sell their products, the association has minvaluable connections with other cotton manuacturers, supp

and those with knowledge o the wider cotton industry. The coproduct incomes o association members are urther bolstered

supplemented by the sale o organic ertilizers.



6

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

The Lambayeque region is characterised by equatorial dry orests,part o an ecosystem that winds along the Ecuadorian and Peruvian

oastlines. Beginning at Ecuador’s Santa Elena peninsula, Gul o

Guayaquil, and Puna Island, this eco-region extends south througharge parts o Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, and as ar

s the western catchment o the Peruvian Andes to the valley o Marañón between Cajamarca and Amazonas.

This eco-region presents unique ecological challenges or the armerso the Lambayeque region, most notably in the orm o chronic water

hortages. By supporting the reintroduction o native varieties o otton, as well as a range o traditional eco-agriculture practices,

he association has improved the resilience and adaptive capacityo local communities in the region. Five natural colours o the native

otton species Gossypium barbadense have been recovered rom thebrink o eradication. These cotton varieties have been cultivated andhared with villages across Mórrope. Native cotton (known locally

s algodón pais) oers a number o advantages over competinghybrids, which are oten unable to survive particularly dry years or

easons. Cotton scientists and local armers agree that native plantsre more resistant to the over 250 pests and organisms known to

ttack cotton plants. Commercial cotton hybrids are more likely toequire chemical ertilizer and insecticide inputs, which pollute and

damage local ecosystems. By championing genetic diversity andhe evolved adaptive capacity o native cotton varieties over the use

o chemical ertilizers, the association has improved entomological

diversity and reduced pesticide contamination o resh waterources. Where ertilizers are used, the association promotes organic

nputs, reducing negative impacts on agriculture, ground water andocal wildlie.

Native cotton oers other important advantages to local armers,ncluding limited maintenance needs ater sowing and no pesticides

during its long vegetative cycle. It develops into large bushes that

produce cotton bre year round (ater the rst year) or up to six yNative varieties yield high-grade bre and in greater quantities

commercial hybrid varieties. Native cotton can be grown insoils, where high levels o salinity and boron toxicity will supvirtually no other crops. Algodón pais is also grown by arme

orm tough hedgerows to protect eld crops rom oraging anithereby reducing human-wildlie conict.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

The association’s primary aim is the reintroduction o native covarieties as a viable livelihood option or local women. An int

part o actualizing this objective has been training and capbuilding in traditional weaving techniques, providing local ar

with value-added secondary processing or the raw cotton Artisans connected with the association have been respon

or reviving the use o indigenous weaving techniques whicha back-strap loom. From planting to processing, the associmodel prioritizes local and traditional knowledge and is providin

members with a high degree o ownership over income generaactivities. Local women have been empowered to grow cott

their elds and to teach their daughters how to eectively inteold and new weaving techniques.

Through the sale o native cotton products, the 35 amilies curr

engaged in the project are increasing their household incoand diversiying their livelihoods. Native cotton has several uproperties which make it valuable in the industrial textile ma

The generally long and comparatively thick bres o ncotton varieties are ideal or sot spun yarns which are used in

production o knitted socks and undergarments. The rangnatural colours being cultivated by the association is ound nowelse in the world, representing a valuable commodity or spec

bre and artisan markets. Along with the sale o processed cohandicrats, local producers generate income rom the sale o co

yarn and organic ertilizers. Combined revenues are requ



reinvested into community development projects such as water

wells, crop diversication programs, animal husbandry training, andmore. Product diversication has helped mitigate environmentaland social risk, expand revenue streams, and enhance ood security.

Through a partnership with the Regional Fund or Appropriate

Technologies or the Sustainable Management o Natural Resources,the association has also improved local irrigation systems, increased

average local agricultural productivity, and improved the quality o and access to potable water. Previously, the vast majority o localcommunity members accessed water through pit wells which were

exposed to contamination, susceptible to requent collapse, andunpredictable in their water supply. The association has ostered a

number o partnerships to improve the quality and supply o reshwater to the local population.

Capacity building has been another priority or the association.Workshops and trainings are regularly held on the cultivation and

management o native cotton, product design, micro-enterprisemanagement, quality control measures, and a range o value-added

secondary processing options. The impacts o capacity building have

been ar-reaching, as skills employed in the cultivation, production,marketing and sale o cotton products have been applied to thewider agriculture sector. Local producers have also been trained

in the introduction o worms or composting and the use o non-productive seeds or sheep and goat eed.

POLICY IMPACTS

The eradication o Peru’s native cotton species was an agriculturalpolicy put in place to protect commercial cotton rom plagues. The

policy aimed to create a healthy and sustainable cotton industrythat would generate economic benets. It overlooked, however,the negative eects this would have on the livelihoods and income-

generation options o the country’s rural poor, particularly inregions such as Lambayeque where traditional cotton represents

one o ew viable cash crops. It also neglected the importantcultural and traditional value o the algodón pais crop. These

mistakes could have been identied and avoided through greaterstakeholder participation in policymaking processes; the case servesas a cautionary example o how top-down policymaking which

excludes the perspectives and needs o resource users can urthermarginalize an already economically disadvantaged segment o

the population. The end result has been reduced economic andenvironmental resilience, less sel-sufciency or rural communities,

and degradation o the genetic and biological diversity that

communities to adapt to changing climates and conditionassociation has been at the oreront o a national movement to change perceptions o native cotton production. In collabo

with the Native Cotton Project, the association works to cprevailing assumptions about the viability o native

production, and to promote it as an environmentally riendresponsible business enterprise. They have successully ga

attention rom regional and national authorities, and advrecognition o traditional cotton as an important, value-product or rural amily livelihoods. Advocacy eorts have

bolstered by increased petroleum prices in recent years, whicin turn raised the transaction costs o producing and/or imp

synthetic bres, as well as hybrid cotton cultivation whichheavily on petrochemical pesticide and ertilizer inputs.

Three years ater the association began, and owing in no small the association’s advocacy eorts, native cotton was declared

o Peru’s national heritage. Since that time, with the endorso regional government agencies, native cotton productio

experienced resurgence. Importantly, the ban on native

production was lited in the northeast coastal regions o the coUnder the auspices o the Peruvian Ministry o Industry, ToIntegration, and International Commerce and the Institute o

American Studies o the University o Texas, experimental resebeing conducted to assess the easibility o extending native cultivation to similar arid zones.

7

“Countries should establish mechanisms that permit the conservation and optimal use of

resources while taking into account the local populations that depend on these resources.

Policy-makers would be well-served to support, respect, and listen to local and indigenous

communities. We are holders of traditional knowledge and resource management systems

which have, over time, conserved biodiversity and ecosystems.”

Magdalena Puican Chinguel, AAAHB



8

Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYhe sustainability o the project depends on the ability o the

member producers to continue generating income rom the sale o

otton yarn, nished cotton handicrats, and organic ertilizer. Whilehe project has a signicant level o social support rom artisan

roducer households, native cotton production will need to deliversustained source o income to remain a viable livelihood activity.

o this end, market access is a critical success variable, with access toew markets an important determinant o long-term sustainability.he association also recognizes the danger o overdependence on

ne industry, and retains an interest in exploring alternative income-enerating activities. The substantial capacity-building activities o

he association have laid the oundation o social capital that willnable urther collective action and the development o alternative

rojects. Training in microenterprise management and productesign oer a platorm on which to expand income diversicationctivities. The association is in the process o identiying external

ources o nance to pilot new projects. Support rom the GEF/UNDP-Small Grants Programme (SGP) was essential in providing

eed unding to launch the association. The association receivedrants in 2004-05, 2005-06, and 2007-09 totalling USD 93,000. This

unding has been essential to the association’s work, but does notepresent a sustainable source o nancing.

REPLICATIONWhile the ban on native cotton production has been lited inhe northeast coastal regions o Peru, the ban remains in place in

ther regions o the country, which has limited the extent to whicheplication o the association model has been possible. The project

as, however, been duplicated in several villages within MórropeDistrict. Beyond Mórrope, initial attempts to replicate the project have

een made in our districts. Further, three artisan members o the

ssociation are currently under contract by a number o organizationso provide training in native cotton cultivation and crats production

to other communities in the region. The association also provan example o successul technology and knowledge transer. Aassociation members attend ormal technical workshops in ucentres, the skills acquired are disseminated through peer-to-

knowledge exchanges acilitated by the association.



99

PARTNERS

EF/UNDP-Small Grants Programme (SGP) has provided nance,monitoring, and technical advice in three grants to date.

ondo Regional de Tecnologías Apropiadas en Manejo Sostenible de

ecursos Naturales (FOMRENA) has provided unding and monitoringor purchases o weaving equipment, as well as supporting the

mprovement o water systems, benetting more than 80 amilies.

sociacion Peruana de Pequenos Productores Ecologicos

APEPROECO) has assisted the association in establishing channelsor marketing and selling their products in its capacity as an advisory

ody or eco-riendly micro-enterprises.

ervicio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria (SENASA) played a critical role inhe development o native cotton production by providing technicaldvice to the association’s members on eectively preventing the

pread o plagues rom native varieties to other commercial cottonrops. Without this technical support, the association’s eorts would

have been deemed illegal under the ban on native cotton. SEN

has also supported the development o seven distributors or ncotton.

Grupo de Iniciativas de Economía Solidaria - Lambayeque (GIEbranch o the nationwide group or economic solidarity initiat

has helped to organise commercial trade airs, enabling associaarmers to market their products and exchange knowledge

other local producers. GIES also established three cotton distribu

Various government agencies have played a role in supporting

association’s work. The government o the Municipality o MórDistrict aided the initiative in gaining recognition through invita

to district-level trade airs. The Irrigation Commission played a roincluding association plots within the overall irrigation program

The Ministry o Industry and Tourism has also invited the initiato trade airs, and has exhibited their products or sale in a tourism centre.

“The community (and above all the artisans) feel the negative effects of climate change.

Rain scarcity and a general lack of water for cultivation worsen each month. In response,

artisans have initiated the reforestation of their modest tracts of land with timber and fruit

species, improved their stoves to improve the efficiency of wood use, and contributed to the

rehabilitation of soil by incorporating organic materials (composting). The rehabilitation of

soils and the planting of native cotton species provide an alternative to commercial cotton,

which requires large amount of water and use of pesticides.”

Magdalena Puican Chinguel, AAAHB



Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10017Tel: +1 646 781 4023www.equatorinitiative.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating or change and necting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

©2012 by Equator Initiative

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FURTHER REFERENCE

Artisan Association o Arbolsol and Huaca de Barro Photo Story (Vimeo) vimeo.com/15959918

Artisan Association o Arbolsol and Huaca de Barro MDG Poster (PDF) cbd.int/database/attachment/?id=1042

Click the thumbnails below to read more case studies like this:

http://vimeo.com/15959918

http://www.cbd.int/database/attachment/?id=1042

http://www.cbd.int/database/attachment/?id=1042

http://vimeo.com/15959918

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case studies undp: women artisans' association of arbolsol and huaca de barro, peru

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