Reducing poverty and helping local rural development in Northern Ecuador

Summary of Activities

Northern Ecuadoris expe­riencing a major crisis caused by reduced competitiveness combined with dollarization; the general downwards trend of fluctuating farming prices; deteriorating natural resour­ces and the impact of the Colombian conflict. This crisis is resulting in farm hands being driven out towards urban areas and abroad. The PROLOCAL (national project co-funded by the World Bank and the European Commission) project stands out thanks to the way local players are involved. They use a project (plan, training, economic project) when preparing their applications for grants and requesting PROLOCAL funds in order to recruit the necessary technical assistance. The AVSF-CESA-FEPP consortium looks after the programme management in the El Angel micro-region, one of the six micro-regions involved in the PROLOCAL project. The aim is to create the conditions capable of kickstarting a fair and sustainable development process while also reinforcing the ability of local players and securing their involvement in the land management debates.

Location

South of the province of Carchi and north of Imbabura province.

Zone at an altitude of between 1.000 and 4.200 metres.

Beneficiaries

The entire population of the micro-region, i.e. 80 000 people of mixed-blood and Amerindian and African origin.

In particular : The mayors of the region, Parish organizations, Rural worker organizations and their members, Credit cooperatives and rural credit funds.

Partners

• financial : World Bank , European Commission , Ecuadorian State .
  
• technical and institutional : CESA , FEPP , Espejo, Bolivar, Pimampiro, Urcuqui and Mira City Councils, Carchi Province Juntas Parroquiales Association.