Saving and promoting Awajun culture in Peru

After the violent clashes between the Awajun people and the government of Alan Garcia on June 5, 2009, the Awajun have been more and more neglected and unstable. This project serves 41 Awajun communities in the El Cenepa, Nieva and Santiago regions, and in the province of Condorcanqui in the Amazon region, and covers forest management, sustainable farming, aquaculture and the development of a high-quality cacao supply chain. It also supports indigenous organizations and producers, and works with the local and regional governments.

The project focuses on three areas:

• Helping the co-ops ODECOFROP and AIDESEP save and promote Awajun ancestral knowledge, traditions and customs
• Developing the skills and abilities of Awajun artisans
• Coordinating between the artisans and the markets and cultural services

The Awajun producer organizations are starting to introduce production procedures with their members and become integrated into the market. They have an important ally to help them do so: the Norandino co-op. They've also teamed up with an NGO called CAPIRONA to set up agroecology farms. Plus, they want to work more with the new local government authorities and with the regional government. The Awajun products generated through the project (cacao, for example) are now exported to Europe, and the products grown on the agroecology farms help improve food security.

This project is funded by the European Union.

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