[Terraces for Life (Andenes para la Vida) and River Basins for Life (Cuencas para la Vida)] An inventory and systematisation of 40 years’ work for rural productive development, contributing to climate action in Peru

The systematization reappraised the importance of terraces and river-basin management for life.

On 22 February, Agro Rural presented the books «Andenes para la Vida» and «Cuencas para la Vida«, in cooperation with the Centro Bartolomé de las Casas and the regional project “Andes Resilient to Climate Change” operated by Helvetas Peru and the Avina Foundation, and sponsored by Swiss Cooperation (SDC). The project is operated jointly with the government and highlights the strategic role of Andean terraces and river basins in a context of climate change.

River Basins for Life» collects the data of the work of the National Programme for River Basin Management and Soil Conservation (PRONAMACHCS) and Agro Rural over 40 years (1981-2020). It highlights the concepts, statistics, info-graphics and history of the Agricultural Development and Irrigation sector in river-basin management, and the evolution of approaches and field activities.

The publication provides basic information for academics, students, government programmes and civil society who wish to see the figures for the sector’s work in watershed management, and can be used as a key tool for decision-makers and outreach workers, as a sort of institutional memory, by writing up the success stories and seeing how they were replicated or scaled up in different areas.

It was printed by SDC as part of the Resilient Andes project with the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Irrigation, to capitalise on the solid evidence of work in the Andes. It will be distributed to various groups, like national and regional rural outreach systems, as part of the Resilient Andes project, supported by SDC for climate change adaptation in the Andean region.

“Terraces for Life» is an inventory of the soils in the terraces in 11 of Peru’s regions (Amazonas, Apurímac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, Junín, Lima, Moquegua, Tacna and Puno) which used satellite images to determine that 340,720 hectares were terraced, of which 259,319 ha were in use and 81,401 ha were abandoned. The Centro Bartolomé de las Casas (CBC) published the book.

Although the inventory was carried out in 2012, it is a vital tool in Law 31077, which declares the rehabilitation and conservation of terraces throughout the country to be of national interest, to encourage farmers to use them for agriculture. This will optimise the production chain of small farmers, and result in a better quality of life for them. The law also gives new impetus to the work of Agro Rural in rehabilitating terraces nationwide, through strategic alliances with the private sector.

Both books reveal that the role of Agro Rural goes beyond rural agricultural productive development. Its role, by promoting natural infrastructure measures such as terraces and its work in river basins, lends itself to climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, and fulfils the international commitments in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the agriculture sector.

©AGRO RURAL
(spanish)

Participants

The book presentation was attended by the Minister of Agricultural Development and Irrigation, Federico Tenorio Calderón; the Director of the Bartolomé de las Casas Centre, Carlos Herz; and Martin Jaggi, Head of SDC Cooperation in Peru and the Andean region at the Swiss Embassy in Lima, besides renowned specialists in the field and representatives of international cooperation, academia and civil society.

In his welcoming speech, Jaggi said «We know that climate change represents one of the greatest challenges for humanity, whether in the Andes, in the Alps or worldwide. The COVID 19 pandemic has shown us the urgent need to place more value on our natural resources, which are increasingly under pressure from human activities and climate change. Hence the importance of valuing the ancestral practices of high-Andean farming families, such as terrace management, and river-basin management integrated into the landscape”.

Martin Jaggi, Head of SDC Cooperation in Peru and the Andean region, at the Swiss Embassy in Lima

He added: «SDC hopes to contribute to this role by strengthening the rural outreach system and calling for more investment in natural infrastructure for family farming, the water and food security for families in Andean areas.

The event included a panel on «Terraces and River Basins for Life«, composed of the specialists Juan Torres Guevara (Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina); Asunción Cano Echevarría (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos), and María Teresa Oré (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), who commented on the importance of river-basin management in Peru. Louis Masson Meiss and Carmen Felipe-Morales Basurto (Instituto de Promoción para la Gestión del Agua) and Jorge Novo Negrillo, specialist in Natural Resources and Environment of Sembrar Agua, spoke about the next steps to be taken to rehabilitate Peru’s terraces.

Enjoy the panel in this video.

Panel Andenes para la vida (Terraces for life)
©AGRO RURAL
Panel Cuencas para la vida ( River basins for life)
©AGRO RURAL

Both publications can be downloaded free of charge from the following links.

  • Andenes para la Vida (PDF spanish)
  • Cuencas para la Vida (PDF spanish)

Resources available:

  • Speech of the Minister of Agricultural Development and Irrigation
  • Video Keynote Speech: «Las Cuencas y el Desarrollo Rural, Avances de Política para los Andenes en Perú«, Antenor Floríndez Díaz, expert in river-basin management

Andes Resilient to Climate Change is a regional project promoted by the Global Climate Change and Environment Programme of Swiss Cooperation SDC and facilitated by the HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and Avina Foundation consortium, in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and in strategic alliance with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

More information:
Fact sheet Regional Project: Resilient Andes to Climate Change
Facebook Regional Project: Resilient Andes to Climate Change
Factsheet Regional Project: Resilient Andes to Climate Change
Brochure Regional Project: Resilient Andes to Climate Change – Peru

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