The project ‘Yapuchawi – Climate risk management and sustainable production for food and nutritional security in the Bolivian highlands’, promoted by ICEI together with its local Bolivian partner PROSUCO, aims to address the causes of food insecurity in one of the most vulnerable areas of Bolivia: the municipality of Puerto Acosta, in the north of the La Paz region, on the border with Peru.
Among the main challenges facing the local population are low agricultural productivity, difficulties in accessing markets for rural micro-enterprises, and the adoption of unbalanced eating habits. Yapuchawi intends to address these issues by promoting sustainable practices that improve the living conditions and resilience of rural communities.
Our team’s journey to Puerto Acosta
During the month of June, project manager Diego Policarpi travelled with the team to Puerto Acosta to meet with municipal authorities and begin organising the first activities in the field. Diego gave us a detailed account of the journey by car, documented with photos and videos, giving us the opportunity to not only get to the heart of YAPUCHAWI’s first activity, but also to explore the area and understand its conformation.
The journey began in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia, located at an altitude of 3,650 metres and surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Andes, such as Nevado Illimani, which reaches 6,462 metres. Climbing towards El Alto, the economic and cultural centre of the area, we pass through lively urban landscapes, where the “Cholet” architecture reflects contemporary Andean identity. From there, we travel across the Bolivian plateau: dry expanses, imposing mountain ranges on the horizon. After a while, the first glimpses of Lake Titicaca begin to appear, introducing a greener and more lush landscape, with aromatic plants and flowers.
After about four hours of travel, you arrive in Puerto Acosta, a municipality composed of 9 cantons and 83 rural communities, 18 of which will be directly involved in the project, with an estimated population of about 2,800 people.
The first meeting with the communities
During this first event, a meeting was organised with representatives of the communities involved to present Yapuchawi’s objectives and plan the next operational phases together. The meeting was attended by delegates from 13 communities, for a total of 41 people, 40% of whom were women.
This moment was crucial for beginning to build a dialogue of trust and collaboration, an essential basis for a participatory and sustainable development process.
