Context: The community of Yurac Yacu is made up of the highest parts of two municipalities. It is a high-altitude indigenous farming community situated at 3650 m elevation, at the base of the Cordillera Blanca Mountains. At this altitude, the climate is cold with nighttime temperatures below zero. Although this is a farming community, the harsh climate makes it difficult to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables. While most people are able to consume sufficient calories, there are concerns about a lack of nutrients especially in children.

Goals of the Project:
To improve the diet of community members by supporting them in growing a variety of foods in simple greenhouses.
To train community members to grow food organically in greenhouses
To support community members in incorporating new foods into their diets.

Main Activities:

Baseline and final nutritional surveys of community
Construction of 49 family greenhouses benefitting about 275 people
Construction of 2 community greenhouses for educational purposes, one at the Yurac Yacu Community Centre and one at a public elementary school
9 Organic greenhouse horticulture workshops for project participants
15 Vegetable cooking and tasting classes for project participants
Ongoing support in managing the greenhouses over the first year

Results:

Use of the greenhouses is ongoing for 6 years for the first group built to 2 years for the most recent
Participants have identified vegetables and recipes that their families like and incorporated those into their diets.
Some participants have experimented with new plants from the market and are growing a greater variety of fruits and vegetables than at the start
Some participants have been able to grow cash crops of lettuce or herbs to sell in the market as well as providing for their families. This provides extra family income
Community members have highly valued the greenhouses as a ready source of food for their families during the COVID pandemic
Community youth who have been hired by the project to provide ongoing support to the participants have acquired skills that lead to them being hired by commercial greenhouses nearby.
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