About a month ago, I visited the community of ‘Chitacaspi’ in the province of Carchi, Northern Highlands of Ecuador, as part of my internship at EkoRural. I went with Priscilla Prado, who is the Program Coordinator in the area, to interview two woman who are part of the Women’s Farming Organization of Chitacaspi.

Chitacaspi is a rural community of about 40 families, centered around a community center and primary school.  The majority of these families spend most of their time cultivating potatoes and caring for their livestock on their own farmland.  Most of these families have to travel between thirty minutes and one hour to get to their plots, and, since not all of them own cars, they may have to travel by horse, donkey or foot. Members of the Chitacaspi community who do not tend their own farms often work for the owners of local haciendas (large farms).

The two woman filmed in the video below explain what their daily lives look like and what benefits they receive from being part of the Women’s Farming Organization of Chitacaspi.  At EkoRural we think it is very important to support  these pioneers who are making a difference in their communities – and want to spread the word about the kind of development that respects and utilizes locally-based knowledge and solutions.  If you would like to get more information about these initiatives, please contact us.