Farmers in Bolivia bring water to the mountains
November 25, 2020
Last year, we asked for help with a critical project in Bolivia: helping farmers bring water to their mountain farms.
Last year for Giving Tuesday, we asked for help with a critical project in Bolivia: bringing water to farms high in the Andes.
Donors responded generously, making it possible for 554 Indigenous families in northern Potosí to build Earth-friendly irrigation systems on their farms.
Let’s make sure communities have food, no matter what 2021 brings.
For Teodora Arancibia Apaza, her husband and five small children, this access to water changed everything. Previously, Teodora struggled to feed her family with the food she grew on her small, rugged plot 3,500 metres above sea level. With dry seasons stretching longer year after year, it wasn’t always possible to set aside enough potatoes, corn and beans to eat after the growing season ended.
Many times, food ran short.
With donor support, Teodora worked with our Bolivian partner organization, Programa de Desarrollo Integral Interdisciplinario (PRODII), to build a simple system out of local materials to collect water. The system is not rain dependent: it pulls in mountain runoff and water from springs to give the family farm a dependable source of water—even during the dry months.
Using this water sparingly on her crops, Teodora can now grow good, nutritious food all year. Her family enjoys a bounty of new vegetables like tomatoes, chard, beets, carrots, spinach, broad beans and onions. She even grows strawberries, peaches, lemons, figs, and Bolivian favourites like prickly pear fruit, pacay and tumbo.
“I am happy because we can feed ourselves in a healthy way. We no longer suffer from the lack of food because we have enough to eat all year round.”
But that’s not all. Because donors supported farmers in Bolivia to bring water to the mountains, Teodora’s farm now produces such an abundance of healthy food that she’s able to sell the surplus, earning enough money to buy necessities for her children.
Our sincere thanks to donors for the profound impact they’ve made in Teodora’s life.
Giving Tuesday 2020: Building on last year’s work and supporting farmers in Bolivia during the pandemic
This year, we’re raising funds so SeedChange can reach even more farmers in remote Bolivian communities.
Asunta Hinojosa and Demetrio Sayari Ojeda, farmers in a small community in Bolivia, have been lifelines to their community during COVID-19.
Life-changing eco-friendly agriculture training made these Bolivian farmers resilient in the face of the pandemic, allowing them to share the food they grow and keep their neighbours safe from hunger.
This Giving Tuesday, we want to support farmers like Asunta and Demetrio who are helping their neighbours get enough food during the pandemic. AND we want to reach more than 100 more farmers in remote Bolivian communities.
Donate early and support family farmers!
Help SeedChange reach our $20,000 goal!