Within REDD+ Matavén we are developing 4 Productive Projects and the Coomatavén Cooperative, in order to improve their crops (conucos) productivity, promote sustainable agricultural practices (land use), reduce pressure on the forest, guarantee food security & create new opportunities; thus to improve Matavén indigenous quality of life and protect their natural resources.
One of these four Productive Projects is the Agrosilvopastoral School Farm, also called “The new crop/ conuco”. We work with the Fundación Granja Tarapacá, in 5 Matavén communities, with the objective to create a space where agriculture coexists with the protection of Matavén natural resources: indigenous communities learn agroecological and silvopastoral practices, bring their ancestral knowledge and protect their soils, forests, water and biodiversity.
We started the Project in September 2021 and we have already completed Phase I: we designed the infrastructure and created the baseline to know the population and quantify the impact of the Project. We are now in Phase II – implementation, we are working with 15 indigenous people (4 women) from 2 Matavén Communities: Boponé & Matsuldani.
- We have built a chicken coop (capacity: 200 animals), a pigsty (capacity: 12 animals), a barn (capacity: 12 animals).
- We have built a biopreparation plant and a forest nursery.
- We have collected local seeds, substrates.
- Participants have attended technical workshops on forage cultivation, silvopastoral, agroforestry, preparation of organic fertilizers, preparation of microbial broths, pest & diseases control, soil preparation and mineral/organic amendments.
- We have provided materials and equipment to each participant for the maintenance of the Farm School.
- We have prepared green manures.