During 2021, we continued to successfully perform our “Activity 6: Development of Productive Projects” working to boost food production, promote sustainable agricultural practices (good land use), reduce pressure on the forest, guarantee food security, create new economic opportunities, to improve Matavén indigenous peoples quality of life and protect their natural resources.
During 2021, we designed and implemented 36 small/medium-scale Productive Projects, 4 large-scale Productive Projects and we worked in the Coomatavén Cooperative.
1. Agroforestry Project of cocoa, plantain, corn and abarco (forest native species)
We started this Productive Project in October 2020, in alliance with FEDECACAO (Federación Nacional de Cacaoteros de Colmbia), with 100 indigenous families, each one in its 1-hectare parcel/conuco in 10 Matavén communities: Palmarito, Miraluz, Morocoto, Morichal, Yurí, Cumaral and Caño Bocón (Zone 5); Berlín 1, Sejalito 1 and San Luis de la Rompida (Zone 4). In 2021 we finished Phase II:
- We provided supplies to each family: cocoa plants, plantain hills, corn, abarco trees, fertilizers.
- We provided tools to each family: shovel, machete, buckets, barretón, manual pruning shears, pruning shears long reach, pump of sprayer fumigation, wheelbarrow, handsaw, pruning knife and a motor scythe.
- We built a 1.000 square-meter nursery with an area for bag-filling and substrate preparation, to produce 50.000 cocoa plants every six months for replenishment.
- We conducted training sessions in planting techniques, crop management, fertilization, and disease control.
- We did an inventory of the plants and its phytosanitary and production status.
- We developed phytosanitary control activities for the plants, and we assisted the processes for fertilizer management and weed and pest control.
- We grafted the cocoa plants from the nursery with cloned genetic material to improve their quality.
- We designed spaces to ferment and dry the cocoa beans to ensure the quality of the grain.
2. Ecotourism Productive Project
We started this Productive Project in July 2021, in alliance with the Colombian foundation “Cuidar la Tierra”, in 4 Matavén communities: Laguna Negra, Laguna Cacao (Zone 4); La Urbana and Barranco Colorado (Zone 3).
- We created the first Indigenous Community Tourism Council with 8 indigenous representatives (2 representatives per community).
- We explored and identified the tourist attractions in the community of La Urbana.
- We started designing, reviewing, and adjusting the construction of its interpretive/nature trail.
3. Productive Project of sustainable ornamental fisheries
We started this Productive Project in July 2021, in alliance with FUNINDES, with 30 participants (10 indigenous people in each community) in 3 indigenous communities: Pueblo Nuevo Zama, La Urbana and Pueblo Escondido (Zone 3).
- We conducted technical training sessions on sustainable fishing practices, management and control of fishing mortality.
- We started designing a fish collection center.
- We started approaching the Colombian National Authority for Aquaculture and Fisheries (UNAP) to jointly prepare a field file, in order to meet legal regulations.
4. Productive Project of agrosilvopastoral school farm – “The new conuco ”
We started This Productive Project in September 2021, in alliance with the Colombian Foundation Granja Tarapacá, in 5 Matavén communities: Boponé, Matsuldani, San Marcos, San Roque and Siracusa (Zone 1), to create a space where indigenous communities can learn agroecological and silvopastoral sustainable practices, bring their ancestral knowledge and protect their natural resources.
- We designed the infrastructure and created the baseline to identify the population and quantify the impact of the Project.
- We built a chicken coop (capacity: 200 animals), a pigsty (capacity: 12 animals), and a barn (capacity: 12 animals).
- We built a biopreparation plant and a forest nursery.
- We collected local seeds and substrates.
- We prepared green manures.
- We conducted 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 provided materials and equipment to each participant for the maintenance of the “School Farm”.
5. Coomatavén
We constituted COOMATAVÉN in 2019 in 10 Matavén indigenous communities: Palmarito, Miraluz, Morocoto, Morichal, Yurí, Cumaral and Caño Bocón (Zone 5); Berlín 1, Sejalito 1 and San Luis de la Rompida (Zone 4). During 2021 we worked in alliance with Latorre PN to integrate and strategically align the different actors and organizations that play an active role in the Indigenous Reservation of the Matavén Forest; and the participants of the Productive Projects of REDD+ Matavén; in order to create new economic/commercial opportunities and improve the quality of life of their indigenous peoples.
- We held the General Assembly.
- We updated the statutes in the Chamber of Commerce of Villavicencio, and we legalized them in the DIAN (Colombia Tax and Customs National Authority).
- We conducted training sessions for the Board of Directors and the Surveillance Board in cooperatives, administration, planning, organization, management, and control.
- We started designing local economic circuits (cooperative stores) to meet the needs of the communities and market their surplus production and their handicrafts, outside Matavén.
REDD+ Matavén is an environmental & social project tackling climate change and multi-dimensions of poverty. We stop deforestation, we protect tropical forests in the Indigenous Reservation of the Matavén Forest (Vichada, Colombia), while safeguarding its biodiversity and improving their indigenous people quality of life.