The Communities

Pedro Moncayo

This county is in the province of Pichincha, 60 km to the North of Quito, one and a half hours by bus. Our hacienda Picalquí is 1.5 km to the south of Tabacundo, its principal town.

The climate of this zone is mild with sunny days that reach around 20°C, and that can drop to 8°C during the night. From October to May is the rainy season, and from June to September the dry season.

It is a rural zone habited by campesino and indigenous families situated next to Cerro Mojanda, between 2600 and 3200 metres above sea level. In general the communities are linked by dirt roads along which various forms of transport occasionally run.

The campesinos have small plots of land on which they cultivate cereal crops, maize, potatoes, beans and other vegetables; fruits such as tomate de árbol, blackberries, uvillas and various passion fruits. They also have a few cattle, pigs, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs.

From June to August the communities celebrate Inti Raymi, or the harvest festival. Each community participates in processions in traditional costume, after which the dancing continues…. each fiesta can last for some days!

Intag

In the province of Imbabura, towards the west of Cotacachi county is Intag, around two and a half hours by bus from the cities of Otavalo and Cotacachi. It is a zone eminently mountainous, where various dispersed communities form part of the fringes bordering the Ecological Reserve of Cotacachi - Cayapas.

It is a sub-tropical zone, with a semi-warm and humid climate. This area experiences periods of frequent rain that last from January to May. The temperature has an agreeable average of 21°C.

As a part of the Choco bioregion, the area contains a great diversity of flora and fauna. The hilly countryside, the rivers and the forests create an attractive and outstanding location that conveys the character of the relaxed and affable campesinos.

It is a transitional zone between the Andean and tropical forests, where campesino land is covered with pasture and crops like sugar cane, coffee, and beans, and in kitchen gardens next to their wooden houses grow yucca, platano and fruits.

The population of this zone are known for their tenacious struggle in defense of their natural resources and for their efforts to create an ecological county. One of their most important actions in defense of the communities and the conservation of the forests, was their opposition to the presence of mineral extraction companies.

Columbe

Columbe is in the province of Chimborazo, an hour from the city of Riobamba where many Quichua-Puruhá indigenous communities live; in this zone, almost the entire population is indigenous. The majority are bi-lingual but the main language spoken is Quichua.

These communities occupy the highlands that flank the interior of the western mountain range, between 3200 and 3600 metres above sea level, next to the Andean paramos. Due to the high altitude, the climate is cold, with average temperatures of 11°C, with rainy spells typical of the Ecuadorian sierra.

The Puruhá culture was established in what is currently known as the province of Chimborazo. Despite the long period of colonial Spanish rule and their exclusion in the following Republican era, these communities have fought, with incredible determination, for the defense of their culture and the maintenance of their language, clothes and customs.

After the land reform of the 1970's, the communities were given access to their own terrain. The communities are formed by numerous families fundamentally dedicated to agriculture and livestock. On their small plots they cultivate cereals, diverse tubers like potatoes, mellocas, ocas, mashua as well as vegetables and pasture for livestock.

Puyo

The city of Puyo is located in the Amazonian province of Pastaza , the largest province in Ecuador , area named the “heart of the East” and has around 60000 habitants.

The main part of the province is covered by primary rainforest, being one of the most humid zones in Ecuador with in excess of 4000mm rainfall annually. Puyo is located at 950 metres above sea level with an average temperature of 23 degrees centigrade. In this province live indigenous communities such as quichuas, záparos, shuaras and achuaras, and a mestizo population of colonists who arrived from neighbouring provinces around 75 years ago.

We work with farming families descending from the colonists who own farms close to Puyo. They are large farms, averaging between 50 and 100 ha , and the majority contain some primary forest.

Families primarily work with cattle, but also produce sugar cane, yucca, papa china and a variety of fruits like pitajaya, naranjilla, guayaba, papaya, pineapple, lemons and others. Additionally they own chickens, pigs and breed fish, principally Tilapia.

 

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