Smart management of Ecuador's Lake Imbakucha

Ecuador's highlands, some of the most stunning scenery in the Andes, are just 90 minutes north from the capital Quito. All that natural beauty was seriously threatened just a few years ago, as a result of unsustainable agricultural practices and deforestation. By tackling poverty and pollution in the same project, indigenous people in Ecuador make substantial improvements to their lives and the environment.

Ecuador's highlands, some of the most stunning scenery in the Andes, are just 90 minutes north from the capital Quito. Otavalo, locally referred to as the Valley of the Dawn, is home to 40,000 Otavalo and Kayambi indigenous peoples. On a clear day the blue waters of Lake Imbakucha reflect the sky, and the green slopes of Mount Imbabura tower above the nearby villages.

All that natural beauty was seriously threatened just a few years ago. At the end of the last century the lake was being choked by sediments from erosion, the result of unsustainable agricultural practices and deforestation.

With no environmental laws or regulations to protect the lake (also known as Lake San Pablo), poor farmers were using destructive chemical growing techniques in their struggle to make a living. Waste water from homes contaminated the lake, and water levels were dropping.

Water-borne diseases spread among the people. Agricultural output started to drop, making poverty even worse. By 2000, an estimated 85 percent of the area's population lived in poverty. Lack of crop diversification contributed to this problem: 65 percent of boys and girls under the age of five were malnourished in 2000. In addition, local social organizations were weak, and people were not working together to resolve the problems.

Unraveling Poverty

When people, poverty, and pollution are woven together as they were in Otavalo, no single solution will work to unravel it all. Over the last six years, Oxfam's staff in South America has worked with the Center for Pluricultural Studies (Centro de Estudios Pluriculturales--CEPCU), an Ecuadorian non-governmental organization formed by indigenous professionals and technicians, to take on different aspects of the intertwined social and environmental challenges, one at a time.

Starting with a small project aimed at improving the income of 35 families living around the lake, CEPCU's work now features a broad “Integral Management Plan” for the Lake Imbakucha Basin that benefits more than 1,000 of the 5,000 families living nearest the lake. The goal is to help the farmers improve their income while using environmentally friendly practices that will protect the resources on which they rely.

Each portion of CEPCU's current initiative complements the others:

• Family Gardens and Agriculture: Small loans help families increase the variety of crops in their family garden plots and raise animals. This has helped families improve their diet as well as their living conditions by selling surplus produce to supplement their income. In addition, about 25 communities now employ agricultural practices that do not use chemicals or other contaminants, and close to 170 families have undertaken projects to protect soils. These projects have a dual benefit, protecting the lake from harmful runoff while increasing productivity on the farms.
• Forestry and Erosion Control: Reforestation projects that have planted more than 100,000 trees (80 percent of which are native species) and replanted grasses have helped reduce soil erosion on high mountain slopes and pastures near the lake. About 15 of the lake's 50 slopes now receive constant maintenance of plants, fencing to keep animals out of streams, and other measures to improve the water quality in the lake.
• Community Organizations: Strong organizations capable of organizing community-based solutions are essential to preserving the environment and reducing poverty. And it is particularly important for women to be involved in these efforts. CEPCU and Oxfam have organized approximately 300 women in 10 associations involved in agriculture and arts and crafts. While helping spread environmentally sound practices in their businesses, the associations also foster the participation of women in public and social programs in their communities.

The Integral Management Plan for the Lake Imbakucha Basin is the result of an ambitious community-planning effort coordinated by the Indigenous Federation of Imbabura (Federación Indígena del Imbabura, or FICI), another Oxfam America partner organization. CEPCU carries out all of these activities with the support of Oxfam and several other international cooperation agencies.