The Challenge
The social and economic conditions of the Shuar communities are very limited. Therefore, they require support to develop knowledge and skills that allow them to take advantage, in a sustainable and responsible manner, of their incalculable environmental wealth, while respecting their ancestral indigenous traditions and their worldview based on their intimate relationship with the territory.
Beneficiary Population
The families that belong to ten Shuar communities located in the parishes of Patuca and Méndez in the Province of Morona Santiago.
Objective
Step Forward promotes the economic and social development of the Shuar communities through the design, execution and development of programmes to plant, process and market Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia Volubilis) and other local products, under the indigenous production model of the Aja Shuar.
This project also seeks to contribute to the food security of the Shuar communities and helps them secure an additional income.
Process
Step Forward will promote the establishment of a community organization that will be responsible for implementing a productive and sustainable model of Sacha Inchi and other Amazonian products and will contribute with the development of the respective processing and marketing strategies at the local and regional levels.
