'Water is life' in Peru
October 13 2023
2 minutes
“Water is life” in Peru
Or as they say in the Peruvian high mountains: water is life. Because water is indispensable. Where there's water, there's food. But the climate crisis is putting increasing pressure on water management in Peruvian Apurimac.
Because in recent years the rain has been coming later and later, and the soil has been getting drier. The time between sowing and harvesting is getting shorter and shorter. And when it rains, too much rain falls in a short time. Rainwater has no chance to penetrate the hard subsoil. A lot of fertile soil is washed away. The land is in danger of becoming unusable for farmers.
In the past, we had a water-rich soil here. Growing food went well, we usually had surpluses that we could sell. That way we had an income. But because the water could not penetrate the soil, it dried out enormously.
Parched fields come back to life
With the arrival of Cedep Ayllu changed a lot for the local population. Cedep Ayllu is a partner organization of Broederlijk Delen that local farmers help with water management. They teach them to better arm themselves against the impact of the climate crisis. Together with the organization, farmers irrigation systems on and they focus on the planting local crops that hold the rain. That way the parched fields come back to life.
In 2020 and 2021 we started planting about 10.000 different native plants. The whole community, even the school children, helped with this. Thanks to the plants, we already have enough water in the lower areas! Together with Cedep Ayllu we managed to get the water supply back up to standard, so that our crops can grow abundantly again.
Join the fight, side by side with organizations like Cedep Ayllu
The results are great. But it is a continuous struggle against reality. There are still many areas today that are suffering from water shortages. On top of that, the water supply threatened by mining companies in the region. And climate change will continue as long as we don't take real action.
Do you support Cedep Ayllu?
You can help ensure that organisations like Cedep Ayllu continue to have sufficient resources to continue their fight. They must be able to continue to resist the climate crisis that threatens their livelihood.
Fight with them.
