Rainforest conversation and the fight against poverty
Münster/Madre de Dios – A project in Madre de Dios in Peru succeeds in conserving the rainforest and simultaneously assisting people in finding a way out of poverty. Marianne Heimbach-Steins, member of the ZIN board and director of the Institute for Christian Social Sciences of the Catholic Theological Faculty of the WWU, visited the project at the end of November as part of a dialogue trip with Caritas International – the international aid organization of the German Caritas Association. “The project provides a livelihood for families living in the amazon region and, at the same time, it contributes to the conservation of creation,” (own translation) she said upon her return.
New ways are needed to protect the densely wooded and species-rich nature. The overexploitation of nature in Peru is tremendous, as every year areas as big as 200,000 football pitches of rainforests are destroyed. This depletion has fatal consequences: areas are deserted and entire river landscapes have disappeared. Additionally, the risk of flooding increases further due to climate change.
Especially illegal gold prospectors from the poor highlands of Peru cut down the Amazon region. Using mercury and other chemicals, they remove the popular precious metal from the sludge and then discharge the wastewater unfiltered into the rivers. “The Peruvian state has introduces laws against mining, but they are simply not enforced,” the travelers learned from the Caritas staff on site. The miners do not even stop at designated nature reserves. Small farmers and indigenous people are pushed back or are expelled from their own territory.
This is where the project, funded by Caritas International, comes in. Small farmers are supported in organic farming. Caritas especially focuses on agroforestry, which is the combination of agriculture and forestry on the same area. This counteracts soil erosion, stabilizes the natural water balance, strengthens the fragile ecosystem and at the same time secures economic existence. The families plant their fields with crop plants, fruit trees and perennial woods. Instead of monocultures, which foster the danger of soil erosion, the agricultural planning puts an emphasis on the greatest possible diversity. For example, pineapples, cocoa, bananas, Brazil nuts and avocados grow on the same field. Management plans are drawn up for these areas, which also take into account the risk of future floods and droughts.
Moreover, the Caritas Madre de Dios does not only provide the small farmers with knowledge for land management, but also strengthens them as producer associations by setting up their own utilization chain. Together they generate a decent income and are better able to resist the illegal gold prospectors. The project is proving successful. For example, the “Aprocci” producer association cultivates 120 hectares of land, and grows, among other things, cocoa and processes it into award-winning drinking choclate. The “El Progreso” community of 38 smallholders produces chocolate from homegrown “cupuaçu” a relative of the cocoa plant.
Towards the end of the trip, Marianne Heimbach-Steins met with the bishop of Madre Dios, David Martinez Aguirre Guinea. “The bishop told us about the Pope’s visit to Puerto Maldonado in January 2018 and about the problems of the poor in his diocese. Here, it becomes very clear what Francis means when he admonishes in his encyclical ‘Laudato si’ to hear the cry of the poor and at the same time the cry of the maltreated earth.”
During the dialogue trip, the group – which mainly comprised decision-makers from Church and Caritas – got to know the work of Caritas in Peru. In the greater Lima area, the group visited projects for the victims of the flood disaster after El Niño 2017 as well as for addicts and former children in care. In Arequipa, they learned how inclusive primary schools, teacher training and home visits promote the joint learning of children with and without disabilities. Due to a meeting with Peruvian Social Minister Liliana La Rosa Huertas the group gained an insight into the difficult socio-political situation in the country, whose social budget currently accounts for only 2.85% of the total state budget.
For Marianne Heimbach-Steins, the trip to the third largest country on the South American continent offered valuable insights. She received "visual instruction" on the manifold requirements of ecological and social sustainability and on the necessity of thinking environmental protection and social policy together. Implementing sustainability comprehensively and taking over responsibility for justice require both nature conservation and promotion of the concerns of indigenous people and the poor in a coordinated fashion – a tremendous challenge for politics and civil society.
Caritas International is the aid organization of the German Caritas Association. It is a member of the Caritas network worldwide, which consists of 162 national associations.
