Cesvi has been working in South-western Amazonia for more than 20 years. Amazonia territory equals 42% of Europe: it contains 70% of world biodiversity and 1/5 of fresh water. Each square kilometer includes over 75,000 different trees.
Cesvi supports producers of quinoa and Brazilian nut through the “SuperA project”. “A” stands for “Alimenti”: highly nutritious food containing big quantities of proteins, amino acid, vitamins and minerals. The goal is to contribute reaching a sustainable economic development and reducing poverty in Madre de Dios, Ayacucho, Apurímac and Huancavelica regions.
Quinoa and Brazilian nut are among the most important products of Peru. They are part of the great biodiversity of this Country. Recently quinoa became very popular because of its extraordinary nutrition properties – the UN elected quinoa as “food of the year” in 2013 and it is now considered a key product for global food security.
Just like the Brazilian nut, quinoa has a big economic potential, and small/medium producers have the possibility to be included in the benefits of the trade.
But up until now, the increase in the demand and the consequent increase in one-crops have had a negative impact on life conditions for the most vulnerable people in Peru from both an environmental and economic point of view. The number of Peruvians who consume quinoa halved because of the price increase.
Cesvi aims at supporting international fair trade in order to guarantee better and fairer prices and conditions for farmers when selling their quinoa, thus promoting a sustainable economic development.