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RCF
Agriculture and Agroforestry Program: Proyecto Aguaje
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Villagers
in the Amazon basin obtain virtually all of their food and economic
sustenance from farming, fishing and extraction of plants and
animals from the forest. Their agriculture is entirely different
from "farming" in the US, which usually consists of using
sophisticated equipment to grow a single crop on hundreds or
thousands of acres. The villagers, working entirely by hand,
plant as much as 100 species of plants on their two acre
"gardens" hewn from the forest. Because of soil
infertility, a new garden must be established after only a few
years.
Since 1993, RCF field director Dr.
James Penn, and his assistants, biologist Gerardo Bertiz and Exiles
Guerra, have worked with the local people to produce more food and
other forest products in their "gardens", extended the
productive time of each "garden" and reduced extraction  of
products from the wild. The farmers working with us no longer
cut primary forest to plant their crops, but rather re-use land
which has laid fallow for fifteen years or more. One element
of our program is planting the Aguaje palm.
The fruit of the aguaje palm is a
crucial food for many rainforest species and a source of much needed
income to the local people who sell it in the city of Iquitos.
The wild aguaje grows extremely tall so its fruit is harvested by
cutting down the tree. When adequately spaced in
"gardens", the aguaje grows much shorter and can be
harvested for many years without cutting down the tree. Since
1993 RCF has helped villagers plant and maintain more than 7,000
aguaje trees, many of which are now producing sustainable
fruit. Enthusiasm for expansion of the aguaje program
continues to grow.
Environmental
Education Program: Estudiantes en Action
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Although
the local people are intimately familiar with their environment,
they have little understanding of the way it works or fits
together. They lack basic education in biology, ecology and
conservation. Because they have little exposure to the outside
world, they have little appreciation for the uniqueness of their
natural world and little understanding of that the natural world
upon which they rely is at grave risk.
In 2005 RCF initiated
an Environmental Education Program with the
assistance of a Peruvian
NGO (CIMA) and the Chicago Field Museum. The program is
designed to teach both teachers
and students about basic biology and
the interconnectedness of nature. Our biologists, Cesar Gil
and Rosana Gonzalez, use a hands on approach, taking the students
out the classroom and into the nature which surrounds them.
They now work in five primary schools.
In 2008 we are
initiating a program for the many adults who have expressed
interest. We expect to extend our program to additional
communities in 2008 and 2009.
Family
Planning, Medical Supplies and Reproductive Health (return
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In
late 2005, five communities near the ACRCTT asked RCF to establish a
family planning program. Because RCF had no experience with
family planning, we sought technical assistance from the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America. After through evaluation and
planning, we, and our sister organization in Peru (ACDA),
established the "Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive
Health" program on May 1, 2007.
In July, sociologist
Graciela Blanco and licensed midwife, Jeanina Castilla, began
training 10 men and women selected by five communities to be
"promoters". Simultaneously we conducted workshops
in each community, began designing area specific educational
materials and established a supply mechanism for contraceptive
methods, including injections, pills, IUDs and condoms. We also continued
work on educational materials, with the assistance of artists from
Chicago's Field Museum, who specialize in communication techniques
for indigenous and rural populations. Home visits,
community workshops, and training of promoters continue and the
promoters have begun administering contraceptives. We are also
conducting educational programs for each school in the communities.
Three additional communities
have asked that we expand our program to include them. Rather
than dilute program quality, we will expand only as additional funds
become available.
RCF
New Field Station
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For
13 years RCF extension workers operated from the homes of community
members. As the number of programs and extension workers grew,
it became increasingly difficult for RCF to operate without a home
base.
In
2007, with the assistance of the local men and women, RCF
constructed a 2,500 sq ft Field Station on the Tahuayo river.
The thatched roof building, constructed in the traditional manner,
has 7 beds in five sleeping rooms, but has floor space to
accommodate as many as 20 people. The station is equipped with
a septic system, running water pumped from the river, screens, but
still lacks solar power (for computers and light for evening work
and meetings), a radio system, and a deep well for safe drinking
water.
The
facility serves as:
-a
base for RCF fieldworkers, field director and president
-a
base for visiting students and professors from Iquitos, the US and
elsewhere
-a
meeting and training center for RCF community programs
-a
resource center for people from the communities
Health
Care
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RCF
is not a health care organization, but from time to time we find
ourselves ethically compelled to provide emergency transportation
and assistance to the bare bones Health Post, which provides care to
8 communities. The Health Post is staffed by a medical
technician and nurse, who provide services ranging from emergency
care to obstetrics. They are often without adequate medications and
basic supplies.
From
2004-2006 RCF was the only source of essential medicines and
supplies, including antibiotics and IV fluids. The government
is currently providing essentials, but the supply is far from
secure. The Health Post still has many unmet needs including
adequate transportation and solar powered batteries for a small
refrigerator to hold vaccines, snake anti-venom and other
medications.
Because
the river people rely almost entirely on and paddled canoes, RCF
frequently provides emergency river transportation to the Health
Post or the city of Iquitos, which is three hours away by power
boat.
Other
Activities (return
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RCF
engages in a range of other activities including:
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Assisting with enforcement of communal hunting, fishing and logging
agreements
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Consulting and advising local and regional governments and other
NGOs
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Cooperative efforts to rescue and release captive wildlife
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Coordination with the research activities of the Tahuayo River
Amazon Research Center
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Interacting with the principal university in Iquitos, UNAP
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Supporting limited field study by US students
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