I International Course AGROECOLOGY AND ECOLOGICAL

RESTORATION FOR THE AMAZON

July 5th – 9th, 2017 Leticia, Amazonas

Colombia

The 1st International Course on Agroecology and Ecological Restoration for the Amazon will take place in Leticia, Amazonas (Colombia) from July 5th to 9th, 2017. This course is possible thanks to the alliance between the Latino American Scientific Society of Agroecology- SOCLA, CIPAV Foundation and Hábitat Sur Foundation. Delegates of the Amazon Institute of Scientific Research - SINCHI and of the National University of Colombia will also participate as invited speakers. The course is conceived as an exchange platform for sharing traditional, academic and empirical knowledge about the Amazon ecosystem and its sustainable use, in order to conserve it and guarantee the wellbeing of the communities and species that inhabit this territory. Lead Trainers: Clara I Nicholls, Ph.D. President of the Latino American Scientific Society of Agroecology, SOCLA. Professor of Rural Sustainable Development – University of California, Berkeley Miguel A Altieri, Ph.D. Professor of Agroecology – University of California, Berkeley Enrique Murgueitio Restrepo, Executive Director CIPAV Foundation Zoraida Calle Díaz, Biologist MSc. Coordinator of the Area of Ecological Restoration – CIPAV Foundation Orlando Vargas Ríos, Associate Professor Group of Ecological Restoration, Department of Biology - National University of Colombia

The  course  will  create  an  exchange  platform  for  sharing  traditional,  academic  and  empirical  knowledge  about  the  amazon  ecosystem  and  its  sustainable  use,  in  order  to  conserve  it  and  guarantee  the  wellbeing  of  the  communities  and  species  that  inhabit  this  territory.  

LOCAL INITIATIVES FOR THE INTEGRATED AND SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMAZON

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CONTEXT

• Representing 5% of the World’s continental land, the Amazon is the most biodiverse region of the planet, with around 50% of existing living species inhabiting its forests, lakes and rivers.

• The biological and cultural relevance of this region is globally recognized. The environmental services provided by the Amazon, particularly the regulation of climate and water cycles, and its services as carbon bank, are of importance for every single being on this Planet, even more in a context of climate change.

• Colonization, the expansion of agricultural frontiers, extractive activities, the presence of illicit crops, mining, fossil fuels exploitation and population growth in urban centres of the Amazon region, are some of the factors putting increasing pressure over the Amazon ecosystem.

Food sovereignty: • Factors such as the official regulations that limit possibilities for land use in the

Amazon, the low levels of fertility of the soils and the rapid urbanization of the region, have significant effects over the capacity of local agricultural systems to respond to the growing demand of food to satisfy the needs of the local and floating population of the region (increasing tourists flow).

• There is an evident detachment from the land and loss of traditional farming practices of local indigenous communities, particularly of younger generations living in communities near urban centers, due to strong processes of acculturation.

• The loss of a fundamental element of their culture, such as a diet based on traditional products locally grown, undermines indigenous people’s food sovereignty and makes them more vulnerable to external changes, affecting their resiliency.

• Regional urban centres are highly dependent on the import of all kinds of food from the center of the country, which implies: o High costs of food due to aerial transportation costs. o Large environmental footprint of the food system of Amazon urban

centres.

Agroecology: • Agricultural practices in the region are based on the clearing of land by slashing

and burning, which generates deforested areas later planted with a few popular plants such as cassava, plantain, chontaduro and pineapple.

• Nevertheless, it is possible to find positive deviations of this tendency, where family’s chagras (swiddens) still maintain the traditional structure characterized by a high diversity of plants including a variety of Amazon fruit trees, beans, cucumbers, peppers, coriander, traditional corn, sugar cane, açaí, cacao, medicinal plants, coca and other regional products.

• In this kind of swiddens it is possible to identify the intuitive application of agroecological concepts and practices such as biological control of plagues and weeds, sunshine and erosion management, the use of diverse plants to fixate nutrients in soils and the recognition of the importance of a varied diet.

Ecological restoration: • Forests, water bodies and other strategic ecosystems of the Amazon, which

have been degraded by human action, become appropriate scenarios for developing ecological restoration processes combining strategies like enriching the natural regrowth with native species and reforesting watersheds’ shores.

Let’s  start  a  dialogue  about  the  challenges  facing  the  Amazon  in  relation  to  conservation,  food  sovereignty  and  the  need  to  establish  sustainable  agriculture  systems  adequate  for  the  region.  

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OBJECTIVES:

1. Acknowledge and value the biological and cultural richness of the Amazon. 2. Start a dialogue about the challenges facing the Amazon in relation to

conservation, food sovereignty and the need to establish sustainable agriculture systems adequate for the region.

3. Identify good practices developed by local farmers and evidence ways in which they can improve by introducing agroecological practices in the management of their swiddens or farms.

4. Identify sceneries of ecological restoration with high local impact and address them with community –led interventions.

5. Set the basis for the creation of a Network of Sustainable Agricultures of the Amazon whose experiences could be inserted in local and national routes of agroecological tourism.

METHODOLOGY:

• The course will be a five-day immersion in the cultural, ecological and social context of the Amazon.

• Through a schedule that includes theoretical sessions, fieldtrips and field practices in indigenous swiddens, farms and natural reserves, participants will have the chance to acquire a deeper understanding of the Amazon, recognize its cultural and natural wealth, share with local communities, actively participate in a horizontal exchange of knowledge and techniques about the subjects under study.

• From a hands-on perspective, during the course we will be addressing challenges previously identified by the organizers while working in mingas (ancient tradition of community work) in different private and community-owned lands in order to support the farmers on the establishment of agroecological practices in their lands.

• Participants will also be involved in the creation of an ecological restoration strategy to address a high-impact local challenge such as the ecological restoration of the ecosystem of cananguchales, critical for protecting water bodies.

LOGISTICS:

• Students must arrive to Leticia, Amazonas (Colombia) no later than the 4th of July 2017.

• A transport will be provided from the center of Leticia to Hábitat Sur Natural Reserve, located on Km. 16 of the road Leticia-Tarapacá, where participants will be hosted during the five days of the course.

*Accommodation for participants is in hammocks with individual mosquito nets.

Investment:

$600 USD (Six hundred US Dollars)

Includes: All theoretical and practical workshops, visits to local communities, materials, local transport, food, lodging and translation services, if required.

Note: Airfare to Leticia not included.

From a hands-on

perspective, during the

course we will be working

in mingas in different

private and community-

owned lands in order to

support the farmers on

the establishment of

agroecological practices

in their lands.

Meeting point: Café de las Ranas – Parque Santander (Leticia) Date: July 4 th, 2017 Time: 4:30 p.m.

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Wednesday(5 Sunday(9

7:00AM Breakfast Breakfast

8:00/AMFieldtrip:(Visit(to(the(Muina(Murui(Ethno(Cultural(Center.

8:30/AM

9:00/a.m.

9:30/AM

10:00/a.m.

10:30/AM

11:00/a.m. SINCHI/presentation

11:30/a.m.Professor/Orlando/

Vargas'/presentationDELIVERY(OF(CERTIFICATES

2:00/p.m.

2:30/p.m.

3:00/p.m.

3:30/p.m.

4:00/p.m.

4:30/p.m.

5:00/p.m. Break

5:30/p.m.

6:00/p.m.

6:30/p.m.

7:00PM Dinner

SCHEDULE(OF(ACTIVITIES(

1st(INTERNATIONAL(COURSE(ON(AGROECOLOGY(AND(ECOLOGICAL(RESTORATION(FOR(THE(AMAZON

JULY/5th/O/9th,/2017

Leticia,/Amazonas/O/Colombia

Thursday(6 Friday(7 Saturday(8

Breakfast Breakfast6:30/am:/Breakfast/at/the/

public/market

Welcome/presentation/

O/Hábitat/Sur

EthnoObotany/and/Amazon/

Agroforestry/Systems//O/

Fieldwork:(Managing/natural/

regrowth/with/enriching/

species.

Fieldtrip:(Visit/a/project/of/family/agriculture/in/

Tabatinga/(Brasil)/O/

Comparative/case/study/of/

an/agroecological/project/

led/by/brasilian/settlers.

Lunch

Fieldtrip: /Visit/a/community/

reforestation/project/using/

native/species./////////////////////

Fieldwork:/Establishment/

of/tree/nursery/for/

ecological/restoration/

purposes.

SOCLA/presentation

CIPAV/presentation

Participatory(Research((O/Integrating/traditional/and/

technical/knowledge/for/the/

creation/of/sustainable/agriO

landscapes./Presentation/of/the/

project/developed/with/

indigenous/Muina/Murui/

families.

Enrique(Murgueitio(R(Establishment/of/silviOpastoral/

and/animal/production/

systems/with/agroecological/

principles/in/the/Amazon/

Transfer/and/jungle/walk/

to/Maloca&del&Diablo/(indigenous/community/

house)

Miguel(Altieri/O/The/Agroecological/Revolution/in/

Latinamerica./Case/studies/of/

countries/of/the/Amazon/basin.

12:00/O/2:00/

p.m.Lunch Lunch

Lunch/at/Maloca&del&Diablo

Lunch/O/Amazon/

gastronomy/workshop/with/

Okaina/elder/Mamá/Shá/Shá

Fieldtrip:(Visit/a/project/of/community/agriculture/

supported/by/FAO/O/

Communities/of/Pichuna/and/

Km./18.

Jungle(walk(to(Hábitat(Sur(Natural(Reserve.(Recognition/of/the/

biodiversity/of/the/

rainforest/guided/by(Antonio(Cayetano((Uitoto(

Elder)./

Fieldwork:(Agroecological/management/of/a/swidden/O/

Minga/in/Pijachi/Family's/

swidden./OkainaOUitoto/

Indigenous/Community/O/

Km/6./

Zoraida(Calle//O/Ecological/Restoration/

Concepts/in/sinergy/

wiyh/Agroecology

Break

Environmental(Cinema:/"La/Belle/

Vert"///"Las/cosechas/

del/futuro"

Clara(Nicholls/O/Role/of/biodiversity/in/redesign/for/

ecological/treatment/of/

plagues/

CLOSUREBreak Break

Dinner Dinner Dinner

Clara(Nicholls/O/Foundations/and/basic/

concepts/of/

Agroecology

Orlando(Vargas(O/Identification/of/scenarios/

and/implementation/of/

strategies/of/ecological/

restoration/in/Hábitat/Sur/

Natural/Reserve///////////////////////////////

(Fieldwork)

Clara(Nicholls/O/Agroecology/and/climate/

change/resilience

Anitalia(Pijachi(R("The/Swidden:/Food/sovereignty,/

culture/and/life/of/Amazon/

Indigenous/Communities."

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ORGANIZERS:

Latin-American Scientific Society of Agroecology– SOCLA:

As a Scientific Society, the main aim of SOCLA is to promote reflexive debates, discussions and scientific information and knowledge sharing about Agroecology between researchers and professors of the region. SOCLA achieves this by developing activities such as:

• Publishing a bi-yearly magazine with scientific studies, reports on research findings, literature reviews or relevant articles regarding key subjects.

• Organizing a regional Agroecology Congress every two years, • Executing specialized on-line and in person courses, including the Latin-

American Doctorate on Agroecology, • Implementing cooperative regional research projects, • Creating permanent working groups in charge of producing reports about

strategic issues that impact agriculture in the region.

A key role of SOCLA is to support the agroecological movement in Latin America, by being a recognized scientific center with high credibility, providing scientific counseling to organizations such as MAELA, other NGOs and farmers associations such as Vía Campesina –ACLOC.

Some of the strategic subjects addressed by SOCLA, include: The ecological impact of transgenic crops and biofuels; the implications of climate change in agriculture; the impacts of globalization and, in particular, the theory and practice of alternative ways to the mainstream industrialized agricultural model.

SOCLA is a regional organization, which cooperates and supports joint activities with other societies and organizations involved in the promotion of Agroecology. SOCLA promotes the creation of national chapters using the existent model of the Brazilian Society of Agroecology, in order to allow the organization of in-country groups able to promote trainings, research and dissemination of agroecological theories and practices. CIPAV Foundation - Center for the Research of Sustainable Systems of Agro-pastoral Production

CIPAV Foundation is a non-governmental organization with more than 20 years of experience in research, training, and dissemination of information, oriented at building sustainable systems of agro-pastoral production.

Its mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of the rural sector through research, management, development and dissemination of nature-friendly productive alternatives. This mission is achieved through:

• Conduct research oriented to the design and validation of appropriate technologies to the resources of the tropics, emphasizing the use of sugar cane, aquatic plants and agricultural sub-products.

• Train professionals, producers and farmers in the use of these technologies, using human and technical resources available in the region.

• Transfer and widely disseminate these appropriate technologies among relevant stakeholders.

From 1994 to present CIPAV has achieved the highest category (A1) in all national scientific contests promoted by COLCIENCIAS. In recognition for its work in favour of science and sustainable development, CIPAV has received nine awards in Colombia, Mexico and Sweden.

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About us:

Hábitat Sur is an initiative of individuals connected to the Amazon and its people, from our hearts, who believe in the great social, cultural and ecological potential of this region.

In order to preserve it, we promote the exchange of traditional, academic and empirical knowledge about the Amazon ecosystem, its population, their cultures and the challenges they face; and we create spaces and opportunities to transform these exchanges into concrete local actions for sustainable community development.

What we do:

We develop and support initiatives with high social, cultural and environmental value, articulated around the interests and needs of the most vulnerable sectors of the population of the Amazon.

These initiatives have been identified and prioritized by the communities themselves, based on the existing opportunities, capacities, knowledge and resources at the local level. They stem from the creativity, energy and passion of members of the communities and are supported by their own capacity to collaborate and act collectively in order to generate transformations of their surroundings for the benefit of all.

Our focus is in three main areas that are closely linked:

• Sustainable Habitats and Responsible Tourism • Cultural Initiatives • Habitat and Community Development

Our Principles:

• We believe in the power of collective action and mutual cooperation.

• We believe in the potential of our communities, in their capacity to identify their challenges, to define their priorities, to change their behavior for the benefit of all and to work together to satisfy their needs and transform their habitats in a sustainable way.

• We work hand in hand with local communities. Every project we support stems from their initiative and commits their own resources and efforts in order to achieve the goals proposed.

• We are convinced that the alliance with local communities is the only way to conserve the biodiversity, the natural and cultural wealth of the Amazon and its people.

• We recognize culture, creativity and the different forms of artistic expression as elements that highly contribute to social and economic development, economic stability, community cohesion and the conservation of the environment.

• We believe that responsible, ethical and purposeful tourism is a powerful force that can offer sustainable economic alternatives and better opportunities for local population.

• We act as facilitators and as a bridge to bring together the resources and capacities of different sectors of the society in order to support the development efforts of the most vulnerable sectors of the population of the Amazon.

CONTACT: Adriana Bueno M. +57 312-5854306 adriana.bueno@habitatsur.org

www.habitatsur.org

LOCAL INITIATIVES FOR THE INTEGRATED AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMAZON

Hábitat Sur promotes the

exchange of traditional,

academic and empirical

knowledge about the Amazon

ecosystem, its population, their

cultures and the challenges

they face; and we create spaces

and opportunities to transform

these exchanges into concrete

local actions for sustainable

community development.