Author Archives: Jason Woods

About Jason Woods

Jason Woods is from Stillwater, Oklahoma, and has worked for the Americas Area Program of Heifer International since 2010. He has a master’s in cultural geography and a bachelor’s in news-editorial journalism. His passion for Heifer’s work started as a teenager, when he spent a weekend at Heifer Ranch’s Global Village in Perryville, Arkansas.

Where Does Chocolate Come From?

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Happy Valentine’s Day! However you spend today, there is a good chance chocolate will be accompanying you. This week, 58 million pounds of chocolate will be sold in the U.S., constituting $345 million in sales according to a CNN report (that’s about five percent of chocolate sales for the year!).

Despite living a life surrounded by millions of pounds of chocolate sales, the chocolate creation process was a mystery to me until recently. I knew something called “cacao” or maybe “cocoa” grew on a tree or a bush somewhere, at some point sugar entered the equation, and more or less–voila! there’s your chocolate.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to fill in the gaps of my woefully inadequate chocolate story. In January, I traveled to Bolivia to visit Heifer’s project, Developing Food Systems for Small Farmer and Indigenous Families in the Bolivian Amazon. The project will support 2,783 families that are managing and harvesting wild cacao in the Bolivian jungle through training in natural resource management and climate change adaptation, resources like sheep and fish to diversify income and nutrition, and stronger links to local markets.

Tito and Dani Noe are, along with their parents, participants in the project. They help their parents harvest and process cacao in the village of San Jose del Cavitu, and the two of them helped me understand the cacao-to-chocolate journey better.

Dani and Tito Noe, in front of their home in San Josedel Cavitu, Bolivia. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Dani and Tito Noe, in front of their home in San Jose del Cavitu, Bolivia. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

First, of course, comes the harvest. Tito and Dani, who are 12 and 10 years old respectively, aren’t allowed to help with the harvest yet. Although some kids in the village help their parents, Tito and Dani won’t travel to the chocotal, or cacao forest, until they hit 16. The cacao harvest generally peaks in January, and during that time, most of the community will regularly visit the chocotal, which is a 45-minute motorcycle ride (or long walk) away from the Noe house.

Recently harvested cacao pods. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Recently harvested cacao pods. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

The cacao fruit itself is about the size of a large Nerf football. It starts out green and becomes yellow when ripe. The fruit also grows from any of the tree’s branches as well as the tree trunk. When the cacao pod is chopped in half, it reveals dozens of seeds covered in a soft, white membrane. The white part is edible, sweet and tasty, although it doesn’t taste much like the chocolate we know. And that makes sense, because chocolate comes from the seeds themselves. If you can’t help yourself (or, like me, don’t know any better) and chew the seeds up along with the fleshy white part, it turns purple in your mouth!

Harvesters often use a machete to collect the low-hanging fruit. For cacao fruits located higher in the tree, a long stick with a wire circle at the end is used. Once the fruits are collected, the seeds, complete with the white membrane, are extracted and poured in a container and taken back to the village.

For the fruits found higher on the tree, many people use a tree branch with a wire circle to harvest the cacao.

For the fruits found higher on the tree, many people use a tree branch with a wire circle to harvest the cacao. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

After the cacao pods are harvested, they are cut open to reveal seeds covered by a white, fleshy membrane. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

After the cacao pods are harvested, they are cut open to reveal seeds covered by a white, fleshy membrane. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

From there, the seeds are placed in a wooden box or arranged in a pile to ferment, which can take up to a week. During the fermentation, the white membrane is converted and removed, leaving only the seeds (or beans).

Recently fermented cacao is poured onto a table to be spread and dried. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Recently fermented cacao is poured onto a table to be spread and dried. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

After fermentation, the seeds are spread out on a large, wooden table to dry. This is where Dani and Tito really start to help their folks out. In Bolivia, January is “summer vacation,” and the kids are available to help with processing the cacao. Tito told me that it usually takes about three days for the seeds to dry completely, and then he and Dani use the grinder to make a powder, which is turned into a big ball of chocolate paste. Then the Noe family is off to the market to sell the chocolate in nearby San Ignacio.

Cacao seeds drying in the sun. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Cacao seeds drying in the sun. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Tito Noe shows his family's cacao grinder in San Jose del Cavitu, Bolivia. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Tito Noe shows his family’s cacao grinder in San Jose del Cavitu, Bolivia. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

After the cacao is ground, it is turned into a paste. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

After the cacao is ground, it is turned into a paste. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

This is only part of the process that leads to what we in the United States generally think of as chocolate. What is consumed here is usually processed more heavily, and many extra ingredients, like sugar and milk, are added along the way. The product the Noes sell and consume is primarily used to make a locally popular hot chocolate drink, but the drink is strong and bitter–more like coffee than a chocolate bar.

The final product--a hot cup of chocolate. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

The final product–a hot cup of chocolate. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

So, our mystery solved. Chocolate comes from a strange-looking, yellow, ridged fruit in the jungle. But it also comes from hard-working, rural families.

For the Noes and other families in the Bolivian Amazon, the chocolate they sell is an opportunity to put food on the table and potentially send their kids to a university. Both Tito and Dani want to attend college. Tito hopes to be a teacher in San Juan del Cavitu some day; Dani is still thinking and dreaming (although he says he’s the best student in his class at school). But none of their seven older siblings have had the opportunity to attend university. With Heifer’s support, the goal is to make sure families can send kids like Tito and Dani to school while making sure there is enough to eat on the table. And plenty of chocolate to drink, too.

Tito (front) and Dani (back) Noe demonstrate how their tops work. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Tito (front) and Dani (back) Noe demonstrate how their tops work. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

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A New Beginning With Heifer in Milot, Haiti

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Editor’s note: As we approach the third anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the lives of so many Haitians, we are asking for your help in raising funds to continue the important work of rebuilding livelihoods in post-earthquake Haiti. Visit www.heifer.org/reachout to learn more and give.

Author’s note: In 2012, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. For previous posts on my trip, see my page.

Toussaint Christophe lives just off the road that takes travelers to nearby Milot, Haiti. There, he earns money by breaking limestone and selling it as construction material.

Toussaint Christophe

Toussaint Christophe and his goats in Milot, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

But not too far from his house, Toussaint also cultivates yams, bananas and beans and takes care of four goats and a cow–all of which came from Heifer through the From the Ground Up project. The crops and livestock will supplement both his diet and income.

“Since I was a young man, I’ve seen people with cows,” Toussaint said. “This is the first time I’ve had one.”

Goats are a more familiar sight to Toussaint. His parents raised and bred goats, and he began helping the effort as soon as he was able. At age 14, he received his first goat. Shortly after, Toussaint’s family was robbed of all 15 of their goats, and he, his parents and six siblings had to rely solely upon selling bananas and yams to the market.

Compounding the situation, the family’s house burned down a few years later. The fire killed one of his brothers and left another paralyzed. Toussaint’s family never found out how the house burned down, but they suspect it was arson. Around the same time, four of his siblings became ill with asthma problems.

After the fire, Toussaint dropped out of school to help support his family.

“The first time I went to school, I was 17 because my parents were not supportive of that kind of thing,” he said. “When the house burned, we lost everything. (My parents) wanted me to work.”

Toussaint Christophe 2

Toussaint Christophe near his home in Milot, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Toussaint’s children, however, are getting the opportunity he never had. Both of his sons, who are in their mid-20s, are in secondary school in Cap Haitien, about 12 miles away.

And Toussaint’s informal education has continued through Heifer trainings.

“I have had many trainings… (including) techniques for dividing yam roots and goat production,” he said. “I can now treat some of the kinds of diseases that goats have. In the past, I (would have) to pay a veterinarian for everything the goats needed. Now, I can give a first examination or first aid to the goats.”

The project with Heifer marks the first time Toussaint has owned goats since his teenage years, and this is not something he takes lightly.

“I take care of (the goats) as well as I would a person,” he said. “I like to see them right.”

Toussaint Christophe 3

Toussaint Christophe smiles near his home in Milot, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

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Heifer Haiti’s REACH Project Builds a Foundation for Development

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Last fall, Americas Area Vice President Oscar Castañeda shared his thoughts on Heifer Haiti’s Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti (REACH) project. REACH is a five-year project that will assist 20,250 rural households in Haiti through not only the distribution of livestock but also through improved market linkages and the construction and management of goat and swine breeding centers. Learn more about REACH here: www.heifer.org/reachout.

Gladys Vilport

Gladys Vilport with one of her goats in Maniche, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

The project officially started in the second half of 2012, and the past several months staff members in Haiti have begun constructing the project.

“REACH is just like we’re building Haiti,” said Hervil Cherubin, Heifer Haiti director. “So you have to spend a lot of time to build a strong foundation, a strong base. Once you have that base, you can go ahead. That’s what we’ve been doing the first semester, building that base.”

REACH will be implemented in six of Haiti’s ten departments. So far, Heifer Haiti has selected 36 municipalities in four departments for REACH. About half of the communities where Heifer will work through the project have been identified as well.

To date, 100 project participants have received training. Sixty goats and 240 rabbits have also been distributed. Additionally, a fish hatchery was built for 15,000 fingerlings on Lake Peligre.

Goat and pig breeding centers are an important part of REACH. Heifer will build 97 goat and 50 swine breeding centers that will provide quality livestock for Haitians. Project participants will own the centers. Twenty-five breeding center owners have been selected already, and 19 breeding centers are under construction.

From December 4-6, Heifer Haiti hosted the Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) Orientation Workshop in Les Cayes. The goal of the workshop was to develop a community-based animal health care system in Haiti through a “training of trainers” methodology, where workshop participants learned basic health care applicable for all animal species so that they can use that knowledge to train animal health workers in the field. During the workshop, participants and facilitators designed a three-week basic course to use for the participants’ training sessions in the field. In the next month, workshop participants will train 60 CAHWs to assist in the REACH project.

Partnerships for the project are also in the works with Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture and several non-governmental organizations.

“Now we’re ready to start building on (our) base,” Cherubin said. “Structurally, (REACH) has been praised. Many people think, for the first time, there is a model that takes on the structural aspects of animal production in Haiti.”

REACH out to Haiti through a gift to Heifer today.

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Training is Strengthening the Community of Deriveaux, Haiti

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At the end of the summer, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. For previous posts on my trip, see my page.

I would also like to note that members of ASSOPAD, the organization featured in this story, were greatly affected by Hurricane Sandy. About 15 hectares of members’ crops (beans, corn, yam and bananas) were destroyed, and 28 of their goats were killed. Thirty-five member houses were damaged and three were destroyed.

Part of the reason for Heifer International’s success in partnership with smallholder farmers  is our extensive training process. Before any of the participants in our projects receive livestock, seeds, etc., they engage in a series of trainings that teach and reinforce principles of sustainable agriculture and livestock management, as well as a host of other issues to set them up for success.

ASSOPADP in Deriveaux, Haiti

ASSOPADP in Deriveaux, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

While visiting projects in southern Haiti, I asked members of the Association for the Progress and Advancement of Deriveaux, Pestel (ASSOPADP), one of our From the Ground Up partner organizations, to discuss with me the impact of Heifer’s training on their community, and I want to share some of their responses.

But first, a little context. Deriveaux is one of the most remote communities I visited in Haiti. It is somewhere in the vicinity of 60 miles away from Heifer Haiti’s office in Les Cayes, but the drive took nearly four hours. The one road that takes you to Deriveaux winds around mountains and is buried by rivers a few times. More often than not, the road takes the shape of a wavy, dried out river bed. In one or two parts, locals earn money from travelers by filling in dangerously deep potholes.

All this is to say that Deriveaux is hard to get to, and more often than not, community members have only each other to rely upon. But the community is more than up to the task.

In 2004, Deriveaux community members met with the idea that they wanted to develop their community. They generally agreed that Deriveaux had problems in the areas of sanitation, education, agriculture, livestock development, infrastructure and the environment. With the formation of ASSOPADP, they started to fix those problems, and in 2010, the organization partnered with Heifer Haiti. Since that time, 40 families have received four goats each, and nine of those families have already passed on a total of 26 goats to their neighbors. Others are also preparing to Pass on the Gift. And, of course, before those families receive those goats, they will receive ample training.

Training Conversation in Deriveaux, Haiti

Responding to a training question at an ASSOPADP meeting in Deriveaux, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Telemarck Andre, a member of ASSOPADP, said the trainings have made a difference in Deriveaux.

“Before (the Heifer training), we didn’t use shelters (for the goats),” Andre said. “We used to leave them in the sun too long. Sometimes dogs would eat the goats. We treat the goats differently now.”

ASSOPADP members have received many hours of training in a variety of areas, including livestock management, soil conservation, gender equity, using natural fertilizer, food management, nutrition, agriculture and even conflict management.

The last theme actually surprised me a little bit, but it makes perfect sense. The nearest judge, law enforcement officer or other official mediator is at least a couple of hours away from Deriveaux, so the community has to be able to solve conflicts on their own. The conflict management training included the formation of a committee for mediation.

Below are few additional comments ASSOPADP members made in regard to the training experience.

Dareus Fritznel on yam production: “We used to put large yams in the ground. We cut the yams now so (we will have more yams) in the garden. Customers are more likely to buy them now, too, because they are cheaper (since they are smaller).”

Telemarck Andre on the environment: “After the training, we stopped using the top of the mountain. We (use the land) in flat areas where the garden will be perfect and won’t erode the mountain. Before, we cut the trees to make charcoal (for money). But we realized we were destroying ourselves. Now we plant the trees for soil conservation and to stop erosion. And we use fallen leaves for compost for our garden.”

Arnaud Fleurant (ASSOPADP president) on gender: “In Haiti, some people give more importance to sons. Now sons and daughters have equal importance. Before, boys didn’t do work (around the house), just girls. Now the work is shared. Families now eat together instead of having adults and children eat separately.”

Fleurant added: “The people here are strong because they received training. And (through the project) people here are sharing not only goats but training with the community.”

Arnaud Fleurant

Arnaud Fleurant, president of ASSOPADP. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

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Access to Water in Haiti is Crucial

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At the end of the summer, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. For previous posts on my trip, see my page.

Louis and the Watern Cistern

Louis Desira poses next to the water cistern in Maniche, Haiti. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

From the time he was a child and on into adulthood, Louis Desira walked to a river two kilometers away from his home in Maniche to get water for the day. The round-trip walk lasted at least an hour and a half, not counting the time it took to put the water into containers.

Now, thanks to Heifer’s From the Ground Up project, Louis shares a water cistern with four other families, all of which are members of CODEDPE. The cistern is located at a church next door to Louis’ house, which provides much easier access than the river two kilometers down the road.

Louis is a tailor, and a good one at that. He specializes in pants and dress shirts.

Louis the Tailor

Louis Desira displays the clothes he made in his home in Maniche. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

“Now I have more time to make clothes,” said Louis, who has been a tailor for more than 40 years. “I don’t have to stop making clothes to go get water.”

When I asked Louis if that means he can make more clothes to sell, he quietly replied, “No, it allows me to make a better product and make my customers happier.”

In addition to being more convenient, the cistern also provides access to cleaner water. According to a report from Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante, the New York University Law School’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, “close to 70 percent of the entire (Haitian) population lacks direct access to potable water at all times” and “the problem is actually worsening…”

Although Heifer’s is known for its expertise in livestock management, our projects extend even further than that to meet the specific needs of the community. In Haiti, that means Heifer’s projects might address a community’s lack of access to water in one way or another, as is the case with Louis in Maniche and also with Prosper Kunius and Telfort Monestinein Terrier-Rouge.

Prosper and Telfort are members of the Livestock Cooperative of Terrier-Rouge (KOET) near Ouanaminthe and the border with the Dominican Republic. In addition to receiving two bulls to improve the quality of their cattle, the cooperative received a water pump and a generator so the animals can have a consistent water source.

“Our members are very satisfied with the water pump,” Telfort said. “It helps us keep all the cows alive because during the dry season, we would lose cows (before).”

Water for KOET

Prosper Kunius and Telfort Monestine with KOET's cattle trough in Terrier-Rouge. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Louis, Prosper and Telfort are just a few of the people working with Heifer to not only secure access to basic needs like food and water but also to lift themselves out of poverty. To learn more and to support Haitian families, please visit the web page for Heifer Haiti’s newest project, REACH.

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Creating and Restoring Haiti Livestock Savings Accounts

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At the end of the summer, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. For previous posts on my trip, see my author page.

Kenflore and Her Favorite Goat

Kenflore poses with her favorite goat. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Five-year-old Kenflore Theard likes taking care of her family’s goats.

“I take them to the pasture in the morning,” she said, “and (later) I will get them and put them back in the pen. I give them water and grass for food, and after that, I put them in the pasture (again).”

Kenflore’s favorite part of the process is feeding the goats. She also helps milk the mother goat when she needs a little help feeding her kids.

When asked why she likes looking after the goats so much, she responded in typical five-year-old fashion: “I just like it.”

“She is the most important (family member, when it comes to the goats),” said Kenflore’s mother, Jeanne Odne Elfine. “When I’m not at the house, she looks after the goats and protects them from the sun.

“She’s very intelligent.”

Enjoying a Laugh

(From left to right) Jean Patrick Theard (25), Kenflore Theard (5), Jeanne Odne Elfine and Syntilhomme (20) enjoy a laugh. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International

Jeanne, Kenflore and the rest of the family (six other children) are a part of Heifer Haiti’s From the Ground Up project, the same project that Antonio Louis Fritznel joined. The project, which will reach 12,000 families, began in the wake of 2010′s earthquake as a way to build and rebuild family economies in Haiti and ensure access to basic needs such as food and water for those families.

To accomplish this goal, From the Ground Up is divided into 11 subprojects. Each subproject is like its own project: each works with different local organizations in distinct geographic areas of the country. And each subproject shares livestock resources that best fit the needs of the community of participants, whether it be rabbits, goats, cows, tilapia or something else.

Just as Antonio is a project participant and recipient of rabbits through COSDERSLS in St. Louis du Sud, Jeanne, Kenflore and family joined From the Ground Up and received goats through local organization CODEDPE (Collective for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection) in Maniche.

Owning goats, or any type of livestock, is a big deal for families like Jeanne’s. Of course, the family can use the goats’ meat to improve their nutrition. But as of yet, they haven’t eaten any of the goats. In fact, most of the livestock owners I talked to in Haiti had not used their animals for meat.

In Haiti, livestock is used as a kind of savings account. The animals are kept healthy and happy, and when the family needs a little extra money, they can sell some of the animals.

“If (one of us) has to go to the doctor, we can sell (a goat),” Jeanne said. “Or we can sell a goat to pay for school (fees for the children).”

In fact, the family is hoping to send Kenflore to school for the first time in January. In July, the family fulfilled their Passing on the Gift requirement and gave some of their largest goats to another family involved with the project, so the goats they have now aren’t big enough to sell. Eventually, the family believes those goats will help keep Kenflore in school.

Goat in Maniche, Haiti

One solution to keep kids in school in Haiti: a goat! Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International

One of the many devastating results of the earthquake and hurricane of 2010 was that, in effect, the disasters wiped out thousands of savings accounts (i.e. their livestock). Through Heifer International Haiti and groups like CODEDPE, Haitians families are restoring or creating for the first time livestock savings accounts will help them in times of need. To learn more and to support Haitian families, please visit the web page for Heifer Haiti’s newest project, REACH. To support communities around the world that are in the process of post-disaster, long-term rebuilding, please visit Heifer’s disaster rehabilitation fund.

Skipping in the Field

Kenflore, skipping through the forage field as her brothers tend to the garden. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

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Passing on the Gift of Rabbits in Southern Haiti

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At the end of July, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. In the coming weeks, I will be sharing some of those experiences via the blog.

Anthonio Louis Fritznel at a Passing on the Gift ceremony in La Sucrerie Henry on July 31, 2012.

Anthonio Louis Fritznel has been blind since the age of 12. The doctor told Anthonio that he had glaucoma, but he wasn’t treated for it. Juliene, Anthonio’s wife, lost her sight when she was struck in the head with a rock that flew from the tire of a truck driving past on a nearby the road. The couple has six children, whose ages range from 12 to 22. One of the children is also blind after suffering from an unknown illness.

Despite these personal tragedies and the challenges they present, Anthonio persevered. And he wanted to help his community, La Sucrerie Henry (in St. Louis du Sud along Haiti’s southern coast), persevere as well.

“I began to see many problems (in the community), but I knew my eyes weren’t good,” said Anthonio. “So I formed a group to help me work in the community.”

That group, formed in 1990, is the Organization for the Future of Youth (the Haitian Creole acronym is OAJSH). Anthonio is the president. Eventually, OAJSH joined a group of local organizations called the Collective for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection (COSDERSLS).

POG event in La Sucrerie Henry.

In 2010, Heifer Haiti began working with COSDERSLS to provide organization members with rabbits through the From the Ground Up project, and Anthonio and OAJSH were among those who received the animals.

As in all Heifer projects, recipients receive training on how to care for and manage the animals. In his family, Anthonio attends all the trainings and imparts the knowledge to his children, who then apply learned techniques related to health, hygiene, nutrition, habitat, etc.

Passing on the Gift of rabbits.

Obviously, one of the great benefits of raising rabbits is that they reproduce quickly, around 8-10 kits (babies) every 28 days. In the St. Louis du Sud area, that will boost a family’s income by about $50 a month. For context, families involved in agriculture in the area earn around $65 a month. So the addition of rabbits could nearly double a family’s income in St. Louis du Sud, which helps to alleviate some of the issues Anthonio saw when he founded OAJSH.

“The economic support (from the rabbits) is very quick in this project,” he said, “and it helps solve problems like paying for school (fees, for children and youth).”

Claudette Noiteur receiving rabbits.

Although Anthonio’s family isn’t, some families are also consuming the rabbits to improve their nutrition. And, from what I heard from those who are consuming the rabbits, they taste great.

On July 31, I had the opportunity to participate in a Passing on the Gift ceremony with Anthonio, OAJSH, other COSDERSLS members and Heifer Haiti staff in La Sucrerie Henry. Laughs and smiles came easy as representatives from Heifer and COSDERSLS addressed the group about the successes and challenges of the projects as well as the importance of Passing on the Gift. The president of COSDERSLS noted that no one present received any money for transportation, so everyone present must have a strong desire to be a part of the event. He concluded by saying, “I hope that everyone who receives a rabbit today (through POG) will do the same for someone else.”

After all of the opening remarks were made and prayers were said, 11 participants took turns giving a box of four rabbits to another COSDERSLS member. Each donor gave a short speech and expressed well wishes to the recipient before officially passing on the rabbits.

For me, it was a great privilege to join this group in their Passing on the Gift celebration, and it was only the first of many opportunities I would have to meet extraordinary individuals and families during my short time in Haiti.

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Heifer Brazil Director Reflects on Rio+20

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In June, Fernando Larrea, director of Heifer Brazil, attended events related to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. The official conference, also known as Rio+20, was held from June 20-22, but many official and parallel side events were also held around the same time. The following comments are Fernando’s impressions of the events.

What kind of progress was made at the Rio +20 Conference?

No specific commitments or substantial progress were made. At the People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice, the parallel event to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, held by civil society organizations in Rio de Janeiro, an organization of garbage collectors placed a huge canvas painted with a message saying: “The scavengers of recyclable materials of our planet do more for the environment than all Rio + 20.” It is perhaps the irony and truth present in this message that best expresses the meager results of the Rio + 20 Conference and the contents of the final document, “The Future We Want.” The outcome is especially disappointing for those who expected a significant advance in the agreements between the governments of the 193 participating countries to address environmental and social crisis affecting the planet, 20 years after the Rio Conference in 1992 (or the Earth Summit) and the adoption of Agenda 21.

Banner from a group of recyclable material scavengers at the People's Summit

What led to this lack of progress?

The document was agreed upon by the negotiators of government delegations prior to the signing by the heads of state and senior officials. It reflects the lowest common denominator acceptable to governments, while recognizing that there was also a retreat from the principles adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio 92. Likewise, there are questions about the lack of concrete commitments by governments and the lack of concrete goals and deadlines on key issues such as climate, biodiversity and energy. Nor were new resources or specific means of implementation to achieve sustainable development goals assigned or pledged.

Brazilian diplomacy was able to overcome the difficulties in reaching a consensus document to prevent the total failure of the conference at the cost of emptying the contents of the draft document, avoiding controversial issues and keeping the text general.

Added to this is the extensive power exercised by large multinational corporations on governments to prevent them from taking actions that might affect their interests, as highlighted from a critical perspective by researchers and activists like Vandana Shiva, Miguel Altieri and Pat Mooney. This is unlike the situation during the Earth Summit in 1992, where governments had more room for autonomy in decision making.

But, there are also some positive aspects of the document. Among them are the ratification of commitments made in relation to the human right to adequate food and water, as well as the recognition of the role of local communities and indigenous peoples in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Participation of an indigenous leader in a plenary session at the People's Summit.

How was civil society involved in the event?

The Rio + 20 Conference attracted active involvement and participation from a wide range of civil society organizations, including international networks and coalitions organized as part of the programming of the official conference. Additionally, organizations and social movements participated in a parallel People’s Summit for Social Justice and the Environment from June 15-22 as a space that sought to establish a critical counterpoint in the deliberations of the conference and mobilize social forces for deeper changes.

It is estimated that more than 4,000 parallel events took place during that period including those linked to the official program. These events involved the participation of more than 50,000 people in the discussions and activities.

As part of the activities of the People’s Summit, organizations and movements organized a march in the center of Rio de Janeiro, appealing widely to a varied and colorful group of more than 50,000 people (80,000 according to organizer movements) as a space for expression in response to the environmental and social problems affecting the planet.

Participation of international delegations from MST, Via Campesina in the march in Rio.

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Water Issues at Rio+20 and in Morante, Peru

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Today, as a part of the Rio+20 Conference, the United Nations is hosting Water Day, which seeks to illustrate and address the critical challenges related to water management while connecting those issues to the work of Rio+20.

Water is also one of the seven critical issues the UN defined for the conference, and the UN Water website describes why:

Water is at the foundation of sustainable development as it is the common denominator of all global challenges: energy, food, health, peace and security and poverty eradication.

Unfortunately, water demand is rising globally while water supplies are certainly not. According to the UN, 800 million people around the world don’t have access to safe drinking water. Another 2.5 billion don’t have access to sanitation.

Heifer’s project participants are often a part of that 800 million and/or 2.5 billion, and for them, securing access to a safe, reliable water supply is a daily challenge.

A family in Morante poses with their water barrels.

The video below is an example of one community’s struggle to find water. Morante is a part of the dry forest landscape in northern Peru, and water is scarce. The nearest water source is a well that was drilled by an oil company but found only water, not oil. That well is a six-hour round trip away from Morante.

Heifer Peru has worked with Morante and nearby communities through multiple projects since 2004 and has provided donkeys and tools for more efficient water collection, like water barrels and carts, in addition to small livestock like goats and training. The community is currently attempting to dig their own through the support of Heifer and the local government.

Morante is just one community that is struggling to survive because of a lack of water. People all over the world are dealing with the same issue at this very moment. Heifer is working with many communities to make sure they have access to water, but this problem will persist unless governments and organizations worldwide unite to find solutions. Hopefully, world leaders will come together this week to do their part to address important water issues at Rio+20.

Note: The video above is a part of an hour-long documentary produced by Heifer Peru.

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A Word About the Word Campesino

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Today is International Day of Peasant Struggle, a day commemorating the massacre of 19 landless farmers in Brazil who were demanding land and justice in 1996. Every year on this date, people around the world unite through actions that support the rights of “peasants” and small-holder farmers.

The event’s creation owes a lot to La Via Campesina, an organization that Heifer sometimes collaborates with in our Americas Area Program, and the event is called Dia Internacional de la Lucha Campesina in Spanish. I wanted to take a second to talk about the translation of the word campesina (or campesino), because it’s an important word in relation to Heifer’s work in the Americas, and I think a lot of meaning is lost when the word is translated to English.

Campesina Gregoria Ichu Moye, 71, Trinidad, Bolivia. Photo by Russell Powell

I think it’s safe to say that, in Heifer’s Latin America projects, just about every one of our project participants would identify themselves as a campesino or campesina. But what does that mean, exactly? The most literal (and frequently used) translation is “peasant,” but that’s not really a word we use much in U.S. English anymore, unless it’s found in a history book. “Small-holder farmer” isn’t a bad translation, but it misses some of the word’s richness in Spanish.

Sara Koopman, who is a PhD candidate in geography at the University of British Columbia, writes a wonderful blog called Spanish for Social Change that focuses on social justice terminology for translators and interpreters. She has several posts on the term campesino and points to Via Campesina as an example of the complexity of the word. Via Campesina defines itself as “the international peasant movement” (clearly translating campesino as peasant) that brings together (and here’s their extended, de facto campesino definition) “millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world.” In subsequent posts, Sara also offers “family farmer” and “farmworker” as translations she has come across.

That’s a mouthful for just one word in Spanish. Sara’s recommendation for campesino is to import the word to English, then educate about it so that it is understood at all of these groups are included when the word is used. I agree… hence, the blog post.

For more context, Fernando Larrea, Heifer Brazil country director, said, “In general terms, (the word campesino) refers to people who live and work in rural areas and everything associated with that way of life.” More specifically, campesinos are rural producers who often do not own land and work small plots, with the family constituting most or all of the labor. The food they harvest is for their own consumption and sale to the market, but both activities are aimed to maintain the life of the family as opposed to accumulation of capital.

Another important aspect, Fernando said, is the presence of specific values and cultural elements of rural areas, such as reciprocity and the redistribution of production in community relations.

Unfortunately, campesinos often suffer from marginalization, exploitation via sale prices that do not represent all of the work invested or, as mentioned above, restricted (or no) access to land. Heifer and our project partners/participants are working together to overcome these obstacles while moving forward on the path to end hunger and poverty.

“Small-scale farmers have been pushed aside in many places because people don’t see their contributions to a globalized world,” said Adriana Garcia-DeVun, program manager for the Americas Program at Heifer. Adriana added that, despite this marginalization, there is a lot of pride behind the word campesino.

“Being a campesino/a is beginning to be seen as an honorable profession,” she said. “(You can see) the same pride you get by saying you’re a doctor, police officer or school teacher, someone (who) contributes to the well-being of society. The use of a simple word, campesino, (makes) them a part of a movement (that is) feeding the world, not just a peasant trying to make it day to day.

“The work of organizations like Heifer and Via Campesina help people regain or further develop their sense of pride in cultivating the earth for the benefit of their children and sometimes their community.”

The issue of land access–or more specifically land grabbing–is the focus of this year’s Dia Internacional de la Lucha Campesina. For more information on today’s event, visit La Via Campesina.

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