News Archive - 2008
International Mountain Day
– Food Security in Mountains
CRACYP News, 11 December
2008
11 December is International Mountain Day and this year the focus is on
food security in mountain communities. Here in the foothills of the
Andes in Ecuador, in an area of extreme poverty, the farming families
know only too well the challenges of living in a mountain community
– the slow, difficult transport, the high cost of
products
that come up from the coast, the soil erosion. But there is hope in
sight. CRACYP has various sustainable development projects with the aim
of ensuring the food security of these communities in the long term.
For example, the sugar cane
farmers of CADO are seeking fair trade markets for their organic
alcohol and our ecotourism
projects aim to provide income in mountain
communities.
International Volunteer Day
CRACYP News, 5 December
2008
Today is International Volunteer Day and we´d like to take
the
opportunity to thank all of our volunteers, present and past. Some we
have sadly lost contact with, others have stayed for months or even
years and many are still in touch. They have all made a difference and
we are grateful to them all. If you´ve not yet
volunteered
with us, now could be the time to start - take a look at the current
volunteer opportunities and get in touch today!
New look for Farmstays
Eco-Tourism Project
CRACYP News, November
2008
Eco-Friendly
Farmstays Ecuador now has a new logo, thanks to volunteer
designer Andrea Wilkinson.
Many thanks to Andrea for her patience and professionalism
which
has vastly improved the look of our farmstays project. Andrea
found our ecotourism project through
www.designismconnects.org, a pro bono design initiative we discovered
through www.idealist.org - a great resource for small cash-strapped
charities wanting professional quality design work.
Montubio Culture has New Horizons
CRACYP News, November
2008
The Montubio culture, recently officially recognised in the
new
constitution of Ecuador, is running the PROTTAR project (transfer of
technology for agriculture and livestock and support for rural
agribusinesses) to strengthen its identity and development.
CRACYP is working in 110 communities in three provinces, in
the
transfer of technology to farmers. The development priorities
are
currently being agreed. CRACYP is suggesting that the
agro-industrial focus on food production should emphasise the healthy
food traditions of the Montubio people. In this way they
could
rescue their cultural identity, improve nutrition and also Montubian
companies could thrive in the local market of their own
communities.
Organic, Community-produced,
Fairly Traded Alcohol on Sale
CRACYP News, November
2008
Community-traded alcohol with these characteristics is unique in the
world at the moment. Handcrafted through cooperative working,
our
alcohol has organic certification from BCS Öko-Garantie
(Germany).
This organic ethanol is of high quality and suitable for the
most
exacting industrial processes. Your purchase helps the poor
sugar
cane farming families of CADO
to improve their quality of life. For more information, see
the
page organic
alcohol and write to cado("at")progresoverde.org.
Tadpoles indicate healthy
ecosystem
CRACYP News, October
2008
A recent visit to the sugar cane farming communities of CADO
gave us the opportunity to visit the river that is home to these poison
arrow frogs.
The large numbers of tadpoles that we found there show that
the
ecosystem is healthy. Amphibians are very sensitive to
pollution,
but our organic sugar cane plantations use no chemicals, so the
frogs´ habitat remains uncontaminated.
New Constitution for Ecuador
CRACYP News, September
2008
The citizens of Ecuador have voted to accept the proprosed new
constitution. Highlights relevant to CRACYP´s work
include
a strong focus on the rights of the environment, environmental
education and the human right to a healthy environment; also statements
of support for organic agriculture, small-scale producers and
sovereignty of food production, especially agriculture at a local
level.
Donations online now possible for
CRACYP
CRACYP News, September
2008
CRACYP can now accept donations online for the first time, thanks to ammado.com.
Ammado aggregates donations for us until they reach a sum
which
is cost-effcient to transfer through the banking system in Ecuador.
You can donate even small sums in any currency. Try
it now
- to donate to our Appropriate
Technology Fund, visit CRACYP's
profile on ammado.com.
Steel price rises bad news for
sugar cane farmers
CRACYP News, August
2008
The price of stainless steel has risen around 70% over the last two
years in Ecuador. This is bad news for those of our sugar cane farmers in conversion to organic
status. They need a quality stainless steel tank (rather than
the thinner, cheaper, non-stainless steel versions which rust
through) to comply with the organic certification rules. Our
small revolving loan fund is now inadequate to cover the costs of the
tanks we need. Donations of stainless steel (in Ecuador) or
cash would be gratefully accepted...
Nature to have rights in Ecuador?
Environment News, July
2008
It seems that "nature" may soon have rights in Ecuador
as if it were a person. Ecuador has rewritten its
constitution, which the population must vote on in a referendum at the
end of September. The new constitution proposes that
citizens of Ecuador should have the civil
right to live in a healthy environment, in an eco-system in equilibrium
and in harmony with nature. Hopefully
this will be a positive step for
environmental protection in Ecuador.
CRACYP's profile on ammado.com
CRACYP News, July
2008
Our profile on www.ammado.com
is now up and running and we invite you to sign up there as a
friend of CRACYP or join the conversations in the CRACYP Supporters Community.
We're pleased to be part of this exciting new development for
non-profits and their supporters. The forthcoming launch of
the
Giving Circle, ammado's donation facility, should allow us to
receive donations online for the first time.
Virtual
Volunteer Opportunities with CRACYP
CRACYP
News, June 2008
Virtual volunteers now have the opportunity to help
promote CRACYP online through
improvements in linkbuilding, SEO and web accessibility. Your
knowledge of the internet and websites could boost our profile and
enhance your c.v. for a career in this field. More...
Frogs
thriving near organic plantations
Environment
News, May 2008
Healthy frog populations near some of our organic sugarcane plantations
are good news. Frogs and other amphibians are
very
sensitive to
pollution, so their presence shows that the environment is clean.
We
like to think that CADO's organic farming has helped to keep it that
way. More...
Volunteer photographer's
Ecuador wildlife photos on site
CRACYP News, March 2008
Volunteer photographer Paul Bamford photographed the local wildlife and
some of
our projects at the end of 2007. See some of his
fantastic Ecuador
bird photos and other images throughout this site.
Many thanks
to Paul.
2008
news from CRACYP:
Nature
has
rights in Ecuador´s new constitution; steel prices rises hit
farmers; CRACYP on ammado, donations online possible; Virtual volunteer
opportunities; Frogs near organic cane plantations; Ecuador wildlife
photos from volunteer on site.
CRACYP news about the environment, sustainable
development & reforestation in rural communities
in Ecuador. 'Green Progress': social and economic development
which
protects the environment
Volunteer Opportunities in
Galapagos Islands for 2009