Management of Natural Resources in the Southern Highlands Project

Management of Natural Resources in the Southern Highlands Project (Marenass)

The project’s main objective is to recover cultivable areas and rangelands and increase the value of natural productive resources of small farmers in the departments of Apurimac, Ayacucho and Cusco. These extremely poor areas were also hard hit by terrorist activities.

Peru’s natural resource base is seriously deteriorating. Cultivable areas are decreasing, yields are below the average for other countries in the region, and food production has declined sharply. Farmers are cultivating areas otherwise set aside for forestry and conservation, contributing to depletion of natural resources.

To reverse the situation, the project provides resources and technical assistance and supports activities such as seed production, soil conservation, and rehabilitation and construction of irrigation canals and terraces.

The project identifies both traditional and modern methods for recovering and preserving natural resources and disseminates the results at local, regional and national levels.

Farmers have improved natural resource management on their own land, increasing the quality and value of their assets. The land market has become more dynamic as a result of land titling.

The transfer of resources to the farming communities strengthens their organizational capacities. The status of rural women improved after they participated in project activities and decision-making. The project helped small groups of rural women set up their own savings and loan schemes, which operated as informal banks linked to commercial banking institutions where they hold deposits.