Within the framework of the program that Mundukide implements in Ecuador together with Entrepueblos, UNORCAC, Toisán, and other partner organizations in the territory, we received on June 4 and 5 the visit of representatives from AECID-Ecuador and the Ambassador of Spain to Ecuador, Enrique Yturriaga. The program, funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), aims to strengthen sustainable agri-food systems, associative marketing, community participation, and the leadership of Indigenous and peasant women in the canton of Cotacachi.
The visit provided an opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the progress, learnings, and challenges of the different initiatives promoted by the program, as well as to share experiences with producers and local organizations working to strengthen the rural economy and food sovereignty of the territory.
The first day was structured in four moments. First, participation in the Andean and Intag Producers Forum, which gathered more than 100 participants and featured three speakers, including Diego Bastidas from Agromindalae, Mundukide’s partner organization in Colombia. In a second moment, at the Toisán offices, the project and its four main components were presented: sustainable production, marketing, participation, and gender. The session concluded with a tasting of Kutakachi products.
The delegation then visited the facilities of AACRI (Café Río Intag), an enterprise integrated within Kutakachi, where they were able to learn first-hand about its production and marketing experience. To close the day, Wilson Willalva, a producer participating in the project, together with his family, shared the vision and integrated management of his farm, showcasing the results and learning achieved over the years.
The second day included the participation of Elena Palomar, AECID’s General Coordinator in Ecuador, and Esteban López-Plaza, Head of Rural Development, Migration and Humanitarian Action Programs, while the Ambassador was unable to attend the visit. The agenda began at the Kutakachi office, located in the center of Cotacachi, where recent improvements were presented.
This was followed by a meeting with the UNORCAC Central Women’s Committee at Jambi Mascary. The session began with a ritual of the four elements, an ancestral practice aimed at creating an atmosphere of harmony and calm. The Committee members shared the different areas of their work, their strong connection to the Andean chakra system, the FAO-recognized SIPAM designation, and their leading role as Indigenous women in defending their territories, knowledge, and ways of life.
The visit concluded at the Bioknowledge Center in Turuco, jointly managed by the Central Women’s Committee and UNORCAC, and ended with a lunch prepared with products from the Andean chakra itself.
This visit was a valuable opportunity to showcase the results achieved by local organizations and to strengthen the shared commitment to a sustainable, inclusive rural development model based on the central role of local communities.
