Through the semi-domestication of wild andean blueberries this project aims to combine both a conservation and market approach to alleviating poverty and climate change.
The warming of the Ecuadorian highlands and expansion of the agriculture frontier to higher elevations are expected to effect one of the main sources of water for the entire country, the páramo. Currently, many of the peasant families in the Ecuadorian highlands are being asked to choose between conserving the paramo and their livelihoods.
Andean Blueberry, is a native wild crop with good commercial potential that helps to conserve the fragile paramo soils. This project will promote paramo conservation efforts through the (re)planting and preservation of this bush in the paramo.
In addition to conserving a vital water source for the paramo (high altitude grasslands), the project will create an additional source of income for 100 indigenous and mestizo rural households (approximately 500 people).
