COOPAIN CABANA

1 | Source: Coopain Cabana - Solicitud de financiamiento2 | Source: Exporter au Canada - Nouvelles - September 2011 - www.tfocanada.ca/global/File/JULY_-_SEPT_2011_FRENCH_FINAL.pdf3 | Source: Idem

“We are guided by the values of collective solidarity, of responsibility in our work, of respect for people and the environment, of affirmation of our commitments, of equality for men and women and of transparency in our actions.”

COOPAIN CABANA

Sustainable trade and organic agriculture enable the farmers of the poorest regions of southern countries to improve their standard of living while preserving their natural resources. The alchemy of this development potion is subtle.

It consists in combining the deployment of modern agro-ecological farming techniques, the mutualisation of production and of commercialisation tools, and collective investment in human development. In Peru, the Coopain Cabana cooperative illustrates this virtuous mecha-nism. Building on its success, it is now committed to new projects to the benefit of a growing number of small quinoa producers.

THE LOGIC OF DEVELOPMENT

Quinoa grows on the high plateaus of the northern countries of South America. Emblematic of Andean cul-tures, quinoa is a primary source of income for tens of thousands of fami-lies in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and international demand for the cereal has strongly increased over the past 20 years.

It was necessary to ensure that local production chains did not suffer the consequences of hyper-industrialisa-tion that has led to significant eco-logical and social damage in many countries. The difficulty then resides in organising and modernising tradi-tional production structures to pro-mote endogenous and sustainable development.

COOPERATIVE INVESTMENT

Located at over 3,900m of altitude, the District of Cabana, in southern Peru, is essentially rural and mainly inhabited by poor families. Access to basic services is very limited. Over a quarter of women are illiterate and the rate of malnutrition in children aged 6 to 9 is 24%1.

The AscemPromul organisation was created on these high plateaus in September 2001. It brings together

14 local associations, federating some 220 farmers and their families with the primary goal of making greater volumes of quinoa available to national buyers. The pooling of crops continued and in 2003 a pro-cessing factory followed, then com-mercial structures were implemented at the end of the 2000s. The econom-ic benefits of pooling resources and investment had a rapid impact and, in 2010, the members decided to take another step and create the Coopain Cabana cooperative (Coop-erativa Agro Industrial Cabana Ltda).

CONQUERING MARKETS

The efforts undertaken with the sup-port of NGOs and development agen-cies enabled the cooperative to ob-tain several important certifications: organic, kosher, HACCP (certification for food safety and quality) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)2. Obtaining these labels provided the organisation with the opportunity to position itself in profitable niche mar-kets. In addition to these certifica-tions, it has also won several awards, including culinary ones. In 2010, the cooperative received the prestigious “Aji de Plata” (Silver Pepper) prize for the best Peruvian quinoa, awarded at the Mistura food fair in Lima in the presence of many international chefs3.

QUINOA CONQUERS THE FAIR TRADE MARKET

PERU

District ofCabana

KEY FIGURESBTC contribution: 111,000 euros (50% of the budget) Beneficiaries: 480 small farmers

SOLIDARITY

Since its creation, the Coopain Cabana cooperative has confirmed its posi-tion as a major player in the economic and social development of the Cabana region. Many concrete actions have been carried out, particularly to promote the access of families to basic services. However, it is in the area of women’s empowerment that these commitments have probably been the most remark-able, all the more so because the country still suffers under macho traditions. The Coopain Cabana cooperative has been heavily involved in this from the start and it has increased the number of initiatives promoting the involvement of women in activities. This mobilisation is now bearing fruit and the organi-sation stands out, notably, for the number of women members (over 70%) and their strong presence in the organisation’s management (nearly 63% of decision-making bodies)4.

AS THE MANY SUCCESSES OF COOPAIN CABANA DEMONSTRATE, THE CONDITIONS ARE IN PLACE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF PERU

TO COMMIT AN EVER-GROWING COMMUNITY TO THE PATH OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SO REAL PROGRESS

BECOMES POSSIBLE.

FUTURE PROJECTS

The main results of the actions im-plemented by Coopain Cabana are a significant increase in plot produc-tivity and an increase in producer income. However, to some extent, the cooperative has been a victim of its own success. Many of the re-gion’s farmers have expressed their desire to join the cooperative but, until recently, its financial, logistics and commercial resources would not allow it.

This led to a new project initiated by Coopain Cabana. Implemented with the support of the Trade for Devel-opment Centre of BTC, the Belgian development agency, the project enables an increase in the organi-sation’s organic production capac-ity, improved harvesting and storage systems, and stronger production facilities. Carrying out the project’s different activities like farmer train-ing, the acquisition of new equip-ment, the mobilisation of technical advisers in the field, the implementa-

tion of quality control structures, etc. have had a very rapid impact: in less than a year, sales increased signifi-cantly (with over 30%) as did farmer incomes (with 10%).

SUCCEED AND SHARE

Coopain Cabana’s values are very emblematic of the cooperative com-mitment to sustainable trade and organic agriculture. Performance, quality and innovation on one hand, solidarity and respect for the environ-ment on the other.

Find out more: www.coopaincabana.com

4 | Source: Interview with Ytalo Espejo, general manager of Coopain Cabana, on 30 April 2012

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