Embracing Agroforestery to save the ecuadorian rainforest

Forest vs farming

With over 50% of its territory covered by the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador has a front-row seat to the problems associated with deforestation. The country is a biodiversity hotspot, but is losing between 1.5 and 2% of its forest cover each year due to the combined effect of urbanisation, oil exploitation, and the expansion of land used for farming. But for those living in Amazonian regions, deforestation is a necessary evil. In these remote areas, agriculture is usually the only source of income and farms need to take over more and more of the forest to support the population as it develops.

Agroforestry, meanwhile, presents an alternative means of subsistence – one that does not involve pitting farmland and forest cover against each other. For several years now, the Ishpingo Foundation has been working hand-in-hand with farmers from Kichwa communities to develop an agricultural approach capable of simultaneously preserving ecosystems and ways of life. These descendants of the Quechuas in the Andes make up a community of nearly 100,000 people living in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, and who rely on what is essentially an agricultural economy.

Amazonian plants to the rescue

This is at the core of the work this organisation is doing, backed by the Klorane Botanical Foundation since 2021 as part of a six-year partnership agreement. Ishpingo supports Kichwa farmers to adopt new practices by delivering targeted training and awareness-raising activities, as well as setting up community nurseries. To ensure the reforestation taking place is sustainable and of a high quality, species are carefully selected: big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), chuncho (Cedrelinga cateniformis), the pink trumpet tree (Tabebuia sp.), to name a few: the farmers choose from around forty endangered native species that are perfectly adapted to conditions in the Amazon rainforest. A number of fruit-bearing and medicinal varieties are also selected to enable the Kichwas to diversify their food and production options, in addition to the timber used for crafts and construction. A minimum of 15 different varieties are planted per plot, to promote the diversity and resilience of the restored ecosystem.

Passing down expertise and raising awareness

Every year, nearly 25 families receive extensive support. Collectively, farmers are trained in nursery management and exploitation techniques. Individually, they receive training in agroforestry techniques to optimise the way they manage their own plot. These skills include maintenance, managing shade, rotating plants, preserving biodiversity and controlling pests, but also how to harvest and transport fruit, transform plants into medicines, or use timber.

The next generation is also involved in this community project, with activities incorporated into annual school curricula. Each year, one school receives training in the principles and challenges of sustainable development. During specially organised field trips, students learn to recognise and care for local species. A nursery and an arboretum are created in the school, and children are able to take fruit trees home to their families.

“Our work involves convincing farmers to opt for agroforestry rather than monoculture.” It is a multi-generational endeavour and engages the whole community. The first step is therefore cultural. Next, we ensure that knowledge and tools are passed down to ensure this reforestation process is sustainable in the long term.”

Antoine Vullien, Co-Founder of the Ishpingo Foundation

Our partners

The Ishpingo Foundation is a French and Ecuadorian non-governmental organisation and was founded in 2005. Its aim is to improve the social, economic and environmental conditions of native populations of the Amazon rainforest, and to reforest and preserve biodiversity by developing agroforestry projects.