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Positive impacts in soil and water conservation in an Andean region of South America: Case scenarios from a US Agency for International Development multidisciplinary cooperative project

Abstract:

The USAID, SANREM, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University project has made and continues to make an excellent impact, specifically showcas- ing the positive results of soil and water conservation (Barrera et al. 2010a, 2010b, 2012). This project has strong international cooperation between the United States, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The project has contributed to the implementation of conservation on the ground in the Andean region of South America, based on strong partnership with local institutions, universities, and farmers. Farmers have been a key component of this success by allowing the implementation of demonstration projects on their farms under local commercial farming operations. Personal visits with farmers revealed that these types of projects can contribute to the training of additional local farmers, with field days that show the benefits of these studies. These newly implemented conservation practices are helping reduce the risk of erosion and potentially increasing economic returns for the farmers as well as promoting sustainability of local systems. With the challenges we will be up against in the twenty-first century, such as climate change and growth of the human population, soil sustainability will be key in efforts to achieve food security and soil and water conservation across all global sites. This USAID project serves as an example of positive impacts in sustainability at the farmer level (Barrera et al. 2010b).