www.pachamamaraymi.org/who-we-are

Pachamama Raymi in Cusco, Peru, is a nongovernmental organization that focuses on the economic, social, and ecological revitalization of rural and urban communities in Peru.

The name “Pachamama Raymi” comes from the indigenous Quechuan language and means “Fiesta of Mother Earth.” Pachamama Raymi fulfills its mission by providing peer learning to local communities through workshops, practical training, and farmer exchanges.

Community contests are held to encourage adoption of sustainable farming practices, diversification of income sources, environmental reclamation, and improvement of living conditions. Individual and community winners are awarded monetary prizes for implementing the greatest improvements.

All contest participants benefit by gaining from advances in the quality of day-to-day living. The effects of improvements undertaken by individual families impact the whole community. For example, increasing the quality of stoves and their ventilation decreases indoor smoke, improving respiratory health in the community, while greater stove efficiency lowers fuel use and decreases deforestation. Other changes might include using more effective animal husbandry practices, leading to better nutrition and the ability to use manure to produce biogas fuel, and planting of trees to increase reforestation and future economic opportunity. The target of the tree-planting program is for each participating family to plant 1000 trees per year, a goal that is often exceeded.