Noticias

Asociación Indígena de la Mujer Emprendedora, Network of Nurseries of Impulso Verde Foundation in Nariño

Santiago de Cali, Colombia. July 10, 2024 

With an unwavering commitment to sustainability and economic development, the Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation has been working hand in hand with the communities of Nariño and Valle del Cauca. Through innovative initiatives and close collaboration with local communities, this organization has been able to implement projects that not only generate income but also preserve biodiversity and revitalize ancestral practices.

Among the most important initiatives is the creation and development of a network of community nurseries in Nariño, which began with 3 in 2016 and now brings together 16 associations and more than 200 families. These nurseries have allowed the planting of more than 1,200,000 native trees to date, thus protecting water resources and restoring the Andean high forest.

“Restoration is a supremely important issue, especially to protect the moorland in Colombia, which supplies more than 70 per cent of the country’s drinking water. In Cali and Nariño we produce the trees for reforestation”, said Antoine Gérigné, president and founder of the Impulso Verde Foundation.

Tatiana Hernández, Responsible Green Business of Impulso Verde Foundation

Impulso Verde has also worked hard to recover ancestral practices through shagras, small orchards that strengthen food security and preserve the indigenous worldview. These gardens not only provide fresh and nutritious food, but also serve as a reminder of the deep ecological and cultural knowledge of indigenous communities.

“With the establishment of shagras, we recovered the use and customs of indigenous communities, returning the worldview to these territories,” said Edwin Orlando Piarpuezan, agronomist at the Impulso Verde Foundation.

The transformation of aromatic and medicinal plants into value-added products, such as macerated oils and natural soaps, is another example of the innovative approach. These products not only generate income, but also promote the sustainable use of local natural resources.

An example of this success has been the project of the Indigenous Association of Women Entrepreneurs, who have revived the cultivation of barley and wheat, which have achieved the grinding of grain into flour, ‘chara’ and ‘aco’, as well as learning how to make bakery products.

Another economic alternative has been beekeeping through the creation of apiaries, where associations have found a stable source of income while contributing to pollination and biodiversity conservation. Since 2021, these apiaries have produced more than one ton of honey, proving to be a viable and sustainable economic alternative.

“We want to increase bee production in order to have more pollinators, ensuring the daily livelihood of the farmer,” said Sebastián Villarreal, from the AgroTúktu Agroecological Association.

Since 2016, the Impulso Verde Foundation has been a strategic partner for the indigenous and peasant communities of Nariño and Valle del Cauca. Its participatory approach ensures that solutions are designed and implemented in conjunction with communities, respecting their knowledge and experience. This model has allowed not only the conservation of the environment, but also the socio-economic and cultural strengthening of the regions where they operate.

Finally, environmental education is one of the great strategies that drives greater awareness and harmony with the territory. Through the ‘My Friends the Trees’ programme, they have succeeded in raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and forests to more than 5,400 children.

All this would not be possible without the support of private companies that want to act for the environment and public entities, which have built a relationship of trust with the team of Green Impulse, who works every day hand in hand with the community in the same territory. ” We are a multicultural team, dedicated to the environmental, social and economic development of the territory”, said Antoine.