APURIMAC, AN AGRICULTURAL AND MINING REGION In 2016 it was identified as the second fastest Apurimac, one of the regions in Peru with the highest potential for growing region mining investment, is expected to produce 20% of Peru’s annual in Peru production of copper1 in the next ten years, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM). Despite having one of In provinces such as Peru’s highest rates of economic growth in 2016, Apurimac exhibits alarming levels of poverty. Cotabambas, of37% the population lived under Agriculture in the region consists primarily of subsistence farming the poverty line2 with low levels of productivity, a limited variety of crops, vulnerability to water scarcity and restrictions to market access. However, given that farming is the most prevalent economic 37.5% of its children activity of rural and low-income families in Apurimac, the region’s under the age of 5 are primary development challenge is to define and implement anemic3 strategies to improve smallholder agriculture by capitalizing on the economic opportunities provided by mining. Confronting this challenge requires different sectors and stakeholders to work in a coordinated manner towards a common goal. second-to-last It is the region in transport and communications infrastructure4 1According to the Rumbo Minero portal, Apurimac will record 8 billion dollars in mining investment in the next 10 years. (URL:http://www.rumbominero.com/noticias/mineria/cartera-minera-de-apurimac-superaria- los-8800-millones-de-dolares-para-los-proximos-diez-anos/, Visit: 1/03/2018). 2National Statistics and Informatics Institute. Provincial and District Poverty Map, 2015. 3National Health Institute. Nutritional Status Information System, 2016. 4CENTRUM Católica. Regional Competitiveness Index of Peru, 2016. The income of most families in the project was significantly lower than the average of subsistence farmers at the national level. The project’s baseline (2016) revealed that less than five percent of producers sold their products in a local market regularly. The Ayninakuy initiative trained and helped organize the Yachachiqs, communities and producers to access local markets through commercialization committees. As a result: Families have started taking their Sunday fairs Other familiesexchange produce to experimenting for the first time , products in their community, gaining access to a more extensive with the benefits of selling in variety of foods. local markets. Some 50 families commercialize It is mainly women who take on the surplus responsibility of selling the the surplus from their production on a weekly basis, having tapped into a new production and decide on how to income source of to improve their use the associated income, which has family finances. allowed them to gainconfidence and increase theirself-esteem. WOMEN DRIVING CHANGES IN THEIR HOMES AND COMMUNITIES Within the area of the project, it is men who usually decide on the use of any income. However, women play an essential Women are learning to sell their role in caring for the family and the home, as well as in products in nearby agricultural activities. markets, generating The improvements in the production of vegetables and additional income over which they have ownership. raising small animals, together with the strengthening of women’s productive, nutritional and commercial capabilities, have provided new opportunities including the following: Women are learning to grow Yachachiqs and A group of vegetables in their bio-gardens and female nutrition adopting improved agricultural leaders act as agents of change, practices that allow them to extend the promoting practical, nutritional range of items grown. improvements among families of their communities. Maria has started to see improvements in the production of her new bio-garden as a result of the tips and advice of Braulio, the Yachachiq of the Community of Acpitan. For the past two years, she has been producing vegetables like beets and carrots and has incorporated them into her family’s diet. The idea of selling her surplus produce excited her, but she needed to overcome her timidness regarding offering her products in public. Ayninakuy helped women such as Maria believe in themselves; they now have the confidence to sell products in Sunday fairs such as the one located in Coyllurqui. She is now able to decide what to do with her earnings, and she prioritizes the purchase of products for her home. Promoting healthy eating practices specific to pregnant mothers and children under the age of three in 17 communities (preparation, combination and consumption of healthy foods). These actions will continue to be implemented by 6 health centers. IFC and the Government of Canada promoted the implementation of the first phase of the Cotabambas Training 32 teachers from eight schools, who now promote Yachaywasi – Ecotechnological Center, located in the district of practices necessary for handling bio-gardens and healthy Coyllurqui. It is a center for learning, training, Yachachiq nutrition, in partnership with the local education certification and promoting the use of productive technologies. management units. Thanks to this, 340 trained students are It provides technical assistance to families in the area. now agents of change in their homes and communities. The center is a public-private collaboration which involves Mayors and municipal officials facilitating initial contact and Prosynergy (a private entity with experience in this arena), the engagement with participating communities to leverage the Regional Government of Apurimac and the District Municipality potential of families to start and maintain new productive and of Coyllurqui. These institutions are developing the second commercial practices. phase of the Yachaywasi for which the regional government has already approved the funding. Ayninakuy is a project led by the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Government of Canada. It promotes collective action at the three national government levels, mining companies and international cooperation agencies, to improve farmer families' livelihoods in Apurimac. It also promotes the agricultural sector as a profitable and sustainable source of income for the population.