Ellas+Resilientes: supporting women and young agro-entrepreneurs in the Peruvian Amazon towards economic autonomy and climate resilience

Despite a rural economy that has become much more dynamic in recent years, the Amazon remains one of the poorest areas in Peru and one of the most vulnerable to climate change. 

If nothing is done, farmers and agribusinesses will have to expand their crops to preserve their meager incomes, which will only increase pressure on already fragile forest ecosystems and biodiversity. The Awajun indigenous communities living in the Mayo River basin are particularly affected by this situation.

It is in this context that the Canadian government has just announced the launch of the Ellas+Resilientes project: an initiative that we will carry out in partnership with Conservation International, the Regional Federation of Awajun Indigenous Peoples of Alto Mayo (FERIAAM), which represents 16 Awajun indigenous communities, and several local partners. 

The five-year Ellas+Resilientes project will receive CAD 9 million in financial support from Global Affairs Canada. DID and its Peruvian partners are participating in the project by contributing CAD 10.8 million.

A comprehensive approach to support the entire ecosystem

With this project, we aim to promote climate change adaptation for

• 2,000 women and young people from indigenous communities
• 150 members of producer associations
• 100 public sector employees.

To achieve this, we will implement a green economic empowerment strategy comprising three main components:

• We will work directly with targeted communities and participate in constructive dialogue with the Awajun and migrant communities to strengthen their financial knowledge and entrepreneurial skills, thereby removing the constraints that prevent them from adapting their agroforestry practices and investing in the recovery of degraded land in the Upper Mayo region. 

The awareness-raising and training programs that will be rolled out will promote Awajun culture and will be designed by and for women and young people.

• We will also work with the project's partner financial institutions to develop an expanded range of financial services that are better suited to the needs of women and young people, to generate positive social and environmental impacts in the Upper Mayo Amazon basin. 

These investments will encourage concrete actions aimed at restoring degraded land, establishing biodiversity corridors, and protecting existing forest areas.

• Finally, we will work with public and private stakeholders to mobilize blended finance, establish innovative financial mechanisms aimed at the green transition of Peru's economy, and regulate financial institutions offering green products and services.