Meeting of knowledge

BACKGROUND

The "Yachay Wasi" library was an idea that emerged driven by feelings of love for reading and books that Medardo Tapia (its founder) shows with passion and inspiration; love for children and love for the hardworking hands that cultivate the fields and inhabit the Amazon rainforest. It is an open space where workshops and meetings of all kinds have also been held, from theater workshops for children, biodiversity research, to training processes for peasants, peoples and nationalities, on topics such as agroecology, environmental education, gender violence, etc.. We want it to become a true meeting of knowledge, where its books are not only a valuable instrument for the transmission, reinforcement and dissemination of knowledge, but also serve to encourage reading for purely recreational and satisfying purposes.

Although the work carried out has had the protection and conservation of nature as its main driving force, it would not be complete without addressing the social being and its realities. For this reason, the content has been extended to the social sphere, covering topics such as migration and socioeconomic reality, vital to develop a conservation strategy where ancestral knowledge and western knowledge are interwoven. Through reading and playful activities, an attractive tool for learning and awareness has been created.

This work was creating the the need to generate a space for readingIt was a place open to everyone, boys and girls, teenagers, community members and visitors of all kinds who could find a book that caught their attention. Books were recovered from recycling centers that were going to be destroyed, we received some donations from visitors who came to Zanja Arajuno and little by little the idea of an open-air library was born, reading a book while enjoying nature, or having a field guide to identify a biological species. A space for young and old. Little by little we have been able to compile books of different kinds to form the library and to promote this initiative, in 2021 a Tambo de lectura was established in the Mariscal Sucre community, where Roberto Guerrero (@osvaldo.guerra00), led this process as a reading mediator. The Tambos de Lectura are an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, through the José de la Cuadra National Book and Reading Plan, and within the framework of inter-institutional cooperation with the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI). These are spaces for reading mediation located in strategic places due to their geographic location and their capacity to bring together communities that have usually been relegated from reading instances. Around 17 children from the community participated in the process, which was very well received; the children took part in playful activities that encouraged reading and began to take books home on loan so that this interest in reading would have an impact on the family nucleus.

This process brought together diverse talents and joint dreams, where the idea of strengthening the library and enhancing its service to the community in general was strengthened.

The loss of biodiversity is not only evident in the reduction of native species of flora and fauna, but also from the economic point of view, because although monoculture guarantees a greater volume of production in less time, which allows the farmer to compete and offer a greater quantity of product in the market, it also implies a high risk of considerable losses if this system of cultivation is affected by pests or climatic factors. Thus, in a short time, soils lose their fertility because they are not suitable for these forms of cultivation and the farmer is forced to use chemical fertilizers and expand the agricultural frontier. Dependence on a monoculture crop undermines the food sovereignty of families.

There is a lack of knowledge of the ancestral balanced management of the forest and the only alternative is to use western techniques that deteriorate biodiversity. For example, growing cassava, peppers and tomatoes in the same area can conserve the soil better than planting only naranjilla and waiting for harvest time without any other alternative.  

Working with land requires a lot of time and patience, and the returns are not always fair. One characteristic is the abandonment of land due to external and internal migration, which leads to an increasingly rotational sale of land, and is not rooted in the real value that could be generated. For example, a landowner sells a hectare of land for USD 1000, the new owner plants Chinese potatoes and must cut down the forest, the harvest may yield three times, but on the fourth, he must use pesticides; and, the four-month growth time will slow down, while the rains come and erode the soil without the protection of other plant species.  

Zanja Arajuno seeks to provide alternatives to the loss of biodiversity, through its experience from  a more comprehensive approach, using the arts and environmental edu-communication as the main tools.  Through self-management, mingas and the work of our volunteer community, a chakra has been implemented.  (ancestral crop) for the food sustainability of the reserve (at present, there is a greenhouse that is being used to grow the  ten years ago and produces: chili bell pepper, gherkin, tomato, bush parsley, among others) as an effect of  replication in nearby farms, for family sustenance and diversification of products. This is a process of  with phases of local scope.

The citizen science is an approach in which civil society actively participates in scientific research. it involves the participation of non-scientists in scientific activities, such as data collection, analysis and dissemination of results. This can include individuals, local communities, interest groups or even through online platforms. This approach has multiple benefits, such as broadening the scope and capacity for data collection, promoting scientific literacy, and strengthening the connection between science and society. In addition, it can foster civic engagement and empowerment of local communities in making informed decisions on scientific and environmental issues.