Nature Canada in Paraguay

Background

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Building on earlier successful projects with Guyra Paraguay in that country's Atlantic Forest, we have embarked on a two-year project to bring food security, improved health, gender equality and awareness about the importance of conservation to four communities in or near Important Bird Areas. This time, we have an additional goal: supporting Gatineau-based non-governmental organization Place aux agricultrices: nourricieres du monde in building capacity for international development work.

Ecological importance

The Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil, northeast Argentina and eastern Paraguay is one of the most threatened yet biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. Once covering approximately 1.7 million square kilometers, only 7.4 per cent now remains, mostly as scattered fragments. This extreme loss of habitat threatens the extinction of the majority of fauna and flora in the Atlantic Forest. Of the 181 endemic bird species, 60 are considered globally threatened and a similar number near threatened. Due to this exceptional concentration of endemic species combined with the exceptional loss of habitat, the Atlantic Forest is one of the top five hotspots for biodiversity conservation in the world.

The challenges: poverty and gender inequality

Russet-winged Spadebill © Leticia López/Guyra Paraguay

In Paraguay, 20% of the population controls 80% of the country's riches. In addition to this great inequality, it is estimated that for 64% of the population at least one basic need is not satisfied. According to the World Bank, 33% of the population in Paraguay lives with less than two dollars a day. Seventy-two per cent of the poor live in rural areas, often under alarming sanitary conditions. Women farmers head nearly 25% of these poor rural households. These women and their families suffer from malnutrition, lack basic health care, and lack the knowledge and means to uphold their basic rights and to access services. Practically all the women in these communities are dedicated to agriculture in addition to caring for their families. Female rural workers are excluded from social security because they do not receive a salary and their access to health services is precarious.

Our project

Working with women in rural communities © Fortaleser

Nature Canada and Place aux agricultrices secured the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to work with Guyra Paraguay and Fortaleser so that Paraguayan women farmers can fully participate in the integral rural development of their communities.

The partners will work with 450 women farmers in four communities to improve their food security, health, gender equality and democratic governance, and to raise their awareness of the need for biodiversity conservation. The women will receive the tools and training they need to pursue organic farming, product commercialization and to reduce soil degradation and unsustainable use of natural resources.

Access to information about the prevention of STDs and HIV/AIDS will improve the health of women farmers and their families.

The communities are Santa Ana and Libertad del Sur, located in the San Rafael IBA, an area of great importance to biodiversity; Isla Pucu, near Arroyos y Esteros IBA; and San Rafael de Caaguazu, which lies about 28 km from Serranías de San Joaquín IBA.

Read about our current projects in the Caribbean, or our past projects in Paraguay and Panama and Mexico.