Food Security Project

Huaraz, Peru

The Food Security project focuses on creating safety and stability of food and nutrition for our local community in Huaraz, Peru.

An Andean Alliance Project

The Andean Alliance founded the Yurac Yacu Community Center in 2013 with it's mission to unite our local community in a shared community center in Huaraz, Peru.

A project to support our local community

Food Security Project

Food Security stipulates that people should have social, economic and physical daily access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food. Some of the reasons that motivated Andean Alliance and its counterparts to seek a longer-term solution for small scale food production are: Populations living over 3000 meters in altitude suffer from vitamin A and other mineral deficiencies, negative effects of climate change on water resources, weather and temperature changes, in addition to unsecure work and income generating opportunities. With this in mind, Andean Alliance implemented a local greenhouse project here in Huaraz, Peru, which has seen 54 families participating over a three-year period.

Greenhouses allow the locals to grow food effectively

Local Greenhouses

The ability to grow vegetables at high altitude with difficult conditions related to extreme fluctuations from the hot sun and cold nights has been showing great success by the use of the green houses built in the last 3 years. Using high quality UV protected plastic, if cared for, the greenhouse can last for more than 10 years. Each greenhouse can provide sufficient produce for 10 people. Families living in the area of influence of the Yurac Yacu Community Center in Huaraz, Peru, were encouraged to apply and those who were chosen were based on criteria that considered family need and then participation in the required workshop and cooking classes. The greenhouse program consists of various components.

Educating our community on nutrition and farming

Food & Nutrition Education

The Rural Andean Communities in Huaraz, Peru have a strong connection to animal husbandry and the cultivation of grains and tubers that can be preserved for long periods of time thereby providing sustenance throughout the year. Although this is culturally and economically important, these practices do not provide the much needed minerals and vitamins that come from fresh, colorful produce. The nutrition derived from fresh produce impacts children’s development in the early years as well as pregnant women. Andean Alliance is working with the children in our preschool program and families with greenhouses in a variety of ways.