Manduvirá and IDEAS: a story of cooperation supported by the City Council of Córdoba

Almost 10 years have passed since the first project was developed in Paraguay with the support of the international cooperation call for development from the City Council of Córdoba.

Today, we are going to review and highlight the projects developed with the sugar cane Cooperative, Manduvira.

Manduvirá Cooperative produces cane sugar and distributes it worldwide from Paraguay. Since its foundation over 40 years ago, they have continuously created supporting networks among members to improve the living conditions in the community of Arroyos and Esteros.

The sugar cane producing families decided one day to try to change their future and pursued their dream. They confronted the factory owner who bought their sugar cane, asking for an improvement in the price they received for it, and went on a long journey that would ultimately change their lives and the history of their town.

After years of uncertainty, they managed to build their own eco sugar production factory and gradually have become a strong foundation of their community.

Approximately 1500 members now have stable incomes and decent working conditions.

In addition, Manduvirá has continued to develop sustainable projects to improve sugar cane productivity while prioritizing sustainability. 

In 2019, we completed the project "Strengthening the productive chain of sugar cane in the community of Arroyos and Esteros in Paraguay (second phase)". This project was developed with the support of the international cooperation area of the City Council of Córdoba through the international cooperation grants call for the year 2017.

For IDEAS and for Manduvirá, it represented the second phase of the first project developed between both organizations. The goal was to provide the Soil Analysis Lab with essential equipments and infrastructure.

Within the project, the laboratory was equipped with a Spectrophotometer. Also, training was provided to a technical team, which now is capable of producing "customized fertilizer" for any member of Manduvirá.

The construction of the laboratory has been a key factor for the proper functioning of the cooperative's composting plant, as it allows analyzing the nutritional needs of each soil of any farm; This way, the dose of nutrients from organic compost to be applied is targeted. Producers now have a more productive soil, which has a very positive impact on their crops.

The activities carried out in the project were as follows:

* Acquisition of the necessary technology to achieve efficient laboratory performance. This activity includes the acquisition of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer for the soil laboratory.

* Creation and training a technical team to manage the laboratory.

* Advise and train on Good Agricultural Practices for cooperative members.

* Gender equity campaign in the community.

* Awareness and promotion campaign for Fair Trade and local consumption among the local population of the community of Arroyos and Esteros and Córdoba.

As a result, the following achievements were made:

RESULT 1: 904 producing members have improved the productivity of their crops with a focus on environmental sustainability and gender equity.

RESULT 2: Manduvirá's marketing processes and those of women's groups have been strengthened through the creation of a local consumption campaign and solidarity marketing networks and Fair Trade.

RESULT 3: The capacities of women producers have been strengthened to promote and their rights at the family, community, and public levels, reducing Gender gaps.

Support Fair Trade, Buy Fair Trade to contribute to better livelihoods for millions of producers/farmers on the planet! 

Fuente: IDEAS Comercio Justo (España)