PROGRAM  ¦  PARTNERS  ¦  COUNTY & REGION INFO  ¦  SAMPLE SCHEDULE  ¦  STUDY TOPICS ¦  WHAT'S INCLUDED

The following is a brief guide to our program in the Sacred Valley, Peru. Upon acceptance into the program, CITA Stewards will receive an in-depth packet including orientation and training schedules, online class descriptions and dates, a packing list, and information about home stay and accommodations, food, program pricing, health and safety, and contacts both in the US and abroad.

About the Program

The Sacred Valley CITA program will be a unique opportunity to learn about both present-day and ancient farming practices, while simultaneously participating in agriculture-based community research projects. Stewards will visit rural communities throughout the Lares Valley where they will participate in a variety of activities alongside local farmers and community members in order to learn about their day-to-day practices.  By the end of the program, CITA stewards will host a workshop for community members and representatives of other NGOs from the Sacred Valley to exchange knowledge and best practices of the different approaches to agriculture in the high-altitude communities in Peru. 

Who will CITA Stewards be working with?

CITA Stewards will have the opportunity to work with Ruben Quispe, a MESA alum and head greenhouse technician for the Andean Alliance. Each week CITA stewards will work alongside Ruben in a school greenhouse and have the opportunity to both help and learn about unique greenhouse practices. While in Calca, CITA stewards will work with another MESA alum, Yesica Cusiyupanqui, to learn about Ecology Action’s Grow Biointensive® methods.

MESA’s Global Partner, the Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development (AASD) uses innovative solutions to alleviate the effects of poverty, marginalization, and social injustices that hinder community development and well-being. By connecting motivated change agents and resources to design informed solutions, the AASD addresses the needs of communities in the highlands of Peru. The group actively engages with local social change organizations to build capacity and foster collaboration. The Andean Alliance also partners with graduate institutions to maintain an innovative approach and creativity in the field. Most importantly, the AASD works alongside indigenous communitires to facilitate the realization of a healthy and prosperous future. 

So far the most established and successful project of the Andean Alliance is its greenhouse initiative. Since malnutrition is one of the most pressing issues in the high altitude communities of Peru, the Andean Alliance works together with schools and communities to promote health and nutrition through an alternative greenhouse curriculum. Our trained greenhouse technicians travel to each community every week to teach students how to manage and maintain a greenhouse. Vegetables from the greenhouse are incorporated into the school lunch programs, and the Andean Alliance provides cooking classes, introducing a greater diversity of nutrients into the diets of students and community members.

Please visit the Andean Alliance website for more information on their successful projects and community initiatives. Also make sure to check out their video blog for a look inside of their on-the-ground work!

CITA Stewards will also get the chance to meet and work with our longtime MESA partner, El Huerto at the La Molina National Agrarian University in Lima. Directed by Agricultural Engineer, Saray Siura, El Huerto will facilitate a work day at the Manantial Farm just outside of the city. CITA Stewards will participate in the farm's harvest and learn about the organic farmer's market called the "Bioferia" in Lima. 

About Peru

Peru has, even long before the Incas, remained treasured by its people for its diverse ecosystems, stunning mountain ranges, lush jungles, thriving rivers and fertile valleys. Travelers lucky enough to travel off the beaten path can immerse themselves in remarkably intact ancient cultures based around connections to the land. Traditional forms of agriculture including terracing and aqueducts have shaped communities around the land and crops they cultivate. Peru spans great distances with popular beach destinations in the north coast, the bustling capital city of Lima in the center, down south to Cusco (the country's most visited city) and the great Lake Titicaca which flows into Bolivia. The coast of Peru is typically warm (70-80º F) during the summer, overcast in the winter, with very little annual rainfall. The climate variability in the Andean highlands is great, depending on your elevation. Average annual temperature in low valleys is around 64º F while in higher elevations it can be as low as 32º F. The beginnning of the rainy season is in September, with most rainfall occuring between January and March. 

About the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley, also known as the “Bread basket of the Incas”, is a valley in the Andes of Peru that lies near the ancient Inca capital of Cusco and near the historic sacred city of Machu Picchu. During the time of the Incan Empire, this valley was mainly populated due to its special geographic and climatic qualities that allowed for flourishing agriculture in a secure location. Today the sacred valley is still an agro-economy, yet you can also enjoy checking out ancient ruins on the way to Machu Picchu, all the way from the communities of Pisac to Ollantaytambo. 

What is a typical schedule for a CITA Steward in Peru?

Week 1:

• Arrive in Cusco (spend 2 days/nights)
• Optional tour of the Sacred Valley
• Presentation about Peru and the Sacred Valley
• Move to Calca and get settled in
• Travel to Lares and visit the Andean Alliance greenhouse projects.
• Meet the local farmers in Lares, visit Yesica’s farm.

Week 2-4: This depends on the projects and curriculum of CITA stewards. Here are the activities that can be spaced out during weeks 2, 3, and 4. Certain activities are meant to be weekly, and others are meant to be a unique learning experience:

• Shadow a group of local farmers in order to learn about their daily farming practices. Use this opportunity to compare the practices of present day agriculture with the ancient practices of the Incan empire. Weekly activity and dependent on the season

• Spend time with MESA alumnus Yesica on her farm and learn about how she incorporates Grow Biointensive® methods into her daily life. Stewards could take certain lessons learned and design an appropriate approach for how the Andean Alliance can incorporate these methods into their school greenhouse curriculum. Weekly activity

• Work with MESA alumnus Ruben Quispe in the Andean Alliance school greenhouse project. See what the next generation of Peruvian farmers is learning and how they incorporate these practices into their lifestyle. Weekly activity

• 

  Meet the “Potato King” of Pampacorral. He is an award-winning farmer who grows many different varieties of potatoes. His potatoes are both exported to Europe and also turned into potato chips. Learn about his best practices and what separates him from the rest of the community.

• Participate in honey harvesting. Work alongside honey farmers and participate in local honey harvesting practices. Learn about how honey is used as a local resource as well as an economic driver.

• Design a planting plan in one of the Andean Alliance’s greenhouses based on the new and old knowledge and expertise.

• Spend time with a group of farmers to discuss the economic effects and dependency of farming.

• Meet one of the largest corn exporters in the Sacred Valley. Maybe even get the chance to play paintball on his private course.

• Visit Moray and other famous historical sites of the Incas that were specially designed to be the most efficient and productive agriculture areas.

• Participate in a communal harvest of corn in Choquecancha.

• At the end of the program, stewards may have the opportunity to combine their new knowledge with the old and host a workshop with local farmers and agriculture based NGOs.

Topics to be studied in Peru's course:

Considering that agriculture and its varied practices and approaches have been the backbone of the Incas, a CITA stewardship program in the Sacred Valley could not be more appropriate. The amounts of insight and literature on the agricultural practices of the Incas are endless, and today, just about anybody with the right passion and intention has the ability to be fully immersed in that culture. In the Sacred Valley CITA Program, stewards will be able to learn about the history of this culture, while simultaneously comparing it to the common farming techniques in today’s present society. These areas of focus will include, but are not limited to:

• Land use and the art of terracing

  

• Crop harvesting

• Communal farming

• Subsistence farming

• Staple crops: potatoes, quinoa, and corn

• Farming tools, natural fertilizers, greenhouses

• The culture of farming… its about more than the harvest

• Biointensive "mini"-farming methods

• Solstice & Incan astrology- how these play a role in crop cycles

• Mythology and agriculture

• The coast, mountains, and jungle agroecosystems

What's Included in Program Fees

Our Sacred Valley Program is currently under development.

Become a CITA Steward, train abroad in agroecology!