Opportunities in Bambamarca, Peru, are not plentiful. For most people, earning enough just to get by can be a challenge. Earning enough to employ others, send your children to school, and invest in more sustainable business practices are luxuries which most in this small district in the Cajamarca department don’t have. The average household income reaches just barely $100 per month and most Bambamarquinos don’t have electricity or running water. Many cannot read.
Despite these challenges, one Bambamarca native decided to invest his time, money, and opportunities back into the community. Videlmo Maluquish Silva is a young entrepreneur who participated in the inaugural EmprendeAhora youth leadership and entrepreneurship training program in 2008. Since 2008, EmprendeAhora has been bringing college students from every region of Peru together with a focus on creating entrepreneurs who understand the value of democracy and the responsibility of the private sector to improve the economic opportunities in their communities.
Combining the agricultural science background he gained through his university studies with the business and civic education he received from EmprendeAhora, Videlmo formed a partnership with Vanessa Rubina, a 2009 EmprendeAhora grad, and returned to Bambamarca to found BIOALTURA, a cooperative of associated small scale farmers of aguaymanto (also known as uvillas or ground cherries). BIOALTURA focuses on increasing productivity and the capacity of its farmers, but what really sets it apart from other similar cooperatives is its focus on women as the main business partners. BIOALTURA works with female heads of household, placing the power of decision making in their hands.
In 2013, CIPE staff traveled to Bambamarca and visited some of BIOALTURA’s farmland. There, they met some of the farmers, including Amelia Lara de Fuentes, who has been a BIOALTURA farmer since its foundation. Amelia’s family benefited in remarkable ways from the BIOALTURA model.
Not only did Amelia’s household income quadruple over the first three years, she also no longer needed to participate in migratory farming – a common practice among many Andean farmers who must move to the coast during certain growing times, but which often results in net losses, not to mention familial upheaval when children must leave school to accompany parents.
Videlmo’s story is a part of a series of videos from the field showcasing positive examples of how EmprendeAhora alumni are putting into practice their entrepreneurial skills to advance economic and democratic development in Peru. Be sure to check out the previous episode, which highlighted Jorge Cueva who opened an eco-lodge.
Laura Boyette is Program Coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean.
