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Recent News
Baskets for Better Lives February 2009
Artisans have more
than doubled previous monthly earnings
Women in the remote Peruvian
Amazon village of San Antonio de Pintuyacu are weaving hundreds
of beautiful baskets from the fibers of the Chambira palm tree,
which are now being sold at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Natural
History Museum. The basket program, initiated by NCI with assistance
from the government
of Loreto, Peru, IIAP, and the Moore Foundation, is an effort aimed
at “productive conservation,” which will help save the
rain forest by transforming it into a renewable economic resource
for local people. The indigenous people here are already
seeing the benefits. Artisans get $10 to $12 for each basket, which
has more than doubled previous monthly earnings. Two years ago,
households in this region earned as little as $30 a month selling
fish and palm frond roofing at city markets. Today, experienced
weavers can earn up to $100 a month, and the program has proven
that sustainable production from local resources is an excellent
strategy for long-term conservation of fragile ecosystems.
government
of Loreto, Peru, IIAP, and the Moore Foundation, is an effort aimed
at “productive conservation,” which will help save the
rain forest by transforming it into a renewable economic resource
for local people.