Day 1: Two Kiwis descend on El Guabo

21 April 2010 | Posted by simon in All Good News, General

Well we arrived safely in Ecuador thanks to LAN airways and we’re been bought into the depths of banana country in El Guabo.

What an eye opener! This place is magical. Lush green banana farms as far as the eye can see.

We started the day visiting Michael (pictured) who makes organic fertiliser used by the El Guabo farmers. He pretty much collects all the by-products from the local farms and industry including harvested and processed coca, (coffee) rice grasses, ash, local soil and makes a hearty liquid fertiliser from composting organic waste in tanks beside the shelter in this picture. All the ingredients are is mixed together to compost further then allowed to dry. Michael turns and mixes the maturing fertiliser twice a week using a shovel. In five weeks it is ready to be distributed to all the El Guabo farmers.

Next stop a meeting with Dr Daisy. Dr Daisy works at the El Guabo Association of Small Banana Producers (El Guabo ASBP) Medical Center established by to ensure that every family belonging to the Association, be they farmers or their relatives and children, are able to get good medical care when they need it. The service is available 24 hours a day all year round and is financed by the Fairtrade premium administered here in El Guabo.

The clinic deals with most of the usual community medical ailments that, maternity and young mother and childcare as well as tropical diseases common to the region like Dengi Fever.

Respiratory illnesses, poisoning and severe skin irritation caused by exposure to pesticides used to be prevalent in the area but Dr Daisy observes that since the farms have converted to Fairtrade these problems have gone away.

Then we headed to the mountains of El Oro in El Guabo to meet Luis, Anibul & Noemi Cabrera (pictured), Organic Banana Farmers who have been farming for three generations.

Luis has been farming in the area for 55 years. He moved here when his son, Anibul was 6. The family produce organic bananas without the use of any pesticides or herbicides – organic or otherwise. Because the terrain here is so steep they carry the bananas down from the hills on their backs when they harvest.

The Cabrerea family joined El Guabo in 2003. Being part of the Association has given them year round income and security. Before then they we’re only able to rely on regular income for four months of the year during the cocoa harvest. Now, with the help of Fairtrade, things are much better. Anibul works at the EGASBP supporting other farmers showing them how to grow organic bananas and Noemi, Anibul’s daughter will be starting University in Marchala this year.

Now it’s time for some food… and a beautiful Ecuador sunset…More updates soon. Simon & Matt

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