IEE

Instituto de Estudios Ecuatorianos  - IEE

The Institute of Ecuadorian Studies is an NGO that was established in 1985 with the aim of strengthening civil society participation in local development projects. Working closely with indigenous community organisations and women's groups, it carries out training and workshops to improve people's capacity to manage land, soil, water and seeds in a sustainable way. IEE also supports grassroots organisations in developing strategies to improve access to and management of natural resources.
 
IEE does a lot of work around the issue of access to water, which is a key concern for indigenous people and small scale farmers. As well as water to drink, water is needed for animals, crops and for sanitation.
 
For indigenous people and farmers living in the Highlands, contaminated irrigation water and soil erosion are major problems. A great deal of water in this region is consumed by the big farming corporations and factories, and the authorities do little to support the rights of the indigenous people and small scale farmers to access water.

Another issue that IEE focuses on is that indigenous people and small scale farmers are particularly vulnerable to crop failure due to bad weather and disease. This can mean that they become dependent on pesticides which cost money and reduce any profit gained by selling produce in the market. The same applies where the soil quality has decreased and there is now a danger of dependency on fertilisers.

IEE is also working with communities to conserve native crops traditionally grown by indigenous people. These crops are threatened with extinction as changing tastes among consumers have meant farmers struggle to sell their produce in the cities. Adding to this the growing trend to plant acres and acres of biofuel crops, agro-biodiversity in Ecuador is under threat. This has had great implications for agricultural livelihoods and has meant people face food insecurity due to the limited stock of seeds. By working with communities to develop sustainable management of seeds and crops, IEE is taking a lead in tackling this complex issue.

Progressio and the Instituto de Estudios Ecuatorianos 

Fernando Ruiz is a forestry engineer from Columbia working on a Progressio project to help marginalised communities in the Ecuadorian Highlands manage natural resources.

He is working with communities that live in difficult conditions with high levels of poverty and malnutrition. Located at over 3000m above sea level, they farm small plots of land and now face increasing problems due to contamination of irrigation water and soil erosion.

Fernando is carrying out training and workshops with the communities to strengthen their capacity to manage water, land and seeds in a fair and sustainable way. He is also helping to monitor and improve land productivity, agro-biodiversity and access to water in the Highlands. Working with grassroots organisations he is also campaigning to influence policy-makers at a local, national and international level.

Find out more on the Institute of Ecuadorian Studies website (In Spanish, opens in a new window)

Read about MICC, another partner organisation that Fernando works with on this project.