Jaraña's Projects
This page summarizes the major interventions used by Jaraña to improve food production, water quality, and water availability in rural Oruro, Bolivia. Much of Jaraña's work in the Bolivian highlands focuses on helping impoverished farmers adapt their livelihoods to a changing climate, where water is becoming increasingly scarce. The projects described on this page can be
implemented for less than $500 per family helped. Approximate costs of
each intervention are listed in brackets in the text below.
Large scale Rainwater Harvesting - WijiñasSaline groundwater presents a major challenge for agriculture in some areas where Jaraña works. In response to this difficulty Jaraña has begun implementing projects using an updated version of an ancient rainwater catchment system, the Wijiña (cost: $400/family). These rainwater storage reservoirs capture rainfall during the few months of precipitation that Oruro experiences each year and stores rainwater during the region's long dry season. Given that the effects of climate change are increasingly depleting already scarce surface water resources in the Bolivian highlands, Wijiñas will likely represent one of few remaining options to sustain agriculture and livelihoods in areas with saline groundwater. The water that Wijiñas collect can also be purified for drinking with the BioSand Filter or other appropriate technologies. They are currently Jaraña's most successful project, attracting widespread demand from peasant farmers throughout Oruro. Biosand Filters
Jaraña has been trained by CAWST in the implementation of Biosand Filter projects (Cost: $100/family). They train project beneficiaries to employ this technology in remote areas where surface water is the only option. | Improving Agricultural production
Water Wells
Jaraña trains project beneficiaries on how to properly complete hand-dug wells to minimize the chance of groundwater contamination. Workshops are also held to train community members in the construction of simple hand pumps in order to ensure that they can understand how to repair them, if needed. Jaraña also trains beneficiaries in how to properly use this water for the irrigation of crops (cost of these projects: $300/family). |