Conga´s recipe for dialogue

How to communicate with people?

In Conga we have designated days for dialogue: on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Huasmín, Celendín and Sorochuco respectively.

These meetings attract hundreds of citizens to discuss issues of interest, such as those related to environmental work of modern mining in Cajamarca.

Citizens of the three districts have supported openly this dialogue initiative because it allows them to obtain information regarding mining issues, but also of initiatives to lay the foundations for sustainable development.

In these meetings participate:

Ramon Marchena Ortiz, a resident of Sorochuco:

"Because the information we receive is satisfactory for the knowledge of all of us"

Quiliche César Bolaños, a resident of Sorochuco:

"This is how the mining propose new alternatives for the development of its people. By the dialogue of settlers and mining representatives, both parts are satisfied”

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Mistura and native potato

Last week our colleagues from ADERS, attended Mistura´s food fair.

In a preferential location as the main product, more than 800 varieties of native potatoes from different regions of the country were displayed.

The producers of La Chorrera, Antonio Alaya Ortiz and Juan Tacilla Bolaños, were blissful to confirm that their product it´s in great demand and of their participation in the project of "Production of the commercial native potato "

This same project is being implemented in partnership with ALAC in the districts of Huasmín, Sorochuco and Encañada.

In the coming years, the producers within the Conga project will take part in MISTURA.

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More education

The quality of education not only depends on teachers, but of the commitment and coordination of all of us. Therefore, we have been promoting volunteerism with youth from different schools within the country.

In July, 10 young people from Markham school from Lima participated in this volunteer program along with other 13 students from Davy´s school from Cajamarca.

Together, students, parents and teachers, helped shoulder to shoulder in the repair and improvement of the infrastructure of a school in the hamlet of Agua Blanca, in the district of Sorochuco.

After extensive hours of work, the facade, doors, windows and the interiors of each of the classrooms looked restored. The access to the school as well as the sanitary facilities and drainage for rainwater were improved.

Reading for pleasure

Reading means more than just studying, it is a recreational activity. Thanks to all the volunteers we were able to renew the Educational Resource Centre with new textbooks, which will be useful to promote reading sessions under the name of "Reading for pleasure."

Authorities, teachers and the community in general, emphasized the team work, recognizing that actions like this should be replicated in other areas of the district.

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Could a mine promote development before starting to operate?

We have been working for the sustainable development in communities, despite the fact we have not become a mine yet. Why? Because we have a social and environmental commitment with Cajamarca.

We believe that sustainable human development is an approach which promotes fundamental skills of the people (education, health, income, civic participation, among others) and at the same time, train citizens to acquire high levels of autonomy.

There are a lot of cases we could share. At this time, we will introduce the case of the famous milk from Cajamarca.

Case 1: Healthy Cows = rich milk = quality dairy products.

We decided to work with dairy farmers in Cajamarca because they need more training and technical assistance. The aim is to improve the skills of dairy farmers in order to optimize their income and quality of life.

With this project, "Training and Employment Promotion in Dairy Cattle in Cajamarca", we have been able to train more than 8300 dairy farmers in the watershed of the Encañada, Cajamarca,Tumbaden and Conchan, also in the provinces of Cajamarca, San Miguel and San Pablo.

Thanks to the Fondo de Crédito para el Desarrollo Agroforestal (FONCREAGRO) which we are supporting, 870 families benefit from improved health conditions of livestock and plant improved pastures, among other services.Since the cows are the main source of milk produced in Cajamarca, we have implemented a preventive vaccination campaign and we have also boosted the registration and earrings of cows to optimize production.

Since the cows are the main source of milk produced in Cajamarca, we have implemented a preventive vaccination campaign and we have also boosted the registration and earrings of cows to optimize production.

Conga´s formula

How to contribute to human development for the dairy farmers to produce more milk of better quality?

• A strong and committed partnership with local actors
• A rich Credit Fund for Agroforestry Development (FONCREAGO)
• Intense training for dairymen
• Essential care for the cows (registration, vaccination and veterinary services)
• Good Pastures
• A lot of quantities of work committed to a long-term vision

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For the hamlets to produce more and better

Conga´s Teams of Social Development and Community Relations make the effort every day to visit neighbouring communities and share productivity methods with them. In the city of Cajamarca, more than 800 families from 38 hamlets in the towns of La Encañada, Sorochuco and Huasmin have already begun to experience positive changes through development projects which we carry out within the area.

Partners for Development: From left to right: Inés Pando Salazar, Conga Project Social Development Coordinator; Miguel Lacsa Fuentes, potato farmer of Uñigan Pululo Hamlet and Nicolas Caballero Bardales, Specialist in Productive Development of Asociación Los Andes de Cajamarca (ALAC).

Seven options to produce

Nicolas Caballero Bardales, a specialist in the productive development of Asociación Los Andes de Cajamarca (ALAC), tells us that within the next 3 to 5 years, seven projects will be implemented.

“At the moment we are developing programs such as: the native potato, dairy livestock and we are about to start the productive project of ground berry (aguaymanto). Next year we will implement a bio-commercial programme as well as a milk processing plant”.

Future Kings of the native potatoes

Thanks to the projects "Production of commercial native potato" and "Production and marketing of quality potato seed”, Miguel Llacsa Fuentes, potato producer of the hamlet of Uñigan Palulo, is learning to maximize his farmland by preserving the environment and getting trained in business management.

"We want to become great negotiators of potatoes and have a fixed market. Thus we could resolve our work and make a profit from it."

The project is implemented by the Asociación para el Desarrollo Sostenible del Perú (ADERS Perú).

The future king of native potato: Miguel Llacsa Fuentes, potato producer of the hamlet of Uñigan Palulo wants to become a great negotiatior and have a mixed market. Thus he could solve his work and “makes a profit from it”.

Cajamarca: Delicious, fresh milk

There are currently 870 families participating in the competitive development project of dairy livestock run by the Fondo de Crédito para del Desarrollo Agroforestal (Foncreagro) (FONCREAGRO, Credit Fund for Agroforestry Development) The goal is to optimize the quality of milk by improving sanitary conditions of the livestock, pasture, among others.

Communities with forward-looking approach.

In addition to these programs, in Conga we integrate an institutional network that promotes the creation of Community Development Committees (Codeco) as a strategy for community empowerment.

Consuelo Sanchez Cortez, vice president of Codeco in the hamlet of Uñigan Pululo tells us:

"Thanks to Codeco there has been a mass participation of people in the community. We have carried out many initiatives such as Improved Stoves, the creation of the Educational Institution “Uñigan Pululo” and, for 2011, we have planned a program of technical irrigation’

Ines Pando Salazar, Coordinator of Social Development in Conga Project says:

"These projects endeavour to improve the living conditions of farmers in neighbouring areas within the scope of the Conga project. The idea is to make our neighbors incorporate into their daily lives better tools and techniques in agriculture and livestock management, and thus gain more income”

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