Extreme Climate Wipes Out Ashaninka Food Supply

Extreme rainfall experienced by Ashaninka communities in the Peruvian Amazon over the last few weeks has washed away rainforest gardens that ninety three families depend on for basic subsistence.

In the third year running of unusually intense rainy seasons along the Western edge of the Amazon, six Ashaninka villages have lost houses, possessions and, most importantly, their manioc gardens.
Speaking to a community leader - Cesar Bustamante, who runs the health post at Cutivireni village - yesterday, it appears that the rains have eased in the last few days, leaving almost 100 Ashaninka families clearing up the mess and inspecting their mangled and rotting gardens.

"We have always lived close to the main rivers, which are a source of water and food, yet this kind of flooding has never happened before in living memory," said Cesar. "If this is global warming and likely to happen regularly, we will need to move all our villages," he continued.

"Right now, what the flood victim families need is help with basic food supplies while we dig and replant the manioc gardens," Cesar suggested.

Manioc is the Ashaninka's staple food. It's a yam-like tuber which takes around three months to grow to maturity. Their main source of carbohydrates, manioc (called "yuca" in Peru and "kaniri" in Ashaninka) is eaten with every meal and the main ingredient of a home-made beer, the only drink the Ashaninka traditionally imbibe.

"The Ashaninka are asking for help with basic food stuffs, like rice and noodles, to see them through this difficult period," adds Matthew Owen, Director of Cool Earth, a UK charity working on rainforest conservation with these Ashaninka communities. "Mattocks, machetes and sharpening files are also needed by the victim families, so that they can get their gardens back into production as soon as possible."

"Owners of more than 50,000 hectares of rainforest, the Ashaninka play a vital role in keeping loggers out and maintaining the high levels of biodiversity in the region; so these communities are helping to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss on the one hand, yet seem to be suffering the effects of a changing climate on the other," concludes Owen.

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