Climate Change in the Andean Highlands

We boarded the truck at 6:30 this morning, to drive up several hundred meters to visit a reforestation program, which, over time, will literally change the climate of the Andean highlands.

The land is rocky and dry, like a desert in the sky... yet slowly, with a local NGO´s help, WFP has planted almost a quarter-million trees, tall grasses and other mountainous vegatation which catches water, prevents erosion, creates a little micro-climate and develops the water table, bringing more rain, and therefore more agricultural production, to the highlands. This allows these indigenous, mountain communities to return to their land, after being chased away by the Shining Path almost 20 years ago, and live, work and embrace their ancient cultures, together once again.

We had the chance to also visit a lake which was built at 14,000 feet, which catches rainwater, and is then distributed out to local farms through a basic, but very impressive, water irrigation system, to cultivate their crops.

It was while we were at the lake that WFP, the local NGOs and local villages gathered for a water ritual, to ask the mountain gods for more rain. We dug a hole in the earth next to the lake, and buried fruit, vegetables, flowers and cigarettes (?!), covered the hole, and sprinkled it with some local alcohol. When we were finished, we had formal remarks; the president of the community, the president of the district and me. After my comments, a woman with a round, leathery face, topped off by a bowler hat decorated with dried flowers, approached me and told me (through triple translation from Quechua to Spanish to English and back...) that her daughter´s name was also Margot.

I looked down, to see the most beautiful face of the tiniest 11 year old girl I´ve ever seen. She took my hand, led me up to a pile of rocks, climbed atop the rocks, beckoned an old man with a guitar, and proceeded to sing me a song, about the two Margots. She wrapped her arms around me, and kissed me when she was done. It was the perfect way to end a near-perfect day.

Tomorrow, we fly back to Lima, where we will meet with the Country Director for a debrief, hold an educational conference call for our supporters in the USA, and finally collapse after a long, windy week at the top of the world...