Sustainable Development for the Families of La Encantada

 

Project title:  SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE FAMILIES OF LA ENCANTADA

Country:   PERU

Region: AMERICAS

Current status:  Concluded

Duration (est.)/dates: January 2008 – December 2009

Partner entities:   Regional Government of Piura, Regional Tourism Office of Piura, Dirección Regional de Comercio Exterior y Turismo de Piura, Municipalidad Provincial de Chulucanas, Gobierno Regional de Piura Asociación de Gestión y Desarrollo del Pueblo de La Encantada, Asociación de Artesanos Tierra Encantada, Cite Cerámica de Chulucanas

Source(s) of Funding: ST-EP Foundation

Executing Agency:  Regional Tourism Office of Piura

Main project objective:  to improve the quality of life of the families of the artisans of La Encantada through the promotion and development of rural tourism based on local handicrafts and gastronomy.

The community of La Encantada is located within the tourism circuit of Piura – Chulucanas which receives an average of 2,000 visitors per month. The local economy is mainly based on farming and handicrafts.

Activities:

1. Product Development: A tourism circuit called “Algarrobo, miel y barro” (Carob, honey and mud) was identified in consultation with community members. The circuit was defined to allow the tourists to discover the local culture and includes guiding services, gastronomy, camping, honey production, handicraft experiences, horseback riding and kart riding. Promotional brochures were developed and the circuit was presented at the Peruvian Tourism Fair in 2008.

2. Awareness raising and Training: A participatory assessment of the local gastronomy was carried out to identify the main barriers to tourism market access. Training on food handling, hygiene, bio orchards, tourism and micro enterprise development were organized with participation of 64 community members (51 women). Five training courses for 17 local guides (men) were carried out and an exchange visit to the reserve of Chaparry was organized. All the training courses concluded with the organization of a Gastronomy Fair in 2009 and a presentation of the circuit by the local guides, who also received a book of the local resources of the area.

Main project outputs/deliverables:

The circuit “Algarrobo, miel y barro” is operational and received various groups of students in 2009. Various women expressed their interest to develop bio orchards and 41 artisans formally registered in the National Register of Artisans.

Remarks:

The project managed to develop a tourism product for the benefit of the local communities with a very limited budget. This product is currently being promoted very actively by the local authorities and plans to build a local restaurant are in the pipeline.