EARTH SUMMIT+5 Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise the Implementation of Agenda 21 New York, 23-27 June 1997 SUCCESS STORIES FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

	Jocchoc River Microbasin Development Project: Restoring Terrace Works
	Location	Department of Cusco, Peru.
	Responsible organization	Execution: representatives of the peasant communities belonging to the Jocchoc River Basin Jurisdiction, District and Province of Calca; studies: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Santiago, Chile
	Description	Ever since the Spanish colonization the Andean communities have suffered the collapse of their dwelling and the break down of their pre-Columbian systems of production. Most of these communities have slowly revived their dwellings but not their expensive land engineering works made up of terrace systems called "andenes". The need to stop the severe soil erosion process generated a number of development programmes based on repairing the terraces and indigenous irrigation systems. ECLAC carried out a project named "Jocchoc River Basin Diagnostic Study and Development Programme Lay-out" which was performed through community activities with the aid of the Peruvian Programa Nacional de Manejo de Cuencas Hídricas y de Conservación de Suelos (PRONAMACHCS).
	Issues addressed	The change in the production systems effectively contributes to stop the natural resource loss, favouring a larger and sustainable farm production, and thus, supporting a peasant community development that is socially and environmentally sustainable.
	Objectives	To strengthen the rural organizations, so that, with their own resources, they carry out the tasks outlined in the project, incorporating appropriate technologies and production techniques in order to increase yields and profitability
	Results achieved	115 hectares, repair of terraces in the peasant communities located at Rayampata, Unuraqui, Llicllec, Parco and Chimpacalca 12 km repaired on the left border of the Inca Channel 8 km repaired on the right border of the Inca Channel 80 km protective forest and lineal agro-forest planting training courses dealing with terrace recovering
	Lessons learned	A realistic diagnosis with a strategic prognosis must become an adequate training tool for the community. A project supported by local active involvement becomes a successful tool. A down-to-earth project fitting into the local possibilities is easily taken on by the community. A project encourages the people if, in the short run, it shows concrete works, earnings increase, and improvement of the living standards. The adequate mixing-up of the productive system conceptual framework and the practical performance proposed by the peasants makes it possible to carry out the project.
	Financing	The study was financed by the ECLAC/UNEP Project "Technical Co-operation for Environmental Planning and Management in Latin America and the Caribbean", September 1990-December 1992.
	Contact	Señores Presidentes de las Comunidades Campesinas de la Jurisdición de la Cuenca del Río Jocchoc Calle Quera 235, 3er Piso Cusco, Peru Fax: + 51/226 590; 221 529