How It All Started
In 2009, Adam Stieglitz and Aaron Ebner met in graduate school at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey, California. They were critical of conventional development practices and began researching more responsible forms of development. At MIIS, they founded a student group on campus committed to understanding failed agriculture projects in Peru. The student group piloted a new model of school greenhouses that they thought might work in campesino communities. They partnered with Ruben Quispe from Choquecancha, Peru to carry out this pilot project. It was a huge success because the school greenhouses enabled students to have nutritional lunches and more pride for their agricultural heritage. After seeing the success of these school greenhouses, community members started to express interest in their own family greenhouses.
In 2010, Stieglitz, Ebner and Quispe founded the Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development (AASD) to support community-led agriculture projects in the highlands of Peru.
The Catalyst
Among many challenges and failures, one situation in particular transformed the organization. In 2012, the AASD won a large contract from a development organization to build greenhouses in 15 communities. However, this project was not modeled to be community-led. As a value-oriented organization, we could not responsibly accept this funding. With turning down such a big contract, we had to ask ourselves:
How could we have an impact in these communities if we continue to deny conventional funding?
The Solution
With that question in mind, we developed an Experiential Learning program. Today, the Experiential Learning pillar of the AASD generates the majority of our revenue and we are able to prioritize these profits to support community-led projects. This social enterprise model allows us to stay accountable to the communities, adapt more quickly to changing conditions, and be innovative. Experiential Learning allows us the resources to invest in the most impactful change-makers in campesino community culture.
The Nina Family and Ecohuella
We believe that the best way to support change is to support local change-makers and the Nina family has a well-known reputation among campesino farmers. In 2010, Aaron and Adam met Yesica Nina, manager of Ecohuella. Her family members are all experienced, educated, ecological farmers. The AASD became close friends with Yesica and her family. Yesica’s brother, Julio Nina, became a fundamental community liaison for the AASD in campesino communities and now is the Director of Agriculture Projects. With the support from Yesica and Julio, the AASD is known in campesino communities as a well-respected organization that initiates community-led projects run by trusted locals.
We believe that real change must come from the community and the Nina family and the Ecohuella is a shining example of what is possible.
Where Are We Today?
The future of the AASD is as bright as the sun here in the Andes. We are more passionate as ever. The AASD team is made up of incredible educators, farmers, and researchers. Our network is international and our values remain the same. We will continue to evolve, make mistakes, adapt, and overcome challenges. Join us on the mission, we are doing great things and it’s so much fun.
