Enhancing resilience of communities to the adverse effects of climate change on food security, in Pichincha Province and the Jubones River basin

In response to these growing challenges, Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and the World Food Programme initiated a five-year project to strengthen the resilience and food security of 120 food insecure and vulnerable communities located in the Pichincha province and the Jubones river basin. Local strategies focus on securing access to water and involving communities in determining what types of infrastructure will best protect them from water-related climate impacts, be it water harvesting and storage measures, irrigation and drainage systems, or flood defense. These actions will help to maintain water supplies and provisioning services, partially through reductions in wasted water and the promotion of sustainable practices. Biological measures and natural resource conservation, based on community adaptation plans, are also important components of the project. For example, the project will stabilize hill slopes vulnerable to landslides, restore forest and vegetative cover to conserve water and reduce erosion in moorlands and forest areas, and improve agricultural practices to conserve water and maintain or increase yields to respond to climate threats. The project is intended as a model that can be replicated in other water-stressed areas of Ecuador.