Webinars to promote resilience in agriculture in times of COVID– 19

• Mr. Pérez: We invite you to be in the Webinar …
• But how do I get there? If I can’t go out.
• You can connect by zoom …
• What are you talking about? I know nothing about that
• I’ll explain it to you…

This happened to me three months ago when we believed that the quarantine would last for forty days. However, here we are at close to eighty days, trying to avoid all possible risks so as not to contract COVID – 19.

But for producers, the story is different. Their work in productive activities has not changed because they feed the population and without them, it would be impossible to maintain the supply chain. They have gone through several stages in this pandemic. At first they felt fear and uncertainty, then they adapted to the need to apply preventive measures on their farms and they are now learning to live under what has been called the new normal.

Despite the context, technology now allows us to communicate and feel somewhat close. Because we must not forget that human beings live in society and this is part of our learning and growth. We have been able to disseminate experiences of producers in other countries who are in similar situations and who are developing strategies to safeguard production, reduce risks and reactivate thamselves economically.

This virtual meeting is very interesting. Local producers see that the situation does not differ from their own under these conditions. They learn about actions they can take as an example or reference in a given situation. And most importantly they realice that they are not alone, and that their work identifies them with other producers who may be far away, but who are, at the same time, close due to the daily activities they carry out. That feeling of identification that they find between one another makes possible their learning, or the buzzword: their resilience.

But it is not a general condition. Connectivity in the field is still limited not only due to internet access, but also because of the generation gap regarding the handling of mobile phones, computers, apps and platforms. It calls for reinventing life in rural areas; it forces our producers to manage this technological world that they believed was unnecessary. Once again, we see that everything in life involves learning.

During these months, the experience of promoting these virtual dialogues with producers of coffee, livestock, palm and others has been possible thanks to the social capital that has been developed in the region, and the collaboration of unions and organizations that also discover that this form of communication is a means for strengthening relations with farmers. PROAmazonía will continue to promote spaces for analyzing the main challenges of sustainable, deforestation-free production.

Finally, although webinars can be mechanisms through which producers can meet and identify with other worlds, it is clear that this does not solve their problems. Their situation could improve if public policies were oriented toward supporting their activity, with the possibility of receiving training, technical assistance and technology transfer. That is why we are committed to the Premium and Sustainable strategy, as an effort of the national government to have a country with high-quality production and care for the environment. Today our challenge is to face a new normal; we have the talent and technology to rethink a better world.

Author: Lucía Valverde

Specialist in Associations and Cooperatives at PROAmazonía