Uruguay: The Thematic Group promotes a concerted action in one of the poorest areas of the country

Crop diversification, strengthening of local associations, promoting of healthy habits and improving the quality of life. These are the four goals towards which the Thematic Group of Rural Development and Food Security in Uruguay has decided to take action in one of the most depressed zones of the country.

The region of Caraguatá, within the district of Tacuarembó, lies in the heart of "deep Uruguay", near the border with Brazil, where rural poverty registers high indices: 49% of the 279,000 inhabitants of Caraguatá have Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN), a figure that rises to 85% of its 1,300 inhabitants of Laureles. Caraguatá and Laureles, with a rural population in decline, have a birth and infant-mortality rate far higher than in the rest of the country, and their farmers lack the technological information, the technical assistance, and the access to credit that could enable them to confront this situation.

A visit to the district of Tacuarmbó and a meeting with the local authorities some months ago led the Thematic Group to decide to intervene first in the zone of Caraguatá. After a careful diagnosis of the situation on the part of the group, several NGOs and local partners, a project cofinanced by the PAHO/WHO, FAO, UNDP, GTZ, and with the support of the administrative offices of Tacuarembó, the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), the Council of Primary Education (CEP) and the Latin American Centre of Human Economy (CLAEH) was finally presented last 6 April, and will be extended until March 2003.

The FAO, with a budget of nearly US $12,500, $5,000 of which came from the Telefood project formulated for the acquisition of the income for the demonstrative estates, will take care of the part concerning the diversification of crops and dietary habits. For this, a greenhouse will be built on each of two estates and prepared with seed beds, a strategy will be formulated for marketing and commercialization. By the production of new vegetable products, the hope is to improve the diet of the 25 beneficiary families and in 20 rural schools that are the focus of the project and to invest the surplus in commercialization. In addition, the small rural producers will be trained to cultivate aromatic and medicinal plants. It is estimated that the sale of these potted plants in the market would gather between 1,500 and 1,600 US dollars quarterly.

This aspect would be complemented by the intervention of the UNDP, the OPS/OMS and the municipal administrative offices, which will fortify the local organizations in the zone and promote healthy habits (referring both to health and nutrition as well as the use of free time). For this, courses and exchange of experiences will serve as training activities in rural schools, which will have the true function of social articulation in the zone. With all this, the Thematic Group of Uruguay hopes that the region of Caraguatá can adequately join the national economic structure.

For more information, please contact FAO-URY@field.fao.org