Together we can Move Mountains!

Farming on steep mountain slopes is more than an uphill battle; it’s a matter of preserving our planet! Mountain systems are biodiversity hot spots and the source for as much as 80% of the world’s fresh water.

From the Andes to the Himalayas, through the Seeds of Survival (SoS) Program, USC is working with mountain-dwelling farmers to find sustainable solutions to poverty and malnutrition in harsh mountain landscapes, without damaging their fragile ecosystems.

In Bolivia, in the mountainous region of Potosi, the disastrous effects of decades of mining and unsustainable agricultural practices have impoverished the farmers and their land. Through a kind of “cultural erosion,” these people lost the ancestral knowledge and biological diversity that was built up over many generations of farming. Potosi was once an affluent agricultural region that was growing and exporting a huge variety of potatoes, as well as quinoa, oca, and other tubers and root crops. Today, Potosi is one of the poorest regions in Bolivia, and the land has been drained of nutrients by unsustainable farming practices.

But through our Seeds of Survival Mountains program, USC Canada is working with farmers in Potosi, matching science with local technology and knowledge, to help them bring new life to their land. As a result, families have been empowered to move beyond subsistence farming to produce organic crops of their choice, with improved yields.

This process has become more crucial in recent months, as the Global Food Crisis has driven food prices higher and higher. Without dependable, healthy food growing on their land, many farm families have been impoverished by this around the world. Your support will help prevent that kind of hunger, one community at a time, helping people help themselves.

Make a donation today to help USC Canada scale up operations for Seeds of Survival Mountains across Bolivia, and ultimately across the Andes, to enable families and biodiversity to flourish and thrive! To support SoS Mountains – Bolivia 2008, click here or contact Teresa by phone (1-800-565-6872 ext. 233) or by email to have her process your donation.