Alert

Peru - 01/2007

Frost and hailstorms wreak havoc in Huancavelica

Geneva, 2 March 2007

Severe frost conditions and hailstorms in the department of Huancavelica at the end of February's second week, resulted in the loss of 32,326 hectares of cultivated land—an estimated economic loss of 16 million USD. Some 40,110 farming families were directly affected. The following provinces were particularly hard hit: Acobamba, with agricultural losses estimated at 8,592 ha; Huancavelica, where it was estimated that 4,080 ha were destroyed, and Churcampa and Angaraes with losses of 3,000 ha each. The Association of the Municipalities of the Central Area of Huancavelica (AMUZCEH) also registered the loss of some 600 ha of cultivated land, affecting 6,000 families, within the six districts it represents.

The crops affected mostly are potatoes, corn, ayuco, oca, barley and mashua. The farmers that were affected are mainly small producers with less than one hectare of land per family. It means that these families have lost their source of income that would also have allowed them to buy new seeds. Moreover, as the new school year is about to start, they now lack financial resources to send their children to school.

The Government of Peru has declared a state of emergency in the department of Huancavelica. Coordination mechanisms are currently being set up. Institutions and organizations of the department of Huancavelica have asked for agricultural inputs, financial resources to buy seeds and food support for a period of eight months. They have also asked the Government to assist in providing temporary work in the field of rehabilitation of rural roads, the installation of tree nurseries, as well as to allow people to participate in the rehabilitation of infrastructure: building of terraces, and construction of channels to collect water and for irrigation.

The ACT International Peru forum is working on a proposal for an appeal through Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Peru, one of the ACT International members present in Peru. LWR has been working in the region with three partners: the association AMUZCEH, and two local NGOs: CEPES and San Javier. LWR plans to focus on the six districts that are covered by AMUZCEH, and provide them with seeds, food and school material for children. The LWR program officer for Peru will travel to Huancavelica on Friday, March 2, 2007, to meet with partners.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).

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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.