Photo: UEBT
l Biocultural community protocols and ethical biotrade: exploring participatory approaches in Peru 171
Representatives from AFIMAD communities and Candela Peru discuss values and approaches important in their
partnership.
of time and budget constraints.
In the dialogue between community and
company, the participatory approach turned
out to be fundamental. It promoted a more
horizontal environment which helped to
balance power by using methodologies that
emphasised the value of all contributions.
For example, sharing information in a simple
and clear format was essential to ensure the
informed participation of the communities.
The role of an independent local facilitator,
accepted by both parties, was also crucial.
Nevertheless, there was limited participation
of community representatives in the dialogue
with the company. This was because the
community presidents argued that the representatives chosen from each community
were selected precisely to represent the
communities on these issues, and so wider
representation at the workshops was not
needed.
Existing structures and relationships
both within and between the communities,
AFIMAD and Candela Peru were seen as
minimising the negative impact of these
shorter, less inclusive processes. However,
AFIMAD is aiming to widen input into the
BCP, using the current draft as the basis for
a more comprehensive and representative
document.
Looking forward
Since the pilot project, AFIMAD has experienced resource constraints, which have
limited dissemination of the BCP among the
communities. This highlights the importance of sustainable financing for any BCP
process. Similarly, widening the BCP to
include broader interests and concerns will
require the continued support of local facilitators or civil society organisations and
additional fundraising. Work is ongoing to
address these challenges.
There will be further discussions on both
the protocol and the agreement of principles
and commitments as part of the UEBT
membership process. As a UEBT member,
Candela Peru’s annual reports include
updates on their work towards complying
with the ethical biotrade standard, and the
company undergoes independent audits
every three years to verify progress.