
22
projects impacting over 70k people

515
students have electricity in their primary school classrooms for the first time ever

15+
plans for Disaster Risk Reduction made possible in collaboration with government agencies

12k+
farmers have been active participants of our projects over the last 5 years
A megadiverse country
In a country with vast natural resources, there is pressure to use them intensively. Healthy yet fragile ecosystems that give a home to vulnerable populations are exposed to disruption, creating a scenario of loss instead of opportunities for a sustainable and inclusive future.
This is the case in Peru. Economic growth hasn’t raised living standards for all people or secured equal access to their rights, nor has it ensured prosperity in harmony with the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic made these significant gaps more evident: the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being has proven to be a challenge, particularly in rural areas.
Established in 1985, Practical Action’s Peru office has specialised in bringing together civil society, public and private sector to develop solutions that effectively tackle these issues, centring communities’ needs and knowledge, for a prosperous future. Working in farming, climate resilience and energy access, our work in Peru puts our technical expertise in service of sustainability and builds partnerships for long-lasting, collaborative impact.
Read on to learn about big changes that started small and are now influencing national policy. Find out more about the approaches we are exploring to support Peru’s path towards resilience, sustainability and equity.
Farming that Works
Regenerative agriculture for a
better life for smallholder
farmers and the planet
Farming that Works in Peru
Climate change worsens the already precarious situation for agriculture in Peru. Aside from unpredictable weather patterns, floods and droughts, unsustainable farming practices have degraded the soils’ richness, multiplying the challenges.
We can change this course by working with communities, sparking collaboration through cooperatives, accessing finance and markets, and combining knowledge about agroforestry systems, renewable energies and sustainable and regenerative practices.
The result is more resilient farming, and not only from an economic point of view. By improving productivity, we can make farming a more reliable livelihood that is also compatible with the environment. Farmers harvest better produce and better soil quality, ensuring that they can continue to work in the area; with the trees stopping the rain, there are no more landslides, ensuring that they will not lose their crops. Through green businesses, the diversified plots can be farmland for other ventures that ensure local food and the resilience of farmers.
With years of experience creating these virtuous cycles that bear fruit beyond the projects’ implementation, Practical Action is scaling up these approaches and influencing national policies for a blossoming future for farmers within Peru’s unique ecosystems.
CloseEnergy that Transforms
Unlocking education, health and
agricultural potential through clean
and affordable energy in rural areas.
Energy that Transforms in Peru
Energy plays a crucial role in our lives. It can power up better education and nutrition for thousands of children living in the border areas of Peru. It can spark new businesses for farmers, transforming their crops into higher-value products or making agriculture viable when water is scarce by using it efficiently. It can ensure better health access, preserving vaccines and accessing health records, among many benefits.
While overall energy access in Peru shows progress, people living in rural areas, particularly near the borders, are being left behind. Off the grid, renewable energy has proven to be the path towards enabling brighter futures for all. Yet, how these are implemented has to be embedded within the communities, building their sustainability as they create opportunities.
Practical Action has long-standing experience with clean and affordable energy, working in schemes that provide electricity for homes, schools, clinics and farming plots, bringing together the public and private sectors, rural communities and research organisations.
Learn more about how this experience is being scaled up, multiplying its learning and successes, in our Brighter Futures project.
CloseResilience that Protects
Building safe and resilient communities
through effective governance, technology
and ecosystems for disaster risk reduction.
Resilience that Protects
With its diverse climates and landscapes, Peru is affected by different climate and seismic hazards such as floods, landslides and earthquakes. These events risk lives and livelihoods, and many people are even more vulnerable due to socioeconomic and gender inequalities. Climate change intensifies the variability and extremes that multiply risks and challenge how we forecast and address them. Identifying the gaps, building resilience and reducing the risk of disasters in Peru need to be major priorities as extreme climate events become more frequent and intense.
Practical Action has decades of experience working with vulnerable communities; building capacity, developing forecasting systems, developing plans to manage risk, applying technologies for prevention, mitigation and response. Anticipatory action and early warning systems are at the heart of our disaster preparedness approach, working closely with local and national authorities to find solutions that focus on their needs and knowledge.
CloseOur Funding Partners
- Binational Development Plan for the Peru-Ecuador Border Region
- European Union
- Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
- Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
- La Caixa Foundation
- Melliworks
- National Authority of Water of Peru (ANA)
- Old Dart Foundation (ODF)
- Southern Peaks Mining
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
- Transformando con energía al Perú (tgp)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- USAID
- Zurich Foundation
Contacts
- For general information about our work:
[email protected] - For business development enquiries:
[email protected] - For all media enquiries:
[email protected]
- Address:
Bolívar 270, Of. 606.
Miraflores, Lima, Perú
- Tel:
+51(1) 4412950