|
Participants as Decision Makers
 At the community level, all of Puente’s decisions are based on a needs-based, participatory approach to rural development. By involving our participants in all stages of the process, from diagnosis to evaluation, we can ensure both the cultural pertinence and the impact of our programs. Constituents are fundamental to informing Puente’s technicians about any environmental or cultural factors that could affect the crop, the group meetings or the program in general and to help to find local solutions.
The program is individually tailored through in-depth diagnostics to meet the local needs of each community, and the participants are asked to define their own indicators of success which they monitor on a monthly basis.
The target population plays a vital role in evaluating every step of the process, allowing Puente to have a real grasp of the impact of our programs and the applicability of our methods- and participants work with us to help us find solutions. By involving participants in the decision making process, Puente not only helps to secure the success of the program but also empowers local small scale farmers and mothers of young children to speak out about decisions that will ultimately affect their lives.
Working with Local Actors
Additionally, Puente recognizes the need to work with local actors. An important component of Puente’s strategy is to identify and train local actors.
 In the Eco-Amaranth Program these are called Community Promoters (PCs) and they are selected based on criteria related to leadership, indigenous language skills and knowledge about amaranth. Once selected, they receive specialized monthly trainings by Puente staff. Their role is to provide local knowledge, help us understand community best practices in agriculture and participate in the design of all strategies to help ensure their relevance to the local indigenous community. They also play a practical role in ensuring the participation of the farmers in the monthly meetings, assisting Puente’s agronomists during training workshops and troubleshooting individual problems of the participant farmers on their land.
The Healthy Families Program works with Local Amaranth Promoters (PALs). They will usually be a voluntary member of a pre-existing community service such as the health committee, the school board or the church group and are therefore active and respected citizens. Once trained, the volunteer’s role is to provide local insight and participate in the design of all strategies to help ensure their relevance to the local indigenous population. They will also help us understand community best practices for better nutrition, actively oversee the implementation of the program, and collect data for monitoring and evaluation.
|
