Marketing Medicinal Teas in Northern Ecuador
11/1/97
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: Marketing Medicinal Teas in Northern Ecuador
Source: Tim Sulser
tim@sulser.com
Date: 11/1/97
Author: Tim Sulser
November 1997
In the northern highland sierra of Ecuador, marketing of medicinal teas on
a micro-enterprise and supplementary income level offers an opportunity to
apply indigenous knowledge to sustainable grassroots development. At the
same, this type of project promotes in situ conservation of both indigenous
knowledge and biodiversity. This article presents and discusses a project
that is currently achieving successes and holds more promises for the
future.
Highlights
An enlightened approach to micro-enterprise development that puts a direct
monetary value on indigenous knowledge and biodiversity, is a way to
maintain in situ conservation of both.
Marketing of medicinal teas is a direct application of indigenous knowledge
in sustainable grassroots development.
Cecilia's business activities are connected with seed collection and
planting of both rare and abundant local medicinal plants.
This project is not a subjunctive 'could' or 'should' be, but, rather,
actual work being done that is having success.
This project has tremendous potential for replication by other development
workers and has enough flexibility to be adapted to almost any region.
Introduction
Medicinal plant knowledge in the sierra highlands of Ecuador has been well
documented (Acosta-Solis 1992 and 1993, Ceron 1993, Kothari and UNOCIAE-C
1993, White 1985) while cultivation of these species in organic agriculture
and agroforestry systems is actually encouraged and promoted in various
manuals for both extension workers and farmers (Aucay 1996, Flores et al.
1994, Suquilanda V. 1996). This is an excellent example of indigenous
knowledge being accepted by and incorporated into rural sustainable
development action. Although organic production of Ecuador's medicinal
plants is described in detail in these manuals, ideas offered for marketing
and sales of harvests are vague. The project described below offers an
example of how to go one step further in this process and produce a
low-capital-investment product with a higher sales value than just straight
selling of the herbs at market. The project developed over the past couple
of years and evolved from an effort to involve the local community in
conservation activities. I devised the project specifically to establish a
three-way link between rural development and in situ conservation of both
biodiversity and indigenous knowledge. The following details the project
from the outset, speculates about its possible future, and discusses its
implications for development and conservation on a broader scale.
Background
As a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Natural Resources Program for Peace
Corps/Ecuador, I was assigned to work with the Jatun Sacha Foundation, an
Ecuadorian conservation NGO, in various conservation activities such as
tree nurseries and planting, environmental education, and organic
gardening. In May 1995 I began work in the town of Mariscal Sucre, the
community nearest to Jatun Sacha's most recently established biological
reserve, the Guandera Biological Station. Located in the northern highland
sierra province of Carchi, the Station is working to conserve the last
remaining sizeable montane forest (3200 - 3600 m.a.s.l.) in Ecuador.
Mariscal Sucre and the surrounding communities, with a total population of
about 4000 mestizos (mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry), are strictly
based on cash-crop agriculture centered around potato cultivation. Broad
beans and maize are usually included in their crop/fallow rotation
planting, but only to a minor degree. Cows, pigs, chickens, and "cuyes"
(guinea pigs) are kept for milk and protein production. The area has been
settled within the last 70 years and is relatively wealthy due to the
prodigious potato harvests from the meter and a half of top-soil.
Project Origins and Evolution
Working on an organic garden project set up with Mariscal Sucre's preschool
for their lunch program, I had numerous informal discussions with Cecilia
Perez, a local young mother and the then manager of the preschool, about
starting work on various ecological small enterprise opportunities. Cecilia
originally started in producing fruit marmalades to be sold in Quito, which
I did not encourage because of the high initial investment in jars and
sugar and the need to get the product to Quito. Essentially, it was a
micro-scale export economy which was going to end up being complicated and
unstable due to health and food product regulations and occasional
transportation strikes. Looking for something more simple and
locally-based, I noted Peruvian imports of medicinal herbs at the local
markets and nearby natural medicine stores and suggested that she
capitalize on her knowledge of medicinal teas made from dried herbs and
market them locally. Cecilia, along with help from her mother and sister,
came up with five different teas made with plants both easily collected
locally or purchased inexpensively from nearby markets. Two examples
include: one for alleviating weakness and general malaise is made from
alfalfa (Medicago sativa), nettle (Urtica dioica), amaranth (Aerva
sanguinolenta), and watercress (Nasturtium aquaticum), while another for
problems with gastritis consists of two mints (Mentha piperita, Mentha
aquatica), oregano (Oreganum vulgare), and "poleo" (Bistropogon mollis).
The other teas are made to treat a variety of ailments affecting the
kidneys, nerves, and lungs. In October of 1995, Cecilia opened a "Botica"
(a basic pharmacy and extras store) in Mariscal Sucre where she sells the
medicinal teas alongside conventional prescription medicines.
Processing, Profits, and Problems
Cecilia accomplishes the collection of the fresh herbs with a little help
from her mother while out milking cows, collecting forage for their cuyes,
or otherwise out in the fields working. Some of the plants can be harvested
from their own or their neighbors' home gardens where specific plants are
cultivated. To significantly increase the value of the tea (see problems
below), she adds a limited amount of other ingedients that are purchased at
the local markets. Additionally, Cecilia has expanded her home garden
cultivation of both species that are difficult to find along with a variety
of more common plants. Drying the plants is done either by direct solar
radiation or with a drier made of a wooden box wired to burn a couple of
100-watt light bulbs. The dried plants are then mixed in the correct
proportions to produce the teas and packaged in plastic bags of
approximately 15 to 20 grams each and closed with a heat seal. Labels
giving a product description and preparation/dosage information, are
affixed and the product is then sold in the Botica.
Due to the small amount that Cecilia is producing --usually 10 to 20 bags
at a time-- the normal profit margin is only about 40 percent. The
production cost per bag is approximately $0.50 and will be sold for about
$0.70. If she manages to increase the number of bags she produces and take
advantage of economy of scale, the margin should approach at least 60
percent if not more.
The fact that Cecilia is selling these teas only to the folks that frequent
her store who are acquaintances, if not friends, from the community of
Mariscal Sucre presents a number of issues. She will give discounts to
neighbors, friends, and relatives which can reduce her profits down to
about four percent per bag. This will be reduced when she augments
production and begins selling to nearby natural medicine stores in larger
towns. At these stores the intermediaries are more profit-minded and less
likely to give discounts.
Another problem, alluded to before, is the need for exoticness. If Cecilia
explains to Dona Olympia, who lives just down the street, that a tea is
made with dried dandelion (Taraxicum officinale) and nettle (Urtica
dioica), plants which everyone has growing in their yards, she will not be
able to sell. But, when Cecilia mixes in a small amount of "Ua de Gato"
(Uncaria tomentosa) or flax seed (Linum usitatissimum) that can only be
brought in from other regions, the tea has a much higher retail value
because of the exotic ingredient.
Expansion and Replicability
As mentioned in the previous section, increasing production and selling the
product to local natural medicine stores will actually alleviate most of
the problems that we are now experiencing. This particular effort will do
best extended into the nearby larger towns of San Gabriel, Huaca, Julio
Andrade, and Tulcan. That expansion, nonetheless, is limited due to the
amount of medicinal plants that can be harvested sustainably along with
other problems imbedded in both physical and fiscal realities. If
cultivation efforts were intensified, Cecilia along with the help of
others, could move this business beyond the next four towns. But that would
involve dedicating almost all of her time to the production of medicinal
teas, which is not feasible being a young mother and essentially without
access to substantial amounts of capital and land. Even more importantly,
she does not really desire to start up a large venture and would much
rather keep the business small, easy to manage, and all-the-while
profitable. I see this as the best possible path for this type operation;
keeping the project on the grassroots level restricted to micro-enterprise
and 'small-is-beautiful' thinking.
This project has tremendous potential for replication by other development
workers and has enough flexibility to be adapted to almost any region that
shares in a set of base characteristics. The optimal situation involves a
cash and service economy with a population that maintains strong beliefs in
traditions but, is slowly loosing touch with the ways of their elders. The
majority of the people in Ecuador, if not most of Latin America, could be
described as such. And many developing countries around the world with
fast-moving industrial sectors that are splitting off from the ways of the
past also seem to carry these characteristics.
Implications for Development and Conservation
Evaluating this project in light of the current state development, there
are many benefits. The first that comes to mind is the direct application
of indigenous knowledge in sustainable grassroots development. The validity
and need for doing this type of work has been well established (Quiroz
1996, Wali 1990, Warren 1992) and this project is not a subjunctive 'could'
or 'should' be, but, rather, actual work being done that is having success.
Also, the issue of female involvement in development work is extremely
important for creating a more egalitarian and dynamic development process
(Healy 1992). This work empowers the of women of Mariscal Sucre in
economic, participatory, and action fields. Cecilia has started her own
independent business on essentially zero capital and is making a 40 percent
profit when she is not helping out her friends in need. Even when
compassion gets the better her, she is not losing money. Cecilia has
contributed to this project every step of the way which ensures that she is
an integral part of the business, if not the entire business. And her
incorporation into the often times esoteric world of biodiversity
conservation action is also a success. Perhaps she doesn't quite yet
understand the 'big picture' of biodiversity conservation (as few of us
actually do) but, she is beginning to understand 'her picture' and is
acting on it locally.
As far as conservation of biodiversity, the need for local participation
and incorporation of local knowledge into conservation action has also been
firmly established (Altieri and Merrick 1994, Kleymeyer 1994, Warren 1992).
Cecilia's business activities, which use mostly only locally abundant
plants and a few less common species, are connected with seed collection
and planting of both rare and abundant local medicinal plants.
An enlightened approach to micro-enterprise development that puts a direct
monetary value on indigenous knowledge and biodiversity, is a way to
maintain in situ conservation of both. Not that this type of work will
solve all problems but, in many developing countries that seem to be moving
too fast for their own good, this type of small enterprise offers an
opportunity to have a three-way success in sustainable development and
conservation of indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. Small successes, but
gains nonetheless.
References
Acosta-Solis, M. (1992) Vadecum de plantas medicinales del Ecuador. Quito:
Ediciones Abya Yala.
Acosta-Solis, M. (1993) Plantas medicinales del folclor ecuatoriano.
Ambato: Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana.
Altieri, M.A., L.C. Merrick (1987) 'In situ conservation of crop genetic
resources through maintenance of traditional farming systems', Economic
Botany 41(1):86-96.
Aucay, R. (1996) 'Finca integral demostrativa', pp. 289-291 in IIRR (eds)
Manual de practicas agroecologicas de los Andes ecuatorianos. Quito:
Instituto Internacional de Reconstruccion Rural.
Ceron, C. (1993) Etnobotanica del Ecuador: estudios regionales. Quito:
Ediciones Abya Yala.
Flores, G., S. Padilla, G. Stegeman, E. Arias, and J. Peltonen (1994)
'Algunas posibilidades de aprovechamiento de plantaciones', pp.
VIII.1-VIII.27 in G. Flores, S. Padilla, G. Stegeman, E. Arias, and J.
Peltonen (eds) Manual del extensionista forestal Andino. Quito: FAO/Holanda
- Desarollo Forestal Participativo en los Andes.
Healy, K. (1992) 'Back to the future: ethnodevelopment among the Jalq'a of
Bolivia', Grassroots development 16(2): 22-34.
Kleymeyer, C.D. (1994) 'Cultural traditions and community-based
conservation', pp. 323-346 in D. Western, R.M. Wright, and S.C. Strum (eds)
Natural connections: perspectives in community-based conservation.
Washington D.C.: Island Press.
Kothari, B. and la Union de Organizaciones y Comunidades Indigenas de
Angochagua, la Esperanza, y Caranqui (UNOCIAE-C) (1993) Nucanchic panpa
janpicuna: plantas medicinales del campo. Quito: Ediciones Abya Yala.
Quiroz, C. (1996) 'Local knowledge systems contribute to sustainable
development', Indigenous knowledge and development monitor 4(1): 3-5.
Suquilanda V., M.B. (1996) 'Plantas medicinales y hierbas aromaticas:
manual para la produccion organica', pp. 617-654 in M.B. Suquilanda V.
Serie agricultura organica: alternativa tecnologica del futuro. Quito:
Fundagro/Ediciones UPS.
Wali, A. (1990) 'Living with the land: ethnicity and development in Chile',
Grassroots development 14(2): 12-20.
Warren, D.M. (1992) Indigenous knowledge, biodiversity conservation and
development. Keynote address for conference 'Conservation of biodiversity
in Africa: local initiatives and institutional roles.' Nairobi: National
Museums of Kenya.
White, A. (1985) Hierbas del Ecuador: plantas medicinales. Quito: Ediciones
Libri Mundi.
Contact the author via email: tim@sulser.com
Jatun Sacha Foundation, Casilla 17-12-867, Quito, Ecuador; Phone: (593-2)
441-592; Fax: (593-2) 250-967