An international consortium led by EBP Chile has developed individual and community solutions in Northern Chilean territories aimed at optimizing the environmental management of indigenous communities in the areas of energy, water, and waste.
Objectives:
- Preservation of Heritage and Cultural Identity:
The goal is to manage natural resources and territory based on the community and its ancestral traditions. Preservation of festivities and rituals that embody their cultural heritage essence is considered, using solutions that address current needs to reduce environmental impact. - Promoting Autonomy and Decentralization:
The aim is a transformative project that addresses issues comprehensively, capable of sustaining the ecosystem of stakeholders in the territory through co-creation, knowledge transfer, and local capacity building to tackle climate change challenges with concrete solutions. - Adaptation to the Community Context:
The goal is to generate adaptive services and infrastructure, identifying varying demand profiles throughout the year and different needs within each community and territory. This aims to provide complementary benefits through solutions that address peak demand periods, while also creating opportunities for other activities that occur on a continuous basis.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces today, with impacts affecting the entire world. However, indigenous communities and territorial organizations, who often directly depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, are particularly vulnerable to these effects. These communities have developed traditional knowledge systems that have allowed them to live in harmony with their natural environment for thousands of years. However, climate change is rapidly altering their living conditions, endangering their survival and their ability to preserve their culture and heritage.
The Kuskalla project involves working with indigenous communities and territorial organizations of Mamiña, Macaya, Quipisca, Parca, and Iquiuca, who reside in the valleys of the pre-Andean foothills of northern Chile, in the commune of Pozo Almonte, Tarapacá region. This is done through the implementation of technology solutions adapted to local realities, under a participatory and ownership methodology called "Kuskalla" (together in Quechua). The project aims to optimize resource management in the territory, focusing on three main areas: energy, water, and waste, through individual and/or community solutions identified through a diagnostic and characterization process in the territory.
Implemented solutions
- Energy axis
Design and implementation of a community solar system based on existing energy infrastructure in the territories. Currently operating in isolation, these systems are not efficiently utilized and underutilize their generation capacity. The idea is to physically interconnect them by leveraging the local grid while incorporating a flexible battery system and blockchain technology for monitoring and managing energy exchange among users. This approach increases the number of beneficiaries with permanent (24/7) access to electricity and enhances new productive uses in the area.
- Waste axis
The proposed solution addresses a model for utilizing waste generated within the community, incorporating basic infrastructure and community training to directly utilize the organic component of waste. Designed and implemented in collaboration with the Agricultural Association of Mamiña, it involves a pilot project for community biodigestion of organic waste, from which biofertilizers and biogas are produced. Training sessions are included to ensure proper maintenance and use of the system.
- Water axis
A platform is proposed for local monitoring and management of water resources, whether for agriculture, human consumption, or greywater treatment. Early warning solutions are also considered to preemptively detect risks associated with climatic events such as summer rains. The design involves a network of sensors to be installed at various points in storage or distribution systems, or in high-risk areas (for rain events), enabling local and remote data visualization.