Today we celebrate de World Environment Day to highlight the importance of the protection of the environment. It is fundamental to use the natural resources in an intelligent and proactive way, so that the generations of the present and the future can continue to enjoy the earth.
The indigenous communities of the Central Paraguayan Chaco receive a mayor part of their incomes from the environment. In pastures, water reservoirs, animals, plants, etc., they find their direct and indirect subsistence. The indigenous communities with a cooperation agreement with the ASCIM use these natural resources to gain their livelihood. The total area of the territory that belongs to these seventeen communities is 148.239 hectares. 87 % of the territory from these communities remains in a natural state.
Each year the agricultural and livestock production is a challenge for the communities, either because of the climate conditions such as drought or floods, or because of the low prices. Nonetheless, in the 2019/2020 period were cultivated around 1.529 hectares of sesame, which means an average performance of 250 – 300 kilograms pro hectare. Another 21 hectares were cultivated with common beans and around 2.108 hectares were used for family gardens (self-consumption), according to facts from the Agriculture Department of the ASCIM from the year 2018.