This document summarizes a research paper that evaluated a 10-year development project working with isolated Quechua indigenous groups in Peru. The project aimed to help the groups escape poverty by diversifying agricultural production, improving food availability and diversity, strengthening local organizations, and expanding families' capabilities—with focus on vulnerable groups like children and women. Through interviews, observations, and nutritional assessments of children, the research found the horizontal development approach was effective in improving incomes, nutrition, vulnerability, gender inequalities, and training. While joint marketing faced limitations, with further capacity building this model shows potential to access markets cooperatively and take poverty reduction another step. Recommendations were made for future actions and more research on informal supply chains.

1. i
This research is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the
MSc in International Rural Development
The Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester.
2016
Review Paper
Poverty, Malnutrition and Traditional Subsistence
Farmers: a Close Relationship
Research Paper
Horizontal Development: a Way out of Poverty for
the Andean Quechua
Ignacio Zalbidea Lopez

2. ii
Review Paper
Poverty, Malnutrition and Traditional Subsistence
Farmers: a Close Relationship
Research Paper
Horizontal Development: a Way out of Poverty for the
Andean Quechua
Ignacio Zalbidea Lopez
IRD/2016
Synopsis
Increased market integration of semi-subsistence agriculture in low-income
countries seems unavoidable in a future marked by the expansion of the rural
non-agricultural sector, rapid urbanization, and deeper inequalities. Economic
growth without a rural-urban holistic integration would lead to vast disparities
and import dependence.
In such countries, small-scale and subsistence farmers find themselves in a
dual situation. On one hand, they represent a large fragment of total farmers
and play a major role in feeding their countries, constituting the last safety net
for most of their families (Food and Agriculture Organization. 2014b). On the
other hand, they are at the front line of global malnutrition and poverty rates
and are usually kept out of any rural development initiative (WFP. 2016). The
result is poverty stagnation, a multidimensional deprivation caused by
malnutrition, lack of access to basic educational and health services, insufficient
income, the absence of safe drinking-water and sanitation, physical isolation,
political marginalisation, and hunger among others.

3. iii
Assisting traditional subsistence farmers escape this poverty trap and provide
food security while fostering economic development is a matter of urgency. The
literature historically agreed that, as a result of switching from semi-subsistence
to commercial agriculture, the household's ability to obtain food would be
improved by merely increasing family income (Key and Runsten, 1999);
however, this outcome cannot simply be assumed as increased use of land for
commerce may also mean less land for subsistence production.
For those producers, changes in cropping systems that influence both the
degree of fluctuation in food diversity and availability during the year, are likely
to have important nutritional implications (Biswas and Pinstrup-Andersen.
1985). Therefore, the impact on food consumption, income stream and
distribution, and the nutritional situation of the farmer´s household rely on "how
the increased commercialization is brought about" (Von Braun and Kennedy.
1986), especially when those populations are heavily conditioned by physical
isolation and historical marginalization. Projects and policies aimed at changing
these traditional farming systems must be preceded by efforts to fully
understand why farmers use existing systems and what repercussions could
follow if systems are modified. However, development attempts to link
traditional subsistence farming to markets rarely have adapted to best meet
farmers' goals, within the existing ecological conditions and another social
context external to the farm.
In this situations, horizontal development seems to be the most viable and
sustainable way of linking isolated traditional farmers to markets while escaping
the poverty trap.
The review of literature on market connections in Latin-America and,
concretely, Peru, is a clear example of how developing countries are increasing
internal inequalities while enjoying a stable and robust economic growth at a
national level. Peruvian population is comprised of a significant proportion
traditional or indigenous inhabitants. Behind its blossoming economy; poverty,
malnutrition and food insecurity represents an enormous social problem and
economic loss at a national level. These social threats are concentrated among
traditional settlers, especially women and children, whose still practice

4. iv
subsistence agricultural systems on the Andean Sierra of Peru. Nearly 65% of
the total Peruvian chronic food insecure population is located here, and chronic
undernourishment reaches an alarming 45% prevalence among children, more
than doubling the national average (PERU. National Institute of Statistics and
Information, Ministry of Agriculture. 2012).
This research evaluated a long-term project carried out in an area without
previous intervention, as this was considered the most efficient way to verify
the evidences from the review. A ten year initiative undertaken on isolated
Quechua indigenous groups who have settled throughout the Peruvian Andean
Highlands was examined as a descriptive case study. Specifically, 33 peasant
communities as divided for administrative purposes by the Ocongate district in
Quispicanchi province, one of the poorest areas in the region of Cusco (Figure
1).
Figure 1. The region of Cusco and Quispicanchi province maps.
Adapted from: (Valderrama, 2005)

5. v
In order to gather conclusions about the effectiveness of the horizontal
development approach used, an assessment of the project´s outcomes at
different levels (district, community and household) and in various aspects
(changes in farming techniques, impact on institutional capacity, nutritional
outcomes, gender analysis and socioeconomic repercussions) was carried out.
To do so, several data collection methods were used during field visits. Semi-
structured and informal individual interviews, group meetings (general
assemblies), participant observation (monitoring), and literature review from
several local sources were the main tools of the qualitative research format.
Quantitative data was gathered through anthropometric analysis with
standardized altimeters and weighing scales to a sample of 30 children.
Unlike vertical coordination, this project has proved to have a solid
understanding of the reality of the district and its people. A prudent adaptation
of fundamental aspects of their livelihood strategy has occurred to best meet
its deficiencies by diversifying production, improving local availability and
diversity of agricultural foodstuffs, strengthening organizations and expanding
capabilities of the targeted rural families, with particular attention to vulnerable
groups such as children and women.
Despite the appearance of significant limitations regarding joint
commercialization, there have been meaningful and quantifiable improvements
in central components of their poverty trap such as income, nutrition,
vulnerability, isolation, gender inequalities and occupational training.
Nevertheless, if further market approaches is developed through capacity
building, this project model has the potential to take the final step of accessing
markets cooperatively.
As a result of the evaluation of the 10 year project, recommendations for future
actions in the studied communities or others with similar parameters have been
made. The study also identified that further research is needed to understand
how informal and novel supply chains function and how they could be
strengthened in favour of smallholders, as it will probably prevail as the unique
opportunity available for some time to come.

6. vi
Declaration of Authors Rights
The copyright of this research belongs to the author under the terms of the
United Kingdom Copyrights Acts. Due acknowledgement must always be
made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, these papers.
I declare that the research embodies the results of my own research or
advanced studies and that it has been composed by myself. Where
appropriate, I have made reference to the work of others.
Ignacio Zalbidea Lopez,
30/03/2016