Cooperativa Ananda
Outline
In Ecuador's northern Amazon, less than 10 km south of the equator, the Asociación de Productores Agropecuarios Zona Norte de Cascales, Asoproazonorcas, with private funding and Cooperativa Ananda as a strategic partner, will implement a 1200 hectare industrial hemp project.
To close the production cycle of industrial hemp, the processing residues will be used as raw material for the production of biochar. This biochar will be used as a substrate for efficient microorganisms, mixed with compost and applied back into the soil to improve Cannabis production.
Project Partner
Ananda Cooperative is an ecosystem that works to improve the quality of life of the communities they connect with. Their intention is to have a diverse toolbox aimed at solving community problems with a multidisciplinary approach. They protect the water, land, seeds and culture of the communities for future generations as a human right, based on scientific research and shared knowledge. Ananda seeks to produce their own energy, food, medicine and improve the local economy using nature-based solutions, especially high value-added plants with industrial, medicinal and biotechnological potential, including Cannabis.
Project Details
In November 2023, after more than two years of struggle, Asoproazonorcasobtained its licence to plant Cannabis near a town with a very representativename: El Dorado de Cascales.
In August 2023, througha referendum, Ecuador decided to leave the oil wells of the Yasuni NationalPark in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon in the ground. This closure represents aloss of revenue for the state of around 1.2 billion dollars per year, as wellas countless jobs.
To counteract theselosses, Cooperativa Ananda proposes a five-year plan to plant 1200 hectares ofindustrial hemp as an alternative to oil exploitation. Planting hemp will notonly regenerate the soil but will also be a sustainable source of raw materials.With these raw materials hemp can be used to produce all the products that arenormally made from oil: fuels, plastics, construction materials, paper... aswell as biomedical applications.
Alongside theindustrial hemp processing facilities, a kon-tiki kiln will be built for theproduction of biochar. The biochar will be immersed in efficient microorganismsto be colonised and mixed with local soil to improve its characteristics.
Inaddition, in agreement with the Amazon State University, several researchprojects will be carried out for other biochar-based products such as activatedcarbon, batteries and graphene.
Annual delivery of CO₂ tons:
700
Co-Benefits
- Piloting eco-friendly agriculture with Industrial Hemp in Ecuador, offering a future-oriented alternative to oil.
- Opportunities for SMEs to co-process hemp products.
- Whole plant approach, utilizing sidestream of Hemp production for biochar, creating circular agriculture.
- Bringing value to regional communities by generating sustainable livelihoods for the region.
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