PETROPERÚ drives research to promote amazon products

PETROPERU, as part of its commitment to the development and quality of life of the Amazonian peoples, has launched an ambitious program that seeks to encourage Amazonian communities to take advantage of the diversity of resources offered by their forests, which could open endless opportunities for locals, who seek to market the native products of the area.

Hand in hand with Despensa Amazónica, a non-profit organization that promotes research and the use of inputs from the Amazon, seeks to explore and raise awareness of the biodiversity and potential of Amazonian food inputs, in order to develop new projects that, without doubt, will put our jungle in the eyes of the world.

A first step was to identify products with gastronomic potential in native communities of the Amazon. It was made possible thanks to a field visit led by the renowned chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, researcher of the Amazonian gastronomy, who -with the support of PETROPERU- evaluated socio-cultural and socioeconomic conditions to generate productive chain projects with supplies of gastronomic interest in the communities in the area of influence of the state oil company.

There were several localities visited by the team of scholars in the Awajún region, in the district of Nieva, province of Condorcanqui, Amazonas region. There, the inhabitants of the Tunduza, Chamikar and Shawit communities surprised with little-known ingredients in Western cuisine, such as the kunchai (olive of the mountain), the uncush (leaf with a lot of nutritional value) and the wichak (peanut ferment), among others.

The work began with collective meetings with the communities where the steps of the research to be carried out were explained. Then, we proceeded to work with a technique of exploratory workshops to publicize the economic activities, the edible products cultivated and the culinary techniques practiced.

Later, the team of researchers, supported by PETROPERU, visited the houses and individual interviews, generating a space of trust that allowed the exchange of knowledge and information. All these activities were worked with a focus on sustainability and respecting the traditional organizational schemes of each community.

These activities reaffirm the commitment of the state oil company to improve the quality of life of the populations and communities neighboring its facilities, within the framework of its policies of social contribution and support for the well-being of the inhabitants of the region.

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