Since 2023, the Clima-LoCa project has implemented a strategy to disseminate and communicate the effects of climate change in the Piura region of Peru. Thanks to coordinated work with Alan Hesse of the Captain Polo Academy, a well-known author of graphic novels on the effects of climate change around the world, a series of awareness-raising activities have been carried out specifically in the town of La Quemazón, in the province of Morropón, Piura.
The challenge was daunting: to raise awareness of the effects of climate change among local cocoa producers, families who are already observing changes in climate, temperature, and seasonality in their cocoa crops (intense and prolonged droughts, floods, etc.). This information had to reach not only the farming families, but an even more ambitious plan was devised: to integrate future generations into the strategy, namely the children and adolescents who will soon be leading the production of this Piuran fruit.
A version specially designed for families in La Quemazón, Piura, Peru, was developed by the Captain Polo Academy. Image: Alan Hesse.
This marked the beginning of a series of consultations and workshops, carried out in three age groups:
- 1) Children aged 10 to 12,
- 2) Adolescents aged 15 to 17, and
- 3) Primary school teachers and local community leaders from La Quemazón.
The results of these activities were as follows: 1) The La Quemazón Educational Institution considered it important to raise awareness of the effects of climate change, a reality that producers, not only of cocoa but also of other crops, are already experiencing. The format for disseminating this information was an important point to consider, and an audiobook was chosen as it would be more useful and easier to use as an educational and communication tool. This is how the series of six videos was developed, which also serve another purpose: this material is no longer aimed only at students and their families, but also at producers who can access them through virtual platforms, such as the WhatsApp application.
“The future of humanity depends on the health of the planet”
The empowerment of children and adolescents in the town of La Quemazón was key to the sustainability of awareness-raising activities on the phenomenon of climate change.
This series of six videos is divided as follows: Videos one through three present content that was already developed by Captain Polo Academy on the effects and mitigation of climate change. For videos four through six, the content was developed ad hoc, integrating elements and characters from the area to have a greater impact and appeal to the target audience. The Chilalo, a bird distinctive to the Piura region, known and appreciated by cocoa producers, is now part of these stories.
This strategy has been successful: schoolchildren have received the integrated information as part of their school curriculum, with more than 300 students impacted within the cocoa production area in Piura. The videos have been broadcast through the communication channels of the Cooperativa Agraria Norandino, a partner in this action, with more than 20,000 active members. The students are now also spokespersons for the effects of climate change and mitigation actions within their educational institutions and with their families and communities. They have presented the videos to more than 1,000 students from other schools to get them involved as well. In addition, working agreements have been established between schools to jointly disseminate the messages of Captain Polo and El Chilalo.
Other educational institutions in the area have also joined in promoting this awareness strategy, and the initiative is being successfully replicated throughout the community.
Dissemination activities will continue during the final year of the Clima-LoCa project. Among these activities, a Train the Trainers workshop is being organized to spread the message to educational institutions in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. In this way, Clima-LoCa will have an impact not only on cocoa producers, but also on future generations, who will have to face the challenges of climate change that are already being experienced.
The video series is available here. Click on each image to watch each episode:
Video 1: Climate Change Around the World
Video 2: Solutions for Climate Change
Video 3: Adaptations to Climate Change in Communities
Video 4: Rain and drought
Video 5: Winds and high temperature variation
Video 6: Pests and diseases
