Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Comprising UZACHI
Compiled by:
Estudios Rurales y Asesoria/Francisco Chapela
October 2008
3rd_workshop_Oaxaca.odt Review of Advances and Current Problems of Communities Comprising UZACHI Pág. 1
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Agricultural and Fishing Communities.
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Quote:
Francisco Chapela (compiler): “Review of Advances and Current Problems of Communities
Comprising UZACHI.” Oaxaca, Mexico, Estudios Rurales y Asesoría Campesina, A.C. and
ZapotecChinanatec Union of Forestry adn Agricultural and Fishing Communities, 2008.
3rd_workshop_Oaxaca.odt Review of Advances and Current Problems of Communities Comprising UZACHI Pág. 2
3rd_workshop_Oaxaca.odt Review of Advances and Current Problems of Communities Comprising UZACHI Pág. 3
Review of Advances and Current Problems of Communities
Comprising UZACHI
Compiled by:
Rural Studies and Advice/Francisco Chapela
October 2008
Contents
1. Background.........................................................................................................................5
2. List of attendees..................................................................................................................7
3. Current Status of UZACHI Communities............................................................................8
La Trinidad..........................................................................................................................9
Capulalpam.......................................................................................................................12
Santiago Xiacuí.................................................................................................................13
Santiago Comaltepec........................................................................................................14
4. Abstract.............................................................................................................................15
Forestry Status..................................................................................................................15
Status of Communal Industries........................................................................................18
Status of Productive Diversification Projects....................................................................20
Status of Social Benefits Provided by UZACHI................................................................21
3rd_workshop_Oaxaca.odt Review of Advances and Current Problems of Communities Comprising UZACHI Pág. 4
1. Background
Nineteen years after it was founded, the Union of ZapotecChinanatec Communities needs to
be updated to enable it to cope better with the challenges of the new economic, social and
environmental situation in which it operates. It must therefore conduct a retrospective review
of the successes and problems it has experienced, analyze its perspectives using a strategic
vision and use this to redesign its structure and modus operandi. This will enable it to be more
effective in helping member communities to enter markets and make better use of their
material resources without compromising their future productive possibilities.
Within this context, a review of the progress and current problems of the communities
comprising UZACHI was carried out to strengthen UZACHI’s human capital through a self
evaluation and strategic planning exercise, to increase its efficiency in terms of fulfilling the
goals set when it was established as an organization. The review also determined whether the
organization's goals were the same as they had been at the outset.
In particular, the review suggested that:
The Union’s delegates and technicians should be aware of the current social, economic and
forestry situation.
2. List of attendees
3. Current Status of UZACHI Communities
The community technicians provided the delegates with a review of the current status of their
community, considering: achievements, problems and proposals:
La Trinidad
Achievements:
The legislation and management system has been consolidated. Significant progress
has been made in the regularization of the forest.
The concept of intensive forestry was successfully introduced. The organization has a
certificate of good management. The sixth out of the 10 annual plans is nearing
completion.
It has a complete network of roads.
It has enough vehicles for all the management and administration operations.
The sawmill has improved its saws. It began with a Wood Mizer It 30 in 1994,
upgrading to a Wood Mizer It 40 in 2000 and a Wood Mizer It 70 in 2004.
In 2004, it installed a drying stove.
In 2005, it acquired a backdigger, which provides service in the sawmill, roads and
woodland.
A union of carpenters from La Trinidad was set up, grouping together 8 to 10 carpentry
workshops.
The organization continues to aspire to achieving a form of community development
that is:
Socially acceptable
Economically viable
Ecologically sustainable
Charcoal production has continued.
There are trained carpenters in several family workshops
There are trained technical and operating personnel.
Problems:
Difficulties in enforcing clearings
Emergence of bark stripping pests and parasitic plants.
Scant presence of Technical Forestry Department in the woodland to support timber
yielding and non timberyielding production.
There is a need to place a higher value on wood
Family workshop production is not conducted in an orderly fashion.
Proposals:
Improve follow up and control systems between the Technical Forestry Department and
the community.
Increase presence of Technical Forestry Department in the woodland to support
timberyielding and non timberyielding production.
Consolidate carpentries.
Consolidate community ecotourism, including tours, cabins, restaurants and Tyrolese
bridges.
Greater support from UZACHI for orchid production
Set up an integrative company that will organize and support carpentries.
Capulalpam
Achievements:
Reforestation using seeds from selected trees in the communal forest
Support education institutions
Regular application of treatments
Network of roads in exploitation zones
Problems:
Depressed market.
Lack of resources and equipment to continue adding value to wood
The bark stripping blight is advancing. There are not enough roads in the area affected.
Lack of personnel for dealing with the blight.
The area in conflict with Yotao is affected by the blight, but there is no way of going in
to eliminate it.
SEMARNAT took a long time to grant the permits for eliminating the blight.
The zone adjoining Ixtlan is also affected by the blight but there has been no
coordination with this community to deal with it.
Proposals:
Set up an integrative company to combine the communities’ resources, add value to
the wood and achieve better commercialization.
UZACHi should help with the paperwork for obtaining the permits for eliminating blight.
Santiago Xiacuí
Achievements:
Trained technical and operating personnel run the nursery gardens, open up and
maintain the roads and apply forestry treatments.
Positive response from the forests and people to the application of micro tree felling.
Reforestation using seeds from selected trees in the communal forest
The bromeliad breeding area continues to operate
The orchid breeding area continues to operate
Areas with successful reforestation have already received pruning and preclearing
treatments.
Consolidated communal sawmill, with its own blade sharpening workshop.
Consolidated communal carpentry
A backdigger was acquired, which provides service in the sawmill, roads and hills.
It has enough vehicles for all the management and administration operations.
Problems:
Difficulty in applying pruning and preclearing, since the benefits of these practices are
not felt immediately.
Communal carpentry has as yet to achieve its optimum production and sales level.
Proposals:
Reinforce the ecotourism area
Consolidate communal carpentry
Santiago Comaltepec
Achievements:
Treatments to improve the forest have been applied.
The communal sawmill is operating
It has a molder
It has two cranes
Consolidated communal carpentry
It has a tractor which provides service for the sawmill, roads, woodland and farmland.
It has a communal passenger bus service.
Problems:
Difficulty completing the work scheduled for each yearly plan, due to the lack of people
and difficulty of access, mainly in the waterfall area.
Trained personnel do not remain in their positions.
The carpentry was set up years ago but does not work.
Migration outside the community means that there are not enough people for forestry
exploitation work.
Proposals:
Increase benefits in communal firm
Improve road infrastructure
Improve orchid farm
Make communal carpentry work, perhaps through an integrative firm
Develop alternative projects in the mesophyllic forest and lowlands.
4. Abstract
On the basis of the presentations of the technicians in each community, the current situation
can be said to be defined as follows:
Forestry Status
The legislation and management system has been consolidated. Significant progress has
been made in the regularization of the forest, which has only been achieved in very few
places in the world.
However, the deterioration of the organization means that it has had problems with forest
management. This in turn means that trained personnel do not remain in their posts for long.
In recent years the Technical Forestry Department's presence in the communities has
declined. The organization's deterioration poses an environmental threat since the blights
have advanced as a result of institutional and operating difficulties in preventing and
combating them.
In this context, the Union must deal with the challenge of making forestry attractive to
women and young people, as a means of ensuring the viability of the forest cultivation
system. One particular challenge involves reorganizing the Technical Forestry Department
by increasing its presence in the woodland and ensuring that the Board of Directors provides
followup and control. Restoring UZACHI’s social impetus would enable it to speed up the
paperwork required for obtaining permits, through agreements with the authorities. This is
crucial, since timberyielding production is being delayed by the delays in obtaining permits,
even for eliminating blight, which poses a threat to the continuation of the forests.
Achievements Problems Proposals
Blight is advancing due to UZACHI should help obtain
institutional and operating permits, through agreements
difficulties in preventing and with the authorities.
combating it.
The Technical Forestry Reorganize the Technical
Department has reduced its Forestry Department Increase
presence in the communities. its presence in the woodland
and let the Board of Directors
ensure followup and control
Trained technical and The bark stripping plague is
operating personnel run the advancing. There are not
nursery gardens, open up and enough roads in the area
maintain the roads and apply affected. Lack of personnel
forestry treatments. for dealing with blight.
Postive response from the The area in conflict with Yotao
forests and people to the is affected by the blight, but
application of the micro tree there is no way of going in to
felling. eliminate it.
Cranes, tractors and SEMARNAT took a long time
backdiggers available to grant the permits for
Achievements Problems Proposals
eliminating the blight.
The concept of intensive The zone adjoining Ixtlan is
forestry was introduced. also affected by blight but
there has been no
coordination with this
community to deal with it.
It has a complete network of Difficulty completing the work
roads in Trinidad scheduled for each yearly
plan, due to the lack of people
and difficulty of access,
mainly in the waterfall area.
It has enough vehicles for all
the management and
administration operations.
Sawmills have upgraded their
equipment: Wood Mizer in La
Trinidad y Comaltepec, tower
saw in Xiacuí and
Capulalpam.
Status of Communal Industries
Twenty years since UZACHI was founded, the communal sawmill industry has been
consolidated and work is underway to add greater value to production, with different
organizational schemes in each of the four communities.
However, communal carpentries have as yet to achieve their optimum production and sales
levels. The number of family workshops has increased, but in a disorderly fashion, mainly in
La Trinidad, although there has also been an increase in the number of workshops in the
other UZACHI communities.
The availability of good quality, sawn and often dried wood makes establishing carpentry
workshops feasible. However, there is a lack of resources and equipment to continue adding
value to wood and integrating processes such as finger joint assembly, molds and veneers.
Several community technicians and delegates therefore think it would be useful to set up an
integrating firm to organize and support carpentries and thereby increase the value of the
raw materials obtained from the forest.
The number of family
workshops has increased, but
in a disorganized fashion
Lack of resources and
equipment to continue adding
value to wood
The four communal sawmills Trained personnel do not
are operating remain in their positions in
Comaltepec.
consolidated in Trinidad and higher value on wood
Xiacuí
There are trained carpenters, Lack of resources and
mainly in La Trinidad and equipment to continue adding
Capulapam. The number of value to wood
family workshops has
increased, particularly in La
Trinidad.
Communal carpentry has as
yet to achieve its optimum
production and sales level.
Status of Productive Diversification Projects
New proposals have been put forward to exploit forestry resources in addition to work, which
include non timberyielding forestry products and the provision of various services. This helps
the regional economy not to depend on a single market and provides more opportunities for
various sectors of the population.
However, efforts to make mushroom, bromeliad and orchid production and ecotourism
profitable have as yet to succeed, although there have been some promising results.
It has therefore been thought necessary to boost mushroom, orchid and bromeliad
production, perhaps thought an integrative company, with a similar organization to the timber
products integrative firm but oriented towards this type of non timberyielding products.
Promote ecological tourism services, through a third integrative company through the forest's
timberyielding and nontimberyielding products.
Devise a strategy for the sustainable use of lowland resources, through specific projects.
Devise a strategy for the
sustainable use of lowland
resources
There is no proper scheme Develop alternative projects in
for exploiting lowland the mesophyllic forest and the
resources lowlands.
Status of Social Benefits Provided by UZACHI
In addition to cultivating the forest, maintaining ecosystemic services and creating jobs and
direct income for those working in forestry in the UZACHI communities, UZACHI provides
service of collective interest, such as support for education, social works and transport
services among others.
However, forestry profits are not enough to offer the majority of young people acceptable
opportunities for development from their point of view. This implies not only having a job or
income but also perspectives for improving their living conditions and the opportunity to
engage in culturally interesting activities.
In this context, UZACHI’s main challenge is to maintain its vision of achieving a form of
community development that is both socially acceptable, economically viable and ecologically
sustainable.
Achievements Problems Proposals
Comaltepec has a communal
passenger bus service.
The organization continues to Set up a system for
aspire to achieving a form of monitoring community
community development that development
is: Socially acceptable,
economically viable and
ecologically sustainable
Support education institutions Devise a strategy to promote
communities’ social and
cultural development