From the Field to the Computer

Time is flying by down here. All of the days seem to be blurring together and before I know it the first part of this adventure will be over with. We have been diligently working on our research and I can say without any doubt that field days far surpass office days in the adventure category. Entering data into excel and translating interviews for 10 hours a day makes my brain hurt! The trips to the field make the days spent listening to the hum of the computer screen worth while!

Rossana our glorious field assistant extraordinaire, preparing to trek up into the páramo for an interview!

Some of the lush vegetation that can be found in the páramo.

Not a bad view for an interview.

A few of the street dogs- basking in the afternoon sun of Urdaneta

An example of the expanding agricultural practices. We are up in the páramo, which was historically thick with vegetation and some native trees. Pine and eucalyptus are taking over the forests, and the locals are burning the rest of the vegetation so that they can plant crops. 

Veroníca and Jaz checking out some amazing cold water springs that one of our KI's took us to. 

UTPL's trusty land cruiser. This guy has taken a beating and yet keeps on going!

Church in Saraguro

My first official thunderstorm of the summer moving in on Saraguro. It rains a lot in the Andes, but I was truly excited to hear thunder accompanying this particular rain fall!

They have built some very intricate irrigation systems to fuel the ever expanding agricultural needs.

We have finished our work in Oña and surrounding villages and have now moved on to work in Urdaneta. There seems to be a lot of conflict concerning water and ownership of the páramo in this new area, which is making for some rather exciting interviews. There is currently no land titling in Ecuador, so there is a lot of opportunity for conflict. 

 The Saraguro people have a very interesting history stay tuned for a post about their culture and customs!