A forest path out of poverty

The cooperative was not formed to resist the Colombian combatants, however. It was initiated by a Kansan named Judy Logback, who came to Ecuador to do environmental education in 1997. She got to know indigenous communities and tried to persuade them to stop cutting down their trees for sale.

"One family explained to me that for the price of a hardwood tree, they could send one of their children to school," Ms. Logback says. "They know that it is damaging to cut down the trees, but when it is between a child's education and a tree, their choice is clear. A local teacher said to me, 'If you want to save the rainforest, help us find a way to make a living without destroying it.' "

She started by selling seeds the villagers collected to reforestation programs. That way, they could make just as much money from a living tree in a year, as they could by cutting it down. Logback also noticed the beautiful baskets, bowls, canoes, weavings, jewelry, and even toothbrushes that the indigenous people made from the forest's natural, biodegradable materials. By 1999, Logback was selling some of these crafts to tourists. The artisans, who were used to intermediaries who bought their necklaces for $1 and later sold them for a high profit, were amazed when Logback gave them the full $5 or 6 she was paid for the crafts. "Immediately everyone wanted to make 10 more," Logback says. "So, we had a problem. We needed a marketing strategy."

Logback, who received a degree in microbiology from Beloit College in Wisconsin, knew little about marketing, but her enthusiasm made up for it. Within two years she had developed a network of shops, museums, and friends in 10 countries that agreed to sell Callari crafts. Last year, the project received a grant of $240,000 from the US government rural aid program known as PL480, and the Canadian International Development Agency. The funds helped to broaden marketing efforts and hire community elders as teachers to improve on the quality of the crafts and farm produce. Last month, Logback was awarded the New York-based Bay and Paul foundations' Biodiversity Leadership award, which comes with a $180,000 grant.

Callari has quickly gained a reputation in Ecuador for doing the most with the least amount of money. "The small amount of money we gave the Callari project was only meant to test the idea," says Luis Sanchez, Ecuador director of PL480. "We did not expect any concrete results yet, and we were pleasantly surprised. This project has the highest results per dollar spent."

In the past three months alone, it has doubled the price to 50 cents per pound that farmers can get for their cocoa. The cooperative organized farmers to pool their money to rent a truck that would take their produce to seaports for sale, bypassing dishonest middlemen.

Logback says she hopes that the project will spread to other parts of Ecuador. She plans to make Callari a brand name with strict quality control. "I figure, if Coca-Cola can spread to the ends of the earth, so can Callari," she declares, as she sends off a shipment of crafts to Germany.

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