Strategy

OACA, a non-profit organization, incubated and spun off Ecolab, the first for-profit company in Peru to provide environmental services to industry. Today, Ecolab works with over 200 mining, energy, manufacturing and oil companies in Peru. OACA’s financial sustainability is ensured by a mixed source of funding, including a portion of the profits generated by Ecolab. This allows OACA to work with a different fee structure with federal and municipal governments and communities. Through applied research-action projects, OACA contributes to the economic, social and environmental development of communities by helping them develop their natural and cultural resource base.

Anna’s struggle to save the Lurin Valley from disordered urban sprawl and rampant industrialization attests to her ability to engage important stakeholder in the process and illustrates OACA’s overall strategy. The Lurin Valley – or Green Valley, as it is now called – provides one of the most important food sources for Lima. Its ecosystem is highly diverse with agricultural land, beaches and mountains. It is also of exceptional historical significance, the most important archaeological site in central Peru with more than 300 ruins that date back to the Incas. But the Lurin Valley is the last green valley near Lima, an unsustainable metropolis of more than 8 million. Working in a close alliance with the poor community of the Lurin Valley, OACA applied a systemic approach bringing together sectors that usually work in isolation. They included the business community and economic development groups, environmentalists, central and municipal governments, natural resource management specialists and organizations that promote cultural identity.

OACA builds institutional and local capacity through workshops, technical support and financing. For the latter, OACA has established Fondevalle, a local fund that supports small projects presented by members of the local community for entrepreneurial development.