Juliana Miranda was born and raised in the community of San Francisco de Pachijal, northwest of Quito, in the Chocó region of the Andes. Juli is the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 22, no one has been able to convince her of a conventional education, since she values nature, the forest, as a real school instead of a university. Her participation in the pilot research project on basic income shows how it has been used to advance her life’s projects: to consolidate the handicraft production of natural cosmetics from the richness of the forest and to take care of a place of conservation and environmental tourism in her homeland. Today, she is supported by her family, who, together with her community, are proud of the path she has chosen.

Jorge Krekeler, September 2024

Regarding Universal Basic Income: basic income is an amount of money given periodically and unconditionally to all residents of a community to guarantee their economic subsistence. In other words, the UBI is supposed to be universal, individual, and unconditional.

The Network of Seed Guardians (RGS) in Ecuador accepted the invitation of Misereor, a German agency for welfare cooperation and social, ecological and economic transition, to implement a basic income pilot project (RB+) in the country. RGS identified 60 people who will receive a monthly income of US$250 for two years, with no conditions on the use of these resources.

A particularity in the approach of this project is that seed guardians have proposed partners from their local environments, who have shown interest in moving towards a regenerative transition, sustainability and the Common Good.

A latent threat

During the Ice Age, almost the entire world froze, except for certain regions along the equator, where “hotspots” of diversity emerged. This is the case of the Andean biosphere of Chocó, whose flora and fauna are not the only testimony to the richness of its biodiversity. Its mineral-rich soils tell the story of millions of years of activity that mining companies are eager to exploit.

Since Juliana was a child, mining has been a latent threat. Those who oppose it, like her family, risk being seen as enemies of progress or even losing their lives. But tireless resistance was the key to last year’s (2023) decision by the citizens of the Metropolitan District of Quito, through a popular consultation, to ban all mining. However, says Juliana, “we should not let our guard down, because the consultation did not affect the concessions already granted in the area”. Moreover, the deceptive attempts of the companies to carry out consultations in order to open the way for exploration continue; it is known that there is gold, silver, bronze, and the ambition to extract other metals has not ceased, at the cost of destroying forests and rivers.

Disguised as people interested in regenerative ranching and reforestation, the miners tried to buy farms in the Andean Chocó. “But after a few years“, says Juliana, “we learned of their objective: they began to bring in machinery, and many people in the community were in favor of it. It was a terrible conflict. The mining companies are destroying the social fabric”. They even tried to buy Juliana’s brother’s farm. “But my brother didn’t want to sell, because his farm is his greatest treasure. I think that’s what drove me to stay and create something that could be profitable without exploiting the land “, says Juliana, who at a young age saw many neighbors give in to the ease of receiving money instead of taking advantage of the fertility of their farms. “That was one of my inspirations“, she continues, “to say no, I want to stay here and create something that is good for the community and for us“.

Natural cosmetic

Thus, in 2021, Parwa, which means “corn flower” in Quechua, was born. In the beginning, Juliana helped her older brother, Gonzalo, in the production of natural soaps and essential oils. When Gonzalo decided to take a paid job, she decided to continue the production. This is how she met Gabriela, her current business partner, who is in charge of marketing. The friendship and collaboration between the two is an example of the synergy between the countryside and the city.

To leave Juliana’s house, located in the heart of the forest, you have to cross three rivers, something that Juli, who travels by bicycle, enjoys doing, but it complicates sales. Later, they decided to move the production center to the urban part of Quito, where Gabriela’s family offered her grandparents’ house, which had to be renovated to become a laboratory-workshop. It was at this time that Juliana received the Basic Income. Juliana recalls with emotion: “It came from heaven; we made a minga (collective work), we knocked down walls, we painted it, we made it beautiful”. They were also able to invest in a stainless steel table and dark glass containers for essential oils, which are necessary for the quality and registration of their products.

Soaps, solid shampoos, repellents, soothing oils, deodorants are some of Parwa’s main natural products; the raw materials come from the forest, such as various clays, and from the farm, where they have planted various medicinal plants, such as lemon verbena, cocoa, orange, lemon, among others. As demand and sales grew, they decided to improve their products, and the Basic Income was key to this. With the help of a French specialist hired to train them in their laboratory, the Parwa women replaced petroleum-derived glycerin with animal or vegetable fats derived from coconut and cocoa, which they obtained from their neighbors. “Training us in the saponification process was like starting from scratch, but now we produce our own glycerin, in a sustainable way“.

Sales are made online, in several specialized stores in Quito and in Mindo, a tourist destination in the Andean Chocó. At the moment, they have not hired any staff, but between Juliana and Gabriela, are responsible for all the functions of Parwa. They are proud to support small farmers through their enterprise.

Now they listen to me

Parwa’s success has had a very positive impact on the community, especially among women and young people who say, “We can do something, too”. It is neither common nor easy for women to have the opportunity to lead productive processes. In the case of Juliana, who is not only a woman but also the youngest, it has been crucial to keep attending courses and trainings, among which the Design and Permaculture Course organized by Yakunina (https://www.yakunina.com/) in Mashpi stands out. Her family’s farm has always been organic, avoiding agrochemicals. However, certain methods of strengthening soil regeneration, biodiversity and articulating various aspects of daily life for sustainable living, as proposed by permaculture, were new to Juliana. “In my house,” says Juliana, “they started to listen to me; they said, yes, we think she knows. And now I think it’s super nice, because in this farm that we bought, it’s like I’m in front of it ”.

Life projects

“We had a dream, together with my siblings, to buy a farm to avoid exploitation and to preserve biodiversity.  And we were all in love with a farm in Pachijal, which is beautiful, with crystal clear water and full of forest. But it was difficult, we didn’t have the money to buy it“, says Juli, referring to her latest project with which she identifies deeply. When she learned that the Basic Income project would be extended for another year, to 24 monthly transfers instead of 12, Juliana took the risk of taking out a loan to participate in the purchase of the farm with her 7 siblings. Juliana’s idea is to move to the farm, build a maloca (communal dwelling) and lodging to welcome tourists who are looking for nature, vegetation and rivers instead of fast food and internet. “Last week we welcomed tourists for the first time in this farm, they loved the place”.     

“I have several projects”, Juli concludes, “and the Basic Income has helped me to implement them. At first, it allowed me to do the improvements in Parwa together with Gabriela. But now this project is on its own. The last transfer of $250 will be made in June, in three months. But I am already super-prepared.

Motivation that is contagious 

Despite being the youngest, Juliana has managed to reconnect her siblings’ life projects. “One of the things that has been very strong for me is seeing my siblings with full dreams: of the farm, of tourism, and it has been very difficult for them to achieve what they have always wanted. They always deviated. They always took different paths”, says Juliana. This has given Juliana the motivation to focus on one goal. “I think that if my siblings had received a basic income, they too would have achieved their life’s projects”, Juli concludes.

They have not yet named the farm they bought, but Juliana already has her favorite: “finca de las nutrias” (Otter Farm), in reference to the constant spectacle of these animals enjoying the river and the fruits; and, laughing, she confesses: “I think they will have to accept this name“.               

Messages to the Future

Defense and resistance against the threats of extractivism and the plundering of nature require the generation of economic alternatives that demonstrate the harmonious coexistence among the inhabitants of the forest.

A basic income makes it possible to realize life projects, to follow one’s own convictions and to live the talent that we all have within us.

It is often thought that those who have fewer opportunities in the rural countryside are young people and women; this experience contrasts with this narrative and offers new perspectives of innovation and collaboration.

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The text was elaborated, based on conversations with Juliana Miranda by Michelle Ruiz, coordinator of the RGS RB pilot project and Jorge Krekeler (coordinator of the Almanac of the Future – facilitator of Misereor on behalf of Agiamondo) in March 2024. Many thanks to Juliana for her openness and interest. Thanks also to Michelle Ruiz for having accepted the co-authorship and for her complicity in catching the paths of motivation.