John and Hunter took us through the 5 main exports that Ecuador relies on and the countries that receive each export. Ecuador is known for shipping cacao, shrimp, bananas, oil and flowers. The top five receivers of such products are the United States, the European Union, Chile, Vietnam and Peru.
Petroleum Ecuador makes 5,054 billion dollars in petroleum exports yearly. They place as the 5th largest provider of petroleum in all of South America and of total exports, 70% is from crude oil. The main extractor of oil in the nation was Cheveron Texaco that focused their energy in the Napo Province. However, this has lead to severe deforestation, contamination of water and oil spill and has polluted the stream and river systems. Studies have shown that in these areas there has been an increase of cancer rates and a decrease in reproductive and psychological health. In response to such issues, the government of Ecuador enacted the Yasuni- ITT initiative in 2007. This initiate worked on protecting the 10 indigenous groups and the area they live in. Shrimp Prepared and preserved shrimp brings in 2,587 billion US dollars to the country of Ecuador. The shrimp farmers use industrialized farming to grow pacific white shrimp. There are over 2,000 shrimp farms around the country that export almost 80% of their crop yield. Although this farming brings in a huge profit for the country, the farms themselves take mangrove space and pollute the area during the shrimp aeration process. In order to remove a section of the mangroves for a shrimp farm, they first bulldoze the land area then they dredge out the mud to place artificial ponds. A common issue within the farming practice is the frequent spread of shrimp disease known as white spot syndrome. Bananas and Plantains Ecuador has a huge banana and plantain industry within the country. Exports total 2,742 billion US dollars and is the largest in the world. Ecuador mainly ships the product to North America and Europe and work with the companies such as Dole, Chiquita, Fyffes and Bonita to market their product. The biggest environmental issue that farmers are recognizing is that more nutrients are needed to combat climate change. Cut flowers Cut or decorative flowers generate 802 million US dollars, or 9% of total exports. The flowers are the second most popular agricultural export. Flower growing increases the use of harmful pesticides that are continuing to poison the land around the farms. Cacao Cacao, my personal favorite export, generates 602 million US dollars for the country. Farmers export two types of cacao beans, CCN51 and the native plant. Ecuador is the fourth largest exporter of cacao in the world and generates 255,000 metric tons of it yearly. Yet there are several sustainable issues that have become a concern. Many farmers are using homogenized forests in hopes to generate a large crop yield, however, this directly results in the spread of cacao disease and is the reason the native species is so limited currently. Also, there has been debate on whether or not the farms should grow these species using organic methods for health or if farmers should continue to grow cacao to generate the highest crop yield.
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Before Riobamba, we stopped in Pinchincha an Inca and Canary archaeological site. After the Incas took over the Canary village, they lived together in peace until a Canary uprising, evidence of this is found at the burial site of a Canary Princess. The site is in perfect alignment with the moon during the month of October. The shape of the entire village makes the shape of a Puma, rooms include warrior bedrooms, shamans, kitchens, storage rooms and two temples for the moon and sun. As we were leaving, we started discussing the increasing farmland and multistory homes that are causing major landslides.
On the road, Diego informed us of the tradition of cloud making which is burning or sacrificing to the gods to ask for rain. However, the tradition has made the soil extremely acidic and the fire pollutes the air. We also took a trip to the oldest Catholic Church in Ecuador, which was built in 1534. Day 9: After driving to Cuenca the night before, we rested in our hotel rooms until 9 AM the next morning. Hotel Victoria was beautiful and their food was amazing! After breakfast we went on a bus tour of the city. While on the road we learned of the high ex-pat population of over 10,000 individuals from countries such as the United States, Venezuela and Columbia. Yet as more people move into the city, the municipality is trying to reduce the expansion size both upward, skyscrapers, and outward, mountain homes.
After the factory, we continued our tour around the city. We noticed large Eucalyptus trees that covered the area. In an attempt to restore Ecuador's environment and boost the economy, farmers were given Eucalyptus to grow for timber production. However the project failed and since then, Eucalyptus has grown out of control and has since become an invasive species.
Day 9:
After our excursion, we met with Paul Amos, an ex-pat from Pennsylvania. Mr. Amos moved to Cuenca in 2017 after disliking his stressful life as a U-Penn professor. After selling his home, Amos had enough money to completely retire and move to Cuenca after learning about the area in a magazine. As Ecuador uses United States currency he found it easy to move to Cuenca. Cuenca also has cheap medical care, is a secure and safe location, allows fresh resources such as market fruits and meats and has a stable climate in the Andes Mountains. Another benefit of living in Ecuador is the cheap and easily accessible bus system. Following Amos' retirement to Ecuador, he has struggled with several observations such as plumbing, language barriers and ex-pat social classes. The city of Cuenca was founded in 1557, such an old city comes with its problems such as old plumbing. Due to this, toilet paper in Cuenca and many other places in Ecuador is unable to get flushed. Another issue Amos has ran into since moving to Cuenca is the language barriers. He continues to practice but knows only a few words of Spanish. The people of Cuenca also only know a few words of English. Despite their language barriers, Amos still feels as though he is able to communicate well with the citizens he lives with. Lastly, as the ex-pat population grows, Paul is finding that an increasing number of younger generation people with children are moving into Cuenca. Personally, Amos feels that there are not many opportunities for him to meet people of his own generation.
After a particularly powerful El Nino event during 1997, many farmers began to switch from their national cacao plant (Arriba Nacional) to the genetically modified cacao, CCN-51. Despite the fact that CCN-51 has a greater survivorship rate and is resistant to common fungi, professional chocolate makers do not like CCN- 51 as the taste is not as flavorful as Arriba Nacional. Chocolate makers such as the Ecuadorian Native company, Pancari has gone as far as paying three times the amount per bag of cacao in hopes to increase the growth rate of Arriba Nacional. However, cacao farmers are continuing to switch to CCN-51 for a more reliable crop. Source: https://thechocolatejournalist.com/good-bad-ugly-cacao-ccn-51/
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ExperienceThrough Stockton University, I traveled to Ecuador where I studied Biodiversity, |