In the Morona Santiago province in Ecuador, a cattle farmer, Alvaro Ramon, gives the surplus milk away to the families in need. Because of the stay-at-home guideline imposed by the pandemic, many families in the areas are suffering from the loss of income and limited access to food and fresh water, a situation particularly dire for pregnant women and families with young children.

Alvaro’s business is not exempt from the economic damage brought by the pandemic. However, instead of discarding his produce, he decided that “kindness is the answer.” His gift of the surplus milk produced by his farm, first announced in a short social media post to inform his community, immediately received overwhelming requests and expressions of gratitude. Alvaro acquired an official document to be allowed to drive his truck around his community to distribute 50 liters of milk to about 20 families.

Before COVID-19, Alvaro’s cattle farm is not only one of the biggest cattle farms in the area but also also one of the 1,056 Ecuadorian cattle farms that received training by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-Global Environment Facility (FAO-GEF) Climate-Smart Livestock project and practiced sustainability. This practice is environmentally-conscious and forward-thinking, increasing livestock productivity and farmers’ incomes in multiple provinces of Ecuador.

To learn more about Alvaro Ramon, his cattle farm, and his acts of kindness for his community, visit: http://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1276812/

To learn more about the initiatives to promote sustainable farming around the globe by the United Nations, visit: http://www.fao.org/gef/our-work/en/