b'COLOMBIAGalpagos Islands QuitoECUADORSan CristbalPACIFIC OCEAN PERUGalpagos Farmers Turn the Tide Toward Food Sovereignty Supported byCreatures of all shapes and sizes call the Galpagos Islands of Ecuador home. Tortoises the size of ponies roam the Heifer Ecuador,lowlands, like slow-moving relics from a prehistoric past. Iguanas cling to volcanic rocks, sea lions laze on the beach farmers on theand blue-footed boobiesmarine birds aptly named for Galpagos Islandstheir sky-blue feetride salty wind gusts overhead. The Galpagos archipelago is a cluster of 15 islands that straddle the are transformingequator 560 miles west of Ecuador, and its incredible biodiversity has long drawn visitors to its shores, including the likes of historical giant Charles their food systemDarwin, whose observations of the endemic flora and fauna informed his and protectinglandmark theory of evolution. the remarkable environment in which they live.By Aime Knight& Silvana GonzlezPhotos by Isadora RomeroIrma Carrin Paz, 38, shows off the cucumbers she grows in herBOTTOM RIGHT 500-square-foot greenhouse onThe Galpagos Islands are known for San Cristbal Island, Ecuador.their unique flora and fauna. Giant Heifers Future of Food program istortoises, like the one pictured here constructing greenhouses to providein a breeding center of San Cristbal climate-controlled spaces thatIsland, are among the longest-lived of improve farmers like Irmas yields,all land vertebratesaveraging more pest management and water usage.than 100 years.HEIFER.ORG |37'