Watched a short documentary on potato farmers in a village in a high mountainous area in Peru.
There they are leading a self sustaining life growing potatoes, vegetables, and farm animals. The landscape is stunning with lush mountains, hilly gravel roads, and vast grassland that people trespass.
For a long time western countries thought those villages are poor and need help. But they didn't see the richness that is not monetary - sure they don't have a lot of things, but their naturalistic lifestyle and strong community bonds are something that the western countries tend to overlook.
I hope this documentary will help restore self esteem in the villagers and be proud again of their tradition. It's urgent - those villages are disappearing because too many young people are moving out to big cities. It's their choice, and I don't know if encouraging them to stay is another opposite way of intervention, but at least I hope they'll make a decision based on what they want, not because of what they are ashamed of.
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