Locations
Women power a deforestation-free future in the Amazon
“Botas Violeta / Purple Boots”
March 6, 2025
Ecuador’s forests, from the lush Andean river basins to the southern dry forests, are under threat, mostly from agriculture.
Photo: UNDP/PROAmazonia
María José* sat among a group of women who had gathered to share their experiences and challenges as livestock producers in the Ecuadorian Amazon. During the conversation, she shared a story about her colleague, Martha*. One day, Martha asked her husband for money to buy a new pair of gumboots for working on their family farm. Her husband refused, prioritizing his own needs over hers, despite her critical role in the farm’s success.
This story became the inspiration for the “Botas Violeta,” or Purple Boots campaign. The purple boots are both a tool and a powerful symbol, representing the critical contributions of women in agriculture and their indispensable role in sustaining livelihoods.
Originally launched under the PROAmazonía programme, and Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition (MAATE) the campaign's success has led to its expansion by UNDP to reach communities nationwide. Since 2022, 1,894 pairs of purple boots have been distributed to women across the Ecuadorian Amazon. They serve as a tool for empowerment and a visual reminder of the need to advance gender equity among men and women alike.
In Ecuador purple working boots have become a symbol of women's economic and social empowerment.
Photo: UNDP/PROAmazonia
"Martha's story illustrates a deeper issue: despite the vital contributions women make to family farms, their financial autonomy is often undermined. This reflects economic violence, a form of gender-based violence faced by many women in the Amazon. The Purple Boots initiative addresses this challenge by promoting financial and economic empowerment while fostering recognition of women’s crucial role in sustainable development."
- Patricia Serrano, UNDP Regional Programme Specialist, Latin America and the Caribbean Environment and Energy Team
Tackling the root of deforestation
The Purple Boots Campaign launched in 2023, was part of a broader, transformative programme: PROAmazonía. The Comprehensive Amazon Programme for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Production, and its Gender Action Plan, to reduce gender gaps for women.
At the same time, Ecuador’s forests, from the lush Andean river basins to the southern dry forests, were under threat, mainly because of agriculture. Locals, reliant on farming for income, were losing valuable habitats that hold the greatest biological diversity in Latin America.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and driven by UNDP, with technical assistance from the UN-REDD Programme, under the leadership of MAATE and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG), PROAmazonía implemented Ecuador's REDD+ Action Plan, “Forests for Good Living".
It linked nature and climate agendas, in a pioneering approach that simultaneously promotes sustainable production and forest conservation. This model contributes to UNDP’s broader Sustainable Development Goals in the Amazon basin, empowering people, safeguarding the future of Indigenous communities and supporting livelihoods.
Ecuador is a regional leader on deforestation-free certification, with more than 93,000 hectares in different stages of the deforestation-free transition.
Photo: UNDP/PROAmazonia
Pioneering a deforestation-free future
As part of UNDP’s broader regional strategy to promote sustainable forest management using social inclusion, PROAmazonía focused on building deforestation-free value chains. Farmers like Ma José and Martha learned new, sustainable techniques through specially formed Field Schools for Farmers to cultivate coffee, cocoa, and oil palm and raise livestock alongside forest protection initiatives. The field schools prioritized women’s inclusion.
The project helped create the national certification for deforestation-free production and linking farmers to credit and buyers. This drove a change in mindsets among communities, instead of exploiting natural resources, protecting them was key to a higher income, stability and peace.
Photos: UNDP/PROAmazonia
Florita Gallegos, a livestock farmer in Sinaí, boosted milk production from 20 litres with 15 cows to 25 litres with only four. “Before, I used to keep my livestock tethered, but now I have electric fencing,” she said. “That has freed up time for other tasks. In the past, we didn’t take care of the forests. We would cut down all the trees. But now I leave the forest untouched.”
Luzmila Huatatoca, a representative of the Indigenous Kichwa Center Río Guacamayos in Napo province, said: “The whole community got involved, according to planning that was aligned. Those activities led us to meet the goals that we proposed. We were able to express ourselves and explain what we want to do; how we want our initiatives to improve the quality of life of the communities.”
Ecuador is now a regional leader on deforestation-free certification, with more than 93,000 hectares in different stages of the deforestation-free transition. Coffee, cocoa, palm oil and livestock are sold through traceable, profitable, international markets. Commercial links and international trade agreements have led, by 2024, to the export of 34.5 tons of deforestation-free coffee to Lavazza Group – an Italian company and major player in the global coffee industry – and 10.8 tons of cocoa to Silva Cacao, a Belgian company.
Coffee, cocoa, palm oil and livestock are sold through traceable, profitable, international markets, bringing in more income for farmers, while preserving Ecuador's distinct ecosystems and biodiversity.
Photo: UNDP/PROAmazonia
“When Indigenous women and local organizations are empowered to participate in decision-making, significant progress is achieved in protecting nature while enhancing incomes and opportunities aligned with their needs and cosmovision. The participatory approach has been one of the success factors for PROAmazonía. This innovative approach has integrated GCF and GEF funding into a unified portfolio, creating a strong foundation to mobilize additional resources in the future, all while working under a shared vision.”
- Inka Mattila, UNDP Ecuador Resident Representative
These lessons highlight how regional challenges are connected. Integrating sustainable practices into agricultural systems creates ripple effects, contributing to regional climate goals and offering a replicable model for other Amazon basin countries. Building trust among communities, government and partners has been central to the programme’s success, underpinning UNDP’s efforts to promote South-South cooperation, facilitate knowledge transfer and mobilize finance for climate and nature.
Integrating sustainable practices into agricultural systems creates ripple effects, contributing to regional climate goals and offering a model for other Amazon basin countries.
Photo: UNDP/PROAmazonia
The Purple Boots campaign is one reminder that such strong and transparent relationships require time, patience and effort. Today, Purple Boots are a symbol of empowerment and gender equality in the Amazon and across Ecuador, reminding women like Ma José, Martha, Florita Gallegos and Luzmila of their ability to drive economic change.
“Before, only men had the right to do things like sell cheese. Women were confined to the house. But now, through these trainings, we are equals. Many of us women no longer ask for permission. We can sell a chicken ourselves or conduct business, even become leaders. Together, we’re improving—my husband, kids, and I—all working as equals. It would be wonderful if everyone worked this way.”
- Florita Gallegos, livestock farmer
*Names have been changed.
