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Participants as Decision Makers
 Participation is one of the core values of Puente a la Salud Comunitaria. At the community level, all of Puente’s decisions are based on a participatory approach to rural development. By involving our participants in all stages of the process, from diagnosis to evaluation, we can ensure both the cultural pertinence and the impact of our programs.
Puente works closely with the participants, community promoters, group representatives, local authorities, community assemblies, key community actors (from schools, health clinics and agricultural/land bodies) and other organizations to analyze the risks and external factors that can potentially expand or limit the adoption of practices related to amaranth production and consumption. They are all invited to contribute to our bi-annual annual planning and evaluation meetings, which occur both at local levels (within each community) as well as at regional level (in hub communities). They evaluate the benefits of the programs at the family, community and regional levels and make suggestions about how the program can better integrate local knowledge and promote collaboration and solidarity between families and communities in the zone.
Puente adapts its work plans according to the distinct characteristics of each micro-region and its people. We will continue to strive to generate local solutions to improve the lives of our constituents.
Towards Community Autonomy
Through their participative focus, the programs have been designed to lead to auto-management and community sustainability, with the local creation of at least one organizational structure in each zone after three to five years. In this time, the population should have integrated amaranth into their production systems and diet to a sufficient level that the program can function independently, with major support systems transferred to the organizational structure and partner agencies operating within the region. The structures should be capable of planning, managing finances and establishing alliances to develop initiatives related to amaranth promotion and food sovereignty.
Working with Local Actors
Additionally, Puente recognizes the need to work with local actors. An important component of Puente’s strategy is to identify and train local actors.
 In the Eco-Amaranth Program these are called Community Promoters (PCs) and they are selected based on criteria related to leadership, indigenous language skills and knowledge about amaranth. Once selected, they receive specialized monthly trainings by Puente staff. Their role is to provide local knowledge, help us understand community best practices in agriculture and participate in the design of all strategies to help ensure their relevance to the local indigenous community. They also play a practical role in ensuring the participation of the farmers in the monthly meetings, assisting Puente’s agronomists during training workshops and troubleshooting individual problems of the participant farmers on their land.
The Healthy Families Program works with Local Amaranth Promoters (PALs). They will usually be a voluntary member of a pre-existing community service such as the health committee, the school board or the church group and are therefore active and respected citizens. Once trained, the volunteer’s role is to provide local insight and participate in the design of all strategies to help ensure their relevance to the local indigenous population. They will also help us understand community best practices for better nutrition, actively oversee the implementation of the program, and collect data for monitoring and evaluation.
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