Cuncashca Peru is a remote community of 64 farming families near Barrick’s Pierina mine. Pierina was an open-pit gold mine that operated from 1996 to 2010. During this time Barrick voluntarily initiated a number of corporate social responsibility projects to extend the benefits of mining to the community including improving access to clean water, health care, housing and education.[28, pp.96-97]
The Cuncashca Business Development Project was developed with community involvement and used agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy production, and entrepreneurial training to support agri-business development. Project components included business and agricultural training, improving water infrastructure, and building a new dairy and processing plant.[29]
This project has led to a number of positive results for farmers and supported a shift from subsistence farming towards income generation. The average monthly household income increased from $46 in 2002 to $166 in 2008.[29] The dairy plant now produces 4,200 liters of milk per month, and cheese production increased 400% between 2005 and 2007.[30] Water usage also declined by 40% thanks to conservation techniques, and the rate of chronic malnutrition amongst children under three decreased from 46% to 38% between 2002 and 2008.[30]