From Captain Polo storybooks to climate action in rural Peru
Three years ago, I visited a remote cacao-growing community in northern Peru. I went there expecting to talk mainly with farmers about climate change and sustainable agriculture. Instead, I found myself speaking not only with producers, but also with teachers, schoolchildren, and community leaders. Everyone had a story to tell about how the climate was changing around them—less predictable rainfall, longer dry periods, new pest pressures, and growing uncertainty about the future.
That visit became the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between Captain Polo Climate Academy, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and the European Union’s ClimaLoCa project, with support from partners including APPCACAO and Solidaridad.
It also helped shape one of the questions that continues to drive my work: What happens when climate education reaches the people living on the front lines of climate change?
The first step: farmers, teachers, and schools
The answer began with our first Train-the-Trainer (TTT) workshops in rural Peru, bringing together cacao producers and school teachers. The goal was not simply to teach climate science, but to build practical climate literacy—helping participants understand why the climate is changing, how it affects their farms and communities, and what they can do about it. With support from ClimaLoCa and Bioversity-CIAT, this first round helped spark tangible action at farm, school, and community level. Participants began strengthening agroecological practices, supporting reforestation efforts, and taking local action to improve water access and environmental awareness.
One of the most inspiring outcomes came from a school in the La Quemazón community. Teachers and students there adopted Captain Polo, along with Chilalo—the local ovenbird character I created for the stories—as symbols of their own climate journey. Soon these characters began appearing on school murals, classroom materials, and even in a student-led climate change play presented to other schools in the region. As an author and educator, seeing characters move from the pages of a book into real community action was deeply satisfying.
Women climate leadership in Peru: the next chapter
Educating women and girls is not only central to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 5 on Gender Equality, but is increasingly recognised as one of the most effective pathways to stronger climate resilience and community-led action. The United Nations highlights the critical role women play in climate adaptation, food security, and sustainable natural resource management.
This year, we took the next step.
In April 2026, I delivered a new Train-the-Trainer effort, this time focused entirely on women cacao and coffee producers in remote parts of Peru. These women are already leaders in their families, farms, and communities—but many had never received formal climate training before. Over three sessions, we explored:
- The science behind climate change
- Why today’s warming is human-driven
- Practical adaptation and mitigation strategies
- Soil health, agroforestry, and climate-smart farming
- How to teach these topics to others
Every participant joined using a mobile phone. None had access to computers. Internet connectivity was often poor. And yet the commitment was extraordinary. One participant reportedly walked 20 minutes uphill at night just to find a mobile signal and continue learning – a stark reminder that in many parts of the world, the biggest barrier to climate education is not motivation, but access.
Real impact
Despite the challenges, the results were encouraging. The percentage of participants achieving a passing score increased from 56% to 72%, with over a third achieving a perfect final score. The greatest learning gains were in understanding practical climate action at farm and community level—exactly where climate literacy matters most. But perhaps the most important outcome is not the numbers: it’s that these women are now better equipped to become climate educators, role models, and agents of change in their own communities.
And that is exactly what Captain Polo Climate Academy is all about.
Photos: Alliance Bioversity-CIAT (2025)