Appreciative intelligence in action – A case study of sustainable value creation by Irupana Organic Food of Bolivia

Abstract

For decades, the Altiplano farmers of Bolivia had been marginalized by the remoteness of their home and exploitation by the private sector and injustices inflicted by the government. The notion that this impoverished region could sustain economic development might correctly have been described as hopeless. The Altiplano farmers’ inability to develop a sustainable source of income threatened their very cultural identity. The only manner in which the farmers’ culture might be sustained was through charitable donations from international NGOs. But it is exactly in this situation, when obstacles are stacked against success, where appreciative intelligence can provide an avenue to overcome despair. After years of working with NGOs, Javier Hurtado was able to identify a source of value that could provide hope and a path to sustainable development for the Altiplano farmers. This is the story of the impact that one individual's application of appreciative intelligence can have on a community. The Irupana story illustrates how our destinies are shaped by our ability to discover that which is best within ourselves and the communities in which we live. This is the story of Javier Hurtado and Martha Cordero, founders of Irupana Organic Foods located in the Bolivian Altiplano, as they discover the unique potential in the harsh Bolivian landscape and the impoverished peasant farmers that inhabit this setting. Through the framework of appreciative intelligence, the researchers observed the entrepreneurs reframe their circumstances around the positive potential that is within the Altiplano-farming community and its unique natural resources, and create a successful organic foods company.

Citation

Metzger, M.D., Martinez, H. and Angel Lopez, M. (2010), "Appreciative intelligence in action – A case study of sustainable value creation by Irupana Organic Food of Bolivia", Thatchenkery, T., Cooperrider, D.L. and Avital, M. (Ed.) Positive Design and Appreciative Construction: From Sustainable Development to Sustainable Value (Advances in Appreciative Inquiry, Vol. 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 237-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1475-9152(2010)0000003017