Ecuador

Ecuador covers about 256,000 km² and is divided into three main geographical regions: the Pacific coastal lowlands, the Andean highlands, and the Amazon rainforest in the east. In addition, Ecuador includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Andes Mountains run through the centre of the country, shaping climate and land use. While the coast has a tropical climate suitable for plantation agriculture, the highlands offer temperate conditions, and the eastern lowlands are dominated by dense rainforest.

Before Spanish colonisation in the 16th century, Indigenous societies were already practising agriculture, later incorporated into the Inca Empire shortly before European arrival. Under Spanish rule, large estates focused on crops such as cocoa and grains. After independence in 1830, Ecuador remained largely agrarian for much of its history.
Today, the primary sector contributes around 8–9% of Ecuador’s GDP and remains a major source of employment and export income. Approximately 30% of the country’s land is used for agriculture.

Ecuador is one of the world’s leading exporters of bananas, which dominate coastal agriculture. Other key crops include cocoa, coffee, rice and maize. In recent decades, flower production — particularly roses grown in the highlands — has become an important export industry.

Livestock farming, including cattle and poultry, supports domestic food supply, especially in the highland regions.
Forests cover roughly 50% of Ecuador’s territory, mainly in the Amazon Basin. Forestry provides timber and non-timber forest products, though deforestation remains a concern.

Ecuador also has a significant fishing industry. Its Pacific coastline supports commercial fishing for tuna and shrimp, and aquaculture — especially shrimp farming — is an important export sector.

Overall, Ecuador’s primary sector reflects its geographical diversity: plantation crops along the tropical coast, mixed farming in the Andean highlands, forestry in the Amazon region and fisheries along the Pacific. These activities remain central to rural livelihoods and export earnings despite the growing importance of oil and services in the national economy.

Gerold acquired a GTZ project in Ecuador in Sucumbios in the Oriente of Ecuador (rainforest) with 3 PhD students. In 1996 Gerold and Klaudia visited the group for a few weeks. We drove over the 4000 meters high Andes into the rainforest, looked at this beautiful landscape at the Rio Coca and Rio Negro, were in the Cujabenes National Park and in Lago Agrio we were annoyed about the exploitation of nature by the oil culture. After two weeks we flew over to Manta, made a tour to Guayaquil and on small Galapagos, visited an acquaintance and lived there and then flew back to Quito, where we flew back to Germany.