The Walipinis are a sort of greenhouse that go unnoticed in the extreme climate of the highlands of Bolivia. In these underground greenhouses, producers grow products that are unfit for such an arid landscape, which has hot days, freezing nights, strong winds, and scarce water; a place where much of the vegetation does not survive.
These constructions, whose name, in Aymara, means very good or very well, were devised some 25 years ago by the Swiss cooperator Peter Iselli and they manage to create a bubble of soft and constant temperatures where producers can plant fruits and vegetables. Their underground walls of earth help retain heat and humidity, something that minimizes the consumption of water, which in this area is a very scarce resource.
They were abandoned by Iselli and rescued by agronomist Hector Velez, who has been leading an ecological farm project financed by the Gemio family for the last 17 years. According to an article from the BBC, these Walipinis are from a technical point of view based on N +1, cheaper and more effective than conventional greenhouses.
This type of underground construction allows producers to save a lot of money in the purchase of materials to build an external structure, which must be frequently replaced in the highlands due to the strong winds and great solar radiation that corrodes materials. However, the Walipini are not a magic solution. Despite not requiring a large economic investment, costs are high: besides water, they require time and a lot of work. The main initial investment is in labor to create the hole in the earth.
Source: journalistadigital.com