The organic management of the sugar cane plantations contributes effectively to the conservation of water in the western cordillera of the Andes in Ecuador.  We have calculated that the 187 producers in the communities of CADO are responsible for the conservation of about 4000 litres of water a minute for the rivers in the area.  We can conclude that the fair trade production of alcohol in the cordillera could be an important reference point for water conservation in other Latin American countries such as Peru and Bolivia if this example was replicated.