By Celia Flor Díaz Pérez (Maya Tsotsil)
The theme of lands and livelihoods introduced us collectively as Keepers of the Earth Fund grant companions from January 15 to 17, 2024, in Siguatepeque, Honduras, because of the invitation of Cultural Survival. The Comal Community was our heat host who welcomed us with the representations of Indigenous, Maya Q´echi´, Maya Tsotsil, and Lenca organizations from Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
We began the actions with reflections on the place our livelihoods are rooted. The screening of a video led us to acknowledge ourselves as related regardless of the political borders that delimit us. The content material of the projection coming from one other territory has been filmed in any of our communities. The essence that resonated with us is the work with the Earth, a mutual feeling from there our methods of life and understanding the world are rooted.
Work and the connection with our territories enable us to develop our meals. With out corn, there is no such thing as a root; one shouts in protection of native seeds, and this slogan is smart as a result of corn precedes us within the conception of Mesoamerican cultures. With out such grain, our civilizations wouldn’t have been constructed, which even now, regardless of centuries of colonization, proceed to withstand via our existence. Corn and and Mesoamerican societies have an extended mutual historical past, a deep relationship, and have advanced collectively.
Nevertheless, industrial modernity has led to societies rooted in consumption and waste that forces us to see land and customary items as mere sources to be exploited, fragmenting all sense of reciprocity with the land. The market transformed our lands right into a financial butchery in reasonably than exchanges mandatory for human survival. The Indigenous territories are threatened with megaprojects that don’t correspond to our manner of experiencing the world, however reasonably imposed growth initiatives carry on coming and have pressured exodus and waves of migrations in the direction of the worldwide North from the place what have been our frequent items have been capitalized and exploited.
The local weather disaster provides to our challenges. Though Indigenous Peoples usually are not those liable for world warming, we’re those who face the results on the entrance strains. Our agriculture is threatened by sudden modifications within the local weather, lowering our capability for meals sovereignty. The vulnerability of our livelihoods will increase as our belongings are looted to take care of the existence of business societies that trigger environmental destruction.
On this context of imposed and undesirable “growth,” the organizations who participated within the gathering outlined the progress that we do need. A few of us acknowledge that we’re engaged on the transition to eco-friendly agriculture, whereas others face opposition to conventional agriculture from business or industrial agronomy. Agroecology, meals sovereignty, and social and solidarity financial system have been the ideas that permeated these three days of labor as utopian horizons in our work as Indigenous grassroots organizations.
The digital participation of members of the Kichwa Cañari group highlighted the popularity that Indigenous cultures are deeply agrocentric, “Our cultural matrix is in working with the land,” they instructed us whereas sharing photographs of their work. Their presentation led us to replicate that, maybe, the idea of agroecology is constructed from a scientific perspective to call our conventional agriculture. We at the moment are left with the duty of how we reappropriate it and rethink the phrases that join us from our type to apply agriculture. With this reappropriation or reconstruction, how can we create alliances with academia, analysis facilities, laboratories, or others to strengthen and enhance our livelihoods?
The present challenges vary from the necessity to mechanize conventional agriculture in order that native agriculture is worthwhile and that youth usually are not interested in industrial zones as disposable labor for maquilas and fashionable slavery. We famous the significance of ladies as the primary in command of household vitamin; nonetheless, we’re additionally those that have the least entry to land. We didn’t overlook in regards to the penalties of the local weather disaster that’s disproportionately impacting Indigenous territories, these being the place the primary biodiversity reserves and hotspots are situated. For conventional agriculture to succeed, innovation is important, and this requires questioning and funding, which additionally interprets into an empowerment of our identities rooted in working with the Earth.
Enthusiastic about our strengths from our livelihoods entails recognizing our meals sovereignty and the necessity to manage the worth chain of our merchandise to get again on monitor with the market, advertising and marketing with a way of solidarity that permits us to create change relationships with different communities and Peoples, as a result of entry to the market can also be a proper of producers.
We should look into processing to extend our merchandise’ dietary and business worth. Some organizations shared their expertise about reworking these items from a round financial system perspective and the dietary enchancment of households. It’s primarily about reaching native consumption by step by step changing the ultra-processed merchandise pushed by giant corporations, whereas on the similar time producing revenue for the producers. The creation of different markets can even contribute to social and solidarity commerce. Native and acutely aware consumption are practices that strengthen the relationships between producers and shoppers and are concrete alternate options to the capitalist programs that destroy our sources, lands, and other people.
Collectively, we perceive that our livelihoods are deeply tailored and rooted within the particularities of our territories, and the menace to that is additionally a direct assault on our manner of experiencing the world. The challenges are huge, in addition to the threats. Nevertheless, our resistance is robust. The atmosphere is usually desolate as a result of the “system” continuously criminalizes what doesn’t align with its functions. As Indigenous Peoples, we stay linked to our roots, our Earth, and within the protection of those territories. It is very important acknowledge the position of our creativity and spirituality in constructing the alternate options that we dream of and acknowledge the significance of transmitting Conventional data for the safety of our lands and territories for future generations. Strengthening Indigenous traditions, data, languages, and cultural identification is significant for the resilience of our folks and good residing. Thus, we should create strategic alliances the place we are able to and talk about collaborations to confront this “system” that’s inflicting at present’s world crises.
–Celia Flor Díaz Pérez (Maya Tsotsil) is from Los Altos de Chiapas, Mexico, and holds a level in Sustainable Improvement.
Photographs by Olvin S. Vasquez.
