Land, Water and Seeds: Millennial Heritage for Good Living

By Marlen Garcia, Central American Program Coordinator

In November 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in the Gathering of Agroecological Promoters, titled "Land, Water, and Seeds: Millenary Heritage for Good Living." The event was collectively developed by a diverse group of 80 promoters representing approximately 13 indigenous communities. These communities, coming from the departments of Chimaltenango, Santa Rosa, Quiché, Sololá, and Jalapa, have their roots in the Xinka, Ixil, K'iché, and Kaqchikel territories.

The event was promoted by FUNDEBASE, and on a personal level, it represented an extraordinary experience. I had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the excellent work that FUNDEBASE carries out in the pursuit of food sovereignty for the indigenous peoples with whom they collaborate.

The meeting began with a ceremony invoking positive energies to ensure the accomplishment of the event's objectives. It was a moment in which I closely sensed the unity and commitment of all the people present in the defense of the earth, forests, water, and their territories.

The group of leaders had the opportunity to learn, share, and reflect on priority topics such as climate change, the importance of organization and communication for advocacy, agroecological practices, the protection of biodiversity, and health care, among other topics relevant to the communities they serve. The event also provided spaces for participating groups to present and display their products and best practices, facilitating more direct and personalized interactions, and even enabling sales.

This event is part of the many activities promoted by FUNDEBASE as part of its programs and strategic goals in the search for ‘Good Living’. All are designed from a vision adapted to the realities faced by indigenous populations with whom they have created long-term relationships, including details that may seem small but are very useful, such as allowing the participation of entire families, the availability of childcare while the parents attended these activities, the translation into two Mayan languages during important parts of the event, among many other details.

The work and experience of more than 30 years of FUNDEBASE are highly relevant to Trees, Water & People. The activities they promote, like this Gathering of Promoters, have a strong impact on the people of the rural communities where they develop programs because they get the opportunity to collaborate with the promoters to establish good agroecological practices on their plots and the plots of the surrounding families, ensuring their food sovereignty and good health.