MEXICO
Mexico’s unique ejido system is a communal land, agriculture, and forest management program for rural communities nationwide. These designated regions are community-managed and government-supported, and though communities are prohibited from owning the lands, the system encourages small-scale farming and forest conservation. While there are many benefits and protections provided by the Mexican government to encourage the ejido system to thrive under local management, the program has its challenges. In some regions, ejidos are abandoned and farming has ceased; in others, government support is not sustainable or practical and funds are simply wasted. In many regions, the impact of climate change has made it so that local communities who manage the ejidos have depleted their resources on post-fire mitigation and restoration or struggle to maintain food security and economic stability.
Trees, Water & People (TWP) is expanding efforts in Mexico with a new partner, Red MOCAF —The Mexican Network Community Forest Organizations. Red MOCAF, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
“carry out activities aimed at promoting the sustainability of the rural regions of Mexico, which includes improving the living conditions of local Indigenous populations that rationally use and manage their natural resources, to help local people identify, lead, and economically benefit from solutions that build climate resilience.”
Our goal is to continue learning all the ongoing efforts in Mexico and contribute to the local economy of the ejido systems through actions that help restore the territory and invest in the empowerment of local communities.
How we achieve locally-driven solutions:
Long-term relationships with Indigenous communities in Mexico to support their efforts to recover traditional farming practices and restore degraded lands through community action
Promote the empowerment of rural and Indigenous communities, focusing on gender equity and inclusion, and youth development
New partner list:
• Arboles y Agua para el Pueblo - AAP (El Salvador)
• Comité Ecológico Aldea de Suyapa - COEAS (Honduras)
• Asociación Hondureña para el Desarrollo - AHDESA (Honduras)
