11 January 2022, Guatemala - Sotz'il and the Foundation for the Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge implemented the project Strengthening Indigenous Sustainable Food Production
Systems as Climate Resilient Measures in Central America SIPRACC, funded by the EUROCLIMA+ programme of the European Union (EU) in the Resilient Food Production sector.
SIPRACC had a focus on food security, traditional knowledge and climate change. The objective of the programme was to strengthen subsistence farmers and fishers and their capacities to improve their indigenous agricultural and protein production systems, making them more sustainable and resilient to climate change, and to contribute to NDCs in national agricultural, marine-coastal and adaptation policies in Guatemala and Panama.
View the closing video of the project
The actions benefited three thousand producer families from the Mayan Kaqchiquel Q'eqchi' and Garifuna peoples of Guatemala and the Guna of Panama, 48% of the beneficiaries being women. Three adaptation plans, three value chain diagnoses, and nine Seed Banks were prepared, community and regional experience exchanges were held, farmers were trained on agricultural production techniques, given support for food production and crop diversification, native plants of nutritional importance, water harvesting, two centres of distinction, implementation of early warning systems for climatic information of calendrical utility with a system for sending messages during operation.
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Some beneficiary groups of the project, in the Kaqchikel region, Guatemala
Guatemala and Panamá successfully completed the objectives of the SIPRACC
The project strengthened capacities, promoted knowledge exchanges between indigenous communities in each country and in the Central American region to learn about successful practices and lessons learned. Also the implementation of improved agricultural and protein production techniques, efficient use of water, soil, carbon; biodiversity conservation; establishment of an early climate information system and didactic materials, among others.
In the Kaqchikel Mayan region, mechanisms for agro-food adaptation to climate change were established in the village of El Sitio and the hamlet of Xetzitzí in the municipality of Patzún, Chimaltenango, as well as in the municipality of Sumpango and San Bartolomé Milpas Altas in Sacatepéquez. In the Maya Q'eqchi' and Garífuna region, culturally important protein production processes were carried out.
"The project supports communities in developing plans for adaptation to climate change, but focused at the local level where threats, exposure and adaptive capacities are analysed to generate appropriate measures based on traditional knowledge, in order to have instruments that favour the collective management of agri-food systems," said the project's national coordinator in Guatemala, Juan Cusanero, national coordinator of the project in Guatemala.
The concept of Climate Change and Food Security from the Cosmovision of the Guna People
The Guna people conceive of the climate as a function of their daily activities, they are knowledgeable about natural cycles and have the ability to predict and forecast climatic phenomena, elements such as experience, dreams and observation play a determining role in predicting and diagnosing these phenomena, For the Guna people, their knowledge is linked to the collective right to food and food sovereignty, which are essential for the preservation and strengthening of their culture and identity; the diet of the Guna people is based on their knowledge and culture of the plants and animals of the region, as well as the species of fish.
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Traditional Garifuna beverages, Mujeres Aldea Seacacar el Estor, Organic Products and gastronomic fair of El Estor Izabal, Guatemala
We are working on food security, we achieved the desired results in the recovery of native seeds of cultural, spiritual and food importance for the Guna people, we completed the action plan and strategy for resilience to climate change for the adaptation of the Guna people, we have animal protein programmes to improve the nutrition of the population and we are working on the issue of biodiversity conservation of endangered species, said the national coordinator of the project in Panama, Onel Masardule.
Producers and beneficiaries of the SIPRACC project
"The experience with the project has been very good, they have supported us with inputs, technical advice and we have learned how to sow and harvest, in our village of El Sitio Patzún we produce our own food, such as beans and corn, and now with all the knowledge we have learned we are working for food security, not only for our families but also for the whole community", said Heidy Cujcuj from the community of El Sitio Patzún Chimaltenango.
"The project has been of great help to us. Before, we had plots where we could sow, but we didn't know how to do it. We sowed, but because we didn't do it with good practices and using ancestral knowledge we had crop losses, so we are very grateful to EUROCLIMA for giving us the tools to strengthen food security in our family". Mardoqueo Cujcuj, from the Community El Sitio Patzùn Chimaltenango
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Intersectoral meetings, MIDA Director, Colon headquarters, small group workshops in the field due to covid-USDUP, Usdup community workshops, kick-off meetings with directors and leaders.
The project had a focus on food security, traditional knowledge and climate change, its main objective was to strengthen the capacities of farmers and fishers to improve their indigenous, agricultural and protein production systems, making them more sustainable and resilient to climate change, and to contribute to NDCs in national agricultural, coastal-marine and adaptation policies in Guatemala and Panama.
SIPRACC was endorsed by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Guatemala, the Ministry of Environment of Panama as EUROCLIMA+ Focal Points and the Vice-Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, Ministry of Government of the Republic of Panama. Also as strategic partners are the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean and the Indigenous Roundtable on Climate Change of Guatemala.
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Food Products of abuela mar Dad nakued duppir, Dulup traditional food-Usudp,Dule Massi Traditional Food-Usdup and cornfields, Panama
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