By: Edwin Escoto During my recent trip to some of Guatemala’s villages, I had the opportunity to witness how passionate the indigenous people (Maya Achi) are about preserving their native seeds, symbols of their identity, culture, and resistance. I spent one week with my colleagues, Tim and Judelon Lasalle, trying to learn and understand how essential and strategic it is for the Mayan people to control their own seeds – essential because they can decide what type of seed they want to … [Read more...] about Mayan Seeds of Hope
Americas
Cantave Jean-Baptiste at United Nations
H.E. Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, has stated it is critical for the UN to engage with civil society organizations, youth representatives, and academia to define transformative solutions for our global challenges. The April 2023 meeting of the United Nations Civil Society Townhall focused on the need for accelerated progress toward the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The moderated event consisted … [Read more...] about Cantave Jean-Baptiste at United Nations
New Evidence of Impact: Agroecology as a Poverty Solution in Haiti
Since 2009, Groundswell International has been collaborating with Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PDL) in Haiti to strengthen farmers’ associations in the north of Haiti’s Central Plateau basin to regenerate their farmland and improve their lives. PDL has strengthened 14 peasant organizations, with over 9,900 farmers adapting agroecological farming strategies and spreading them farmer-to-farmer. These organizations also manage community savings & credit coops, seed banks, grain … [Read more...] about New Evidence of Impact: Agroecology as a Poverty Solution in Haiti
Farmers’ Knowledge and Seeds in Mexico: Food Solutions via Mexico Seed Project
World Food Day, celebrated on October 16th, focuses attention on solutions to hunger and poverty. For Groundswell International, that is where our attention is focused every day. Seeds, soils, water, markets - these are all essential and interconnected parts of healthy farming and food systems. But at the center of it all are family farmers - their human ingenuity and solidarity, building on their indigenous knowledge, cultures, and legacy of continuously innovating solutions with nature, … [Read more...] about Farmers’ Knowledge and Seeds in Mexico: Food Solutions via Mexico Seed Project
Youth Storytellers in Honduras: Part 3
Intro / Part 1 / Part 2 Groundswell International collaborated with two of our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire, to elevate the voices of local youths in South America and Western Africa, allowing them to shape the next generation's global narrative. Our last batch of videos out of Honduras come to us from three more young storytellers from communities throughout the country. Through these videos, these youths demonstrate the triumphs, empowerment, … [Read more...] about Youth Storytellers in Honduras: Part 3
Report From The Field: Honduras
By: Chandi Guntupalli As Groundswell International’s newest staff member, I had the privilege of doing my first field visit to our partners in March 2022, along with our Executive Director and co-founder Steve Brescia. Steve and I traveled to Honduras at the end of March 2022 for five days to meet with our partner, Vecinos Honduras, to discuss our plans for the Central American Dry Corridor. The Central American Dry Corridor is one of the most vulnerable parts of the world, one … [Read more...] about Report From The Field: Honduras