Food Security and Sovereignty Program
Democratic Organization and Participation
Technical Training
The teaching of knowledge and the development of skills and specific abilities is a key part of assuring that rural promoters take over projects and develop the skills necessary to control the direction of future projects. Our field staff is the main source of technical training and their principal work is to train rural promoters using methodologies and tools.
Organizational Education
The base upon which all of our work rests is local organization. Culturally, the indigenous communities manage their own local organizations and in accordance with traditional values that maintain their families and communities. Many of these relationships and values were destroyed during the civil war and continue to be threatened by the large number of workers who must migrate to find work and western cultural influences. We are working to rescue these values and traditional forms of organizations. We believe that technical training and organizational formation must to go hand in hand in order to assure the success and staying power of the projects we help set in motion.
Strengthening the Participation of Women
The food security of the family is primarily the responsibility of women. Through a diverse variety of activities we give rural women the opportunity to receive training, to learn to value their role in their families and communities and to assume the important role of community leaders.
Strengthening the Participation of Youth
Many rural youths – both boys and girls – do not see a future in agriculture and see neither a future nor hope in what their local communities offer them. In fact, many of these youth emigrate to the capital or to the USA. The future of our and the communities’ work over the last 15 years is in the hands of these youth, and it is important to motivate them to take a leadership role in their communities. We encourage our communities to create conditions in which these youth can learn to farm organically. We also provide the opportunity for older youth to come to our rural training centers and learn with their parents and grandparents.
Community Banks
Community banks receive small loans from a community development funds to develop specific projects. Instead of returning the loan to the development fund, the repayments are given as a loan to another community which is waiting for this starter loan. Each round of participants promises to pay a small amount of interest in addition to the loan. This interest stays in the community to be the seed money for a community bank which the community itself decides how to run.
Interaction with Local, Regional and National Organizations
United efforts are important and necessary in order to have as great an impact as possible. We are participating in several networks, including REDSSAG and RAIS, which aid exchanges of experience and help to coordinate projects.
Coordination with State Entities
We coordinate with Municipal governments, particularly in the areas of health and education.