WUNRN
NICARAGUA - BEYOND FOOD,
ECONOMIC, & NATURAL DISASTER CRISES
WOMEN SURVIVE & SUCCEED WITH
ORGANIC FARMING - MADRE
Even before the
global food crisis of 2008, three-quarters of the population suffered from
malnutrition on the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. People confront
grinding poverty, extreme hunger, an unemployment rate of 90 percent, and a
lack of electricity, clean water, and other basic services. Poverty and social
disintegration are compounded by environmental degradation. The coast is more
vulnerable than ever to climate disasters, with tropical storms intensifying as
sea temperatures rise. In 2007, Hurricane Felix destroyed the homes and
harvests of hundreds of families along the
MADRE trains Indigenous Miskito women in organic farming and sustainable livestock-management and provides families with vegetable seeds and farm animals. Harvesting Hope organizes a seed bank, through which women cultivate, save, and share local, organic seeds from one growing season to the next. The program emphasizes sustainable land use methodologies, safeguards traditional Indigenous knowledge of natural resource management, and strengthens women’s economic self-sufficiency and participation in public life.
Through MADRE’s
longtime sister organization Wangki Tangni, Harvesting Hope organizes local
farmers’ markets where the women sell surplus produce. The markets have
become a focal point for community cohesion, with Wangki Tangni hosting
innovative culinary contests, games, and musical entertainment. The markets
also serve as an opportunity for Wangki Tangni to distribute popular education
materials about women’s rights, collective Indigenous rights, and women’s
health.
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