Indigenous women leading food security in Mexico

Bayalemo is a settlement in Chiapas, Mexico – a region that has the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the country. Half of its Indigenous population records no income, while 42% live on less than $5USD per day. The Hunger Project Mexico team is working directly with rural Indigenous women to promote and preserve traditional cooking knowledge, boosting their confidence and the health of their community. This project is proudly supported by our partner Guzman y Gomez.

“We started working together when we cooked at a camp that The Hunger Project organised for our daughters, who participated in ‘Ellas Deciden’ (They Decide) program. From there, they told us that there was also something for the mums, and it was an invitation to start working in an orchard”, said Martha, one of the founding members of the Bayalemó group.

Filled with willpower and affection for their land, these five women started with a 6 x 5 metre squared vegetable orchard. They continued to meet regularly and were keen to grow their food organically without the use of harmful chemicals. They learned to prepare fertilisers, compost, and vermicompost. Motivated by their first experience with the other members from Los Altos they decided to make their orchard bigger and increase their vermicompost production.

Their work was starting to be noticed by the community which led to them having their first space within a community assembly, where they could invite people to attend an event coordinated with the THP team.

Although they were nervous about the whispers of the people present (primarily men), they decided to boldly share the lessons they had learned. They invited their entire community to learn about and be encouraged to produce their food agroecologically. This is how they celebrated World Food Day in their community.

Today, they sell aloe vera shampoo and vegetables like chives, radishes, carrots, lettuce, and coriander which feeds their families and the people in Bayalemó. With the profits, they acquire supplies required for their orchard or use them to buy different foods for the family’s basic basket.