Women eating well in Bayalemó II

Matilde lives in Bayalemó, a village in the highlands of Chiapas, surrounded by pines and oaks. Since childhood, she has relied on the milpa system (crop growing system) and the forest for food, including corn, beans, chilli, chives, chayote, squash, zucchini, green beans, chilacayotes, depending on the season.

Her life changed as she formed a family and began working to earn money. The place she lives also transformed, with increased use of fertilisers and agrochemicals in food production and the availability of ultra-processed products in her family’s diet. Matilde has diligently participated in each of THP- Mexico’s trainings. She has encouraged and motivated other women in her community to work in a community plot with agroecological techniques.

“It’s good if the children now eat as we ate before … it should not be lost because it gives more energy and health.”

From THP trainings, Matilde expanded into producing and selling of aloe vera shampoo and other vegetables, aiming to provide healthy, locally grown products to her relatives and neighbours.

She says, “People sometimes ask us if we have cilantro or onion and we go to the plot and quickly bring it.”

Matilde’s passion for learning and community well-being is evident in her take-up and practice of The Hunger Project trainings. With women like Matilde taking the lead, community transformation is possible.