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PACT WITH MOTHER NATURE
JOINT PROGRAM
There is a concern among the indigenous communities
because nature is rapidly deteriorating.
We are intervening in order to make room for the livestock
and clear land for single crops.
In that sense, people are becoming worried about the scarcity of water
and very concerned that the impact of climate change
will lead to a deterioration in the prairies, the productive areas,
thus leading to problems in production and administration.
We are now looking at the Valley of Pubenza
the former territory of the indigenous people and the Indian reservation of Poblazón,
the Indian reservation of Paletará, the reservation of Quintana
and on that slope, the Indian reservations of Kokonuco and Puracén
Regarding the change in climate in the Cauca, it was
like the region of the Colombian massif
A strategic area of national importance to Colombia,
it is the place where the main rivers of the country are born,
the Cauca River, the Magdalena River, the Caquetá River and the Patía River.
Climate change is also harming us
because sometimes there are very dry, sunny days,
and there are times when it rains too much,like now.
Before, we used to get frost in January, February or December.
Now it's different, we get it any month, almost any day.
It's mild for one or two days and then the frost will fall.
This is a sample of a rugged territory with steep slopes.
Here we see the consequences of the cattle farming industry
with more than 80 years of these fields being used for grazing.
We see erosion and how the soil is degrading.
We have been working on this program with almost 900 families in this territory.
Initially the joint program was only conducting a vulnerability analysis
of all the territories, with the participation of the community.
In that analysis we established the principal environmental problems
that exist in each of the territories
for example, here there is a problem of
and there are some strong winds as well.
It is all related to implementing alternatives for food security
to proposing more eco-friendly alternatives on how to raise cattle...
We are talking about the establishment of silvopastoral systems,
we are aiming to revive traditional farming methods, the agroforestry systems
to take care of the water, to increase the birth rate,
to establish areas of environmental conservation of communal interest to the territory.
We do not consider it a short term process
On the contrary, our communities need us to continue offering our full support
since the impact of the program will
It has allowed us to develop and strengthen
taking into consideration that previously, in 2002
there were social and environmental tensions between the communities.
As a result of those relationships in 2002, we signed
This program has taken that social agreement and it is reinforcing it.
Some gender focused training was offered to the women of the farming organizations
Descriptions were made at a social level,
referring to water resources, the subject of food security
and with this information we assessed the vulnerability
that is affecting us and our organizations.
We are going through our third training module
We are reviewing a summary of the adaptation measures that we
and in practice will result in the establishment of an electric fence
in order to improve natural barriers against winds,
animal fodder and the familiar biodiversity corridors.
- We are going to install a solar cell for the fence…
With this electric fence that we are going to build
and that we are already installing with the help of this community
we are going to reduce the use of wooden fence posts,
we are going to reduce logging,
at the same time we are going to improve our economic situation,
we are going to reduce our operation costs a lot
all because of the electric fences.
- Lets look for example at a cow’s environment
- This slide would need reforestation. Why?
- Look at the sun, the sun rays fall directly here…
- But the barrier we are looking at now, wouldn't
from the direction of the corral, right? Then we
- It should be laid according to the land
because if your land is on that side, then the
We are learning about climate change
we are learning from those who come to teach us
and we also teach them what happens in the community.
A phenomenon that we have here is a winter season that lasts too long.
Another one is a long summer with times of drought,
the winds are also very strong and because of
- Our mission is to introduce native seedlings
for the reforestation of the Piedra River basin.
An important matter is the establishment of micro-nurseries with native forest plants
and another is the strengthening of this existing
- This here is a lot of work, manual
There are eight parcels of biodiversity,
some that are related to food production,
others that have to do with seedlings of native forest species
and others that are here for acclimatization.
- The reason we have this incentive today is
but because you have tried with many species and have been successful.
- Then we must do the same trials with other native plants
in order to recover our forests.
It is also a matter of bringing material from other neighboring river basins.
Aside from planting species native to this region,
our goal is to create jobs for the community.
The Mexican sunflower was planted there as a barrier against the wind
and also serves as cattle feed.
This is done so that the wind does not impact the crops,
on either the pastoral or the agricultural crops.
We are working on preserving the natural forest
and we have 0.2 hectares.
We manage a silvopastoral system
as you could see in the lowlands of our reserve.
There are native trees from this region.
Each family drew a map where they have noted their plans for the future
and how the project is being carried out now.
They are implementing all the adaptation measures described in the maps.
Here they have located the forestry sections, the silvopastoral systems, their houses,
but in some cases access to water has been difficult in this region.
At times water arrives from the city of Popayán,
but there are a few families who still
- We are also working on the productivity systems,
like in the market garden that we will look at now.-
- Here I planted peas and they grew. I've
It is all about working in a joint program,
with combination of crops, here we have beans, maize, arracacha, raspberries...
- These are the measures we've been taking.
- What is the difference between planting under the
- Well, always the greenhouse first.
- Because of the heavy rainfall.
- Because here there is no excess water.
the plants don't get too much water and you won't lose them.
We have had institutional support that we have taken advantage of
for the whole region, not only at this reserve.
If you visit other reserves, other rural families are
As a first measure, we have brought seeds from the high grounds,
brought them from the coldest areas to let them adapt to our climate here
and we have also brought plants from the warmest region
At first it was a bit hard, but little by little we are succeeding.
At least there you can see potatoes that are from
We start acclimatizing the seed straight away
We are beginning to prepare organic fertilizer,
It has been sold for some time, but now it’s selling very well.
When we first began it was very hard, right?
Right now the people at Corinto have began to establish more groups,
and those groups have already been buying from us.
It is not that it is more appealing or better
We don’t use chemicals anymore.
These tubs are here for the preparation of fertilizers that we make locally.
If you don't want to use these, just use
The advantages of my crop are:
it is a clean crop, a healthy crop,
It is a crop that we know is healthy.
Because if I have good non-contaminated food
I am giving the gift of health to me and my family.
I sow in stages,
I do it in steps so that I won't have any food shortages.
That is to say, if I have
then I plant in different sections every month
so that I will not be without food.
Thus if I see that the rainy season is coming,
I cannot plant any potatoes,
because I know that the crop is going
because the more it rains, the better my bean
We come from Carillo, Cauca.
We are the Mizac people of Pueblo Bambeano and we have come to barter,
to exchange our ancestral seeds.
Here we barter potatoes, ullucos and everything that is produced in cold weather.
We have come from the warm region. We have brought plantains, yucca, panela, oranges…
We barter for whatever they bring, from our potatoes or yucca,
we exchange them for any plantains they bring to us.
It has gone very well for us, we have
just a little bit wet, but we rest in
The goal that we set for ourselves is to decrease the large amount of chemicals,
to decrease the use of chemicals that are harmful to us
and harmful to Mother Nature.
The Earth is already so contaminated by agricultural chemicals
that are making our children ill.
So we must use every opportunity we get
to take measures like using organic fertilizers
so that our products are healthy and also improve our health.
We manage 52 families with regard to food security.
We are taking the families to the rural schools where they learn.
We offer subjects and practical modules as they train
and each of them applies what they have
Our role as women is to help them to strengthen
In addition we must help our families have a better quality of life.
I believe that we as women also want to be active
in other roles in order to be able to do new things
and of course, to be able to work with them and other people.
We also want women to have another supporting role
and to learn new things that will contribute to the family.
- Strength! Strength! For my land and for my people!
- Strength! Strength! For my land and for my people!
We wanted to make a pact with Mother Nature, ok?
Since it matters a lot to us as indigenous communities,
Because thanks to her, we have things such as water,
food, that is life to our children
and for the whole community in general.
This is the way in which we agree and contribute,
to care, because thanks to her we survive
and everything we have is because of her.
- We are also going to plant those trees
so that you can leave knowing that we really are going to reforest
and that very close to the water we will have trees that we planted.
Mother Nature is in this community
and it helps to protect more trees in order to produce life
those that are planted around the rivers.
Just as you have said: "water springs out of each tree".
What we want is to implement what we have
but that these things can be applied so that many people
continue with the same activities we are practicing
and contributing enough for climate change not to affect everyone so much.
To plant or to grow crops,
it is not necessary to cut down any trees.