Empowered and organized peasant indigenous women participate in socio-economic development by ensuring agroecological food sovereignty in the Ravelo municipality of Potosí

IPTK

Background Information

The proposal stems from a diagnosis made by  women from 30 communities and 6 OECAs,   the Violence Prevention Network and Ravelo public authorities. Problems related to women rights holders  have been identified: weakness in leadership, self-esteem and empowerment; sexist violence and women´s  ignorance of their rights and of the opportunities for prevention and protection from sexist violence; inability to obtain  food to ensure family food security; and the Bartolina Sisa political organizations, which have an impact on women’s rights, although they are organizationally and institutionally weak.  The OECAs face serious difficulties when attempting to participate in trade fairs, and submit tenders for public purchases and negotiate commercial agreements for ACE endowments.  Public policies do not contribute to the reactivation of the associative agricultural sector with an emphasis on gender and women’s participation; among other shortcomings.

Location

Ravelo Municipality

Local partner

Tomas Katarí Polytechnical Institute (TKPI)

Goals

Overall goal: Contribute to social, economic, sustainable and comprehensive development with an emphasis on gender equality, in coordination with public-private entities to enable rural indigenous women to fully exercise their rights in the Ravelo municipality.

Specific goal:

Enable Ravelo rural women to exercise their social, political (in terms of their organization, participation, and ability to have an impact on public policies), and economic rights. This can be achieved by ensuring their personal and economic empowerment, strengthening their community and production organizations with an agroecological approach and enabling them to participate in order to ensure municipal compliance with Law 348 VLV and Law 622 ACE, with the aim of promoting women’s OECAs.

Target population

(200 women and 190 men).

Duration

Budget

Funding

TAU,  Basque Government (369.531€)

Activities:

  • Hold meetings to publicize the project and encourage people to participate in the project planning, in conjunction with public authorities, social organizations, OECAs and producers.
  • Support and provide technical advice to the Bartolina Sisa de Ravelo parent organization.
  • Prepare educational material for training women in leadership and empowerment.
  • Participate in public forums for analysis and public rallys organized by the departmental network for the defense of women’s rights and prevention of violence against women. The media should be encouraged to report on public debate and intercultural encounters should be arranged on a regularly basis. 
  • Bolster women’s peasant productive economic organizations with the construction/renovation of their production and equipment centers.
  • Develop workshops to strengthen the sustainable production processes, transform agroecological products and improve the quality and finish of value-added products  intended for school breakfast and other markets.