In Agroecology's Absence, Feminism Taking Center Stage

In a significant development, a project in northeast Brazil involving 879 peasant women has yielded 1,228 agroecological products between August 2019 and February 2020. These products have been sufficient for the survival of families in the region, underscoring the productive role of women in agriculture.

This project is part of a broader movement that recognises the importance of women in agriculture. The feminization of the countryside, as seen in the Bolivian highlands, provides women with market access, economic independence, and political empowerment.

Peasant women in Latin America are not just cultivating distant lands; they are maintaining a high level of agrobiodiversity through patios, gardens, and animal husbandry. In Mexico, for instance, women have been instrumental in transforming and revaluing traditional agricultural practices like the milpa and mole.

The Latin American Agroecology Institute Cultivators of Hope (Instituto Latinoamericano de Agroecología Sembradoras de Esperanza) and organisations like ANAMURI are at the forefront of this movement, organising educational processes that emphasise the knowledge and practices of women in agroecology.

Feminist agriculturalists in Latin America are advocating for greater access to quality land, technical assistance, fair trade networks, and social and economic recognition for rural and agroecological women. They are pushing for a peasant and grassroots feminism that recognises peasant women farmers instead of housewives.

The collective of authors of the Latin American agroecology dossier includes employees from various offices of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and researchers from Rodica Weitzman, Marcus Vinicius Branco de Assis Vaz, Dulce Espinosa, Luis Bracamontes, Julián Ariza, Irene Mamani Velazco, Henry Picado Cerdas, Corporación Ecológica y Cultural Penca de Sábila, Giuseppe Bandeira, Júlia Dolce, and Nemo Augusto Moés Côrtes.

Dialogues between rural organisations, NGOs, and the Brazilian state have led to the creation of programs promoting gender, racial, and ethnic equality and the incorporation of a gender perspective into public policies in family agriculture and agroecology. Between 2004 and 2015, the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) and the Secretariat for Policies to Promote Racial Equality (SEPPIR) in Brazil facilitated the creation of such programs.

However, it's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in this field. Women's movements in Latin America warn about the persistence of unequal gender relations and male violence in agroecological production. Rural women, such as those in Argentina and Uruguay, are involved in the struggle against toxic pesticides, pushing for trials against fumigation and stopping the construction of large seed processing plants.

The dossier on agroecology in Latin America, first published in Portuguese and Spanish, serves as a testament to the strides made in recognising and empowering rural and agroecological women. Women's participation in organisations and markets increases their freedom of action, improves their self-esteem, and, in some cases, redistributes power relations within the family.

In conclusion, the journey towards agroecology in Latin America is not just about sustainable farming practices; it's about empowering women, recognising their role, and providing them with the tools they need to thrive. These women are not helpers; they are protagonists in the struggle for life.