Guatemala

 

2 07, 2026

Homestead farming is empowering Indigenous women in central India

2026-09-27T21:38:31-04:00Tags: |

In Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India, women are becoming leaders of their homestead farms. Farners like Kusum Devi who harvests brinjals (eggplant), chillies, cowpeas, tomatoes, leafy greens, and more to provide additional income and nutrition. Kusum earns up to INR 1,200 (USD 14) per month selling her produce in the local market while dietary diversity has doubled for her family. She is not alone. Kusum is part of a growing network of Indigenous Gond and Baiga women utilizing this homestead model on about 400-500 square meters of land each. However, it’s not just fruits and vegetables they are learning about. With the help of organizations such as the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), these women are also implementing solar power, rainwater harvesting, composting, and livestock. From growing to selling, “earlier, we were invisible in farming,” says Kusum. “Now, we are the decision-makers.”

2 07, 2026

In Guatemala, Indigenous women build climate resilience with old and new farming methods

2026-09-27T21:34:49-04:00Tags: |

Up to 83% of Guatemala's GDP is generated in areas more likely to experience disasters. Climate change is making that even worse. Soil erosion and disruptions to the rain cycle are threatening crop production and local food security, especially in the Lake Atitlán region where many Indigenous Maya communities live. Fortunately, Natün, a local non-profit supporting Indigenous people is using a combination of innovative approaches and Indigenous practices to reverse these impacts. So far, Natün has established over 300 family gardens providing almost 19,000 people with sustainable food sources. In 2025, they added over 260 small poultry farms leading to further food and economic security. Who largely manages all this? Women. According to Elena Wason, co-executive director of Natün, “these impacts especially benefit women, who not only make up 75% of programme participants and have taken leadership roles in managing community gardens, but also generally take on the responsibility of providing nutritious food for their families.” Natün hopes that their projects are replicated to lift up women and Indigenous communities as a whole.

8 10, 2024

Rural women, the drivers of change in forest-based climate action

2025-07-09T23:27:27-04:00Tags: , , |

Rural women around the world serve as community leaders, blending modern knowledge with ancient wisdom to protect their communities. They are among the most knowledgeable stewards of forest landscapes and stand at the forefront of environmental protection efforts. Briseida Iglesias, part of the Indigenous Guna community in Panama, is an environmental sustainability and cultural heritage advocate within her community. She promotes traditional plant knowledge, educates younger generations on forest stewardship, and plans for her community’s resilience to climate impacts. Sara Omi, a leader of the Emberá people of Panama, works alongside other Indigenous women across Mesoamerica to propose solutions for combating climate change and preserving traditional knowledge. Aissatou Oumarou, a climate activist from Chad and a member of the Mbororo Fulani tribe, draws attention to the challenges rural and Indigenous women face. She notes the biggest hurdles are access to land and water, support from authorities, and the environmental impact of outside actors on Indigenous territories. Nana Marina Cruz, spiritual guide and cultural advocate from the Maya Tz’utujil Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala, uses her voice to hold world leaders accountable. She shares a “plea for conscience” and condemns their pursuit of wealth at the expense of Mother Earth. According to the authors, these sentiments align with the UN-REDD Programmes’ goals. This knowledge and advisory programme by the United Nations focuses on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries and fighting climate impacts through forest solutions. Local women play an ‘indispensable’ role in REDD+, and the Programme has a duty to provide a platform for them.

18 08, 2023

‘Fighting a huge monster’: mine battle in Guatemala became a playbook for polluters

2025-04-09T19:05:11-04:00Tags: |

This article highlights Patrocinia Mejía, an activist who campaigned against the mining industry in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala, home to Maya Mam villages. The Marlin Mine, owned by the Canadian gold-mining corporation Goldcorp, began operations in the region, just after Guatemala's decades-long civil war. While the mine initially promised jobs and development, the situation quickly soured. By 2017, the mine was closed, but not without leaving behind a legacy of negative health impacts, environmental pollution, and damage to private property, including homes. The community's initial optimism soon turned to concern as reports of health issues, environmental destruction, and property damage mounted. As opposition to the mine grew, local activists, including Mejía, faced increasing repression. Tactics such as criminalizing non-violent protest and using physical violence against anti-mining demonstrators became common. One such example is the case of Diodora Hernández Cinto, who refused to sell her land to Goldcorp. She was shot by two men, resulting in the loss of one eye. Despite the attack, no arrests were made. The violent suppression of activists, coupled with the long-term environmental damage caused by the mine, has had lasting effects on the community. Many residents now struggle with mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. This is just one of many instances in which Canadian mining companies have been implicated in environmental degradation and violations of human rights.

8 03, 2021

“Voices heard for the first time”: Women in coffee cooperatives

2025-03-09T23:53:42-04:00Tags: , , |

The coffee sector has traditionally been male-dominated, despite women being a significant part of the workforce. Women producers often have limited agency, but initiatives like Jamaican Women in Coffee (JAWiC), Partnership for Gender Equity, and Café Femenino are driving a growing recognition of the need for gender equity. Barriers such as lack of land ownership and decision-making power are rooted in historical, cultural, and institutional factors. In order to overcome these constraints, organizations are establishing women-only coffee cooperatives, involving women in financial decisions, and promoting equitable operations. Support systems, including financial incentives from the Café Femenino Foundation and gender equity assessments from the Partnership for Gender Equity, are crucial for implementation. Respecting cultural norms is vital for success, with solutions being tailored to local contexts and involving all community members. Gender equity is foundational for sustainability in the coffee sector, providing long-term benefits for the entire supply chain.

15 06, 2019

Thelma Cabrera: Indigenous, Female and Shaking Up Guatemala’s Election

2023-03-29T11:53:22-04:00Tags: |

Thelma Cabrera Pérez, an indigenous campesino woman campaigning for Guatemala’s presidency has unexpectedly risen in polls. Among twenty candidates, she is currently claiming the fifth spot, a difficult accomplishment for any rural candidate. Cabrera is only the second indigenous person to run for president in a country that is approximately 60% indigenous. The challenges indigenous people face in Guatemala, from poverty to landlessness, has driven many to emigrate. Cabrera pledges to uplift the indigenous population and the population in general by tackling oppression, stopping illegal land-grabs, nationalizing electricity among other policies. As a Maya Mam woman from meager beginnings, she represents hope to the voiceless and oppressed. Photo credit: Luis Echeverria/Reuters 

18 11, 2018

Violence against women rooted in conflict over land

2025-03-27T16:51:12-04:00Tags: |

[TW: Sexual violence]. For the first time, on February 26, 2016, a Guatemalan court convicted two military officers of wartime sexual violence and the sexual slavery of 15 Maya Q’eqchi women 30 years prior. A report by ECAP presented the story of the women’s struggle in Sepur Zarco Guatemala in a book titled Clamor for Justice: Sexual Violence, Armed Conflict, and Land Dispossion. The report provided the background for the legal investigation that allowed the affected women and feminist groups to push forward. At its core, the political violence in the 1980s and 1990s was about land and inequalities. Currently, only 2% of landowners own half of all Guatemalan land. 45% of landowners own 3% of land, and women only own 16% of that 3% – a very small percentage demonstrating their struggle for land rights. In a military base near Sepur Zarco, troops committed countless murders and rapes, burned property, and forced women into both domestic and sexual slavery, leaving behind trauma and social stigma. Brave women pushed past the stigma and brought their case to the court. Through their efforts, two officers were sentenced to 120 and 240 years in prison. The work to bring justice to these women and their families continues. The courage shown by those women has propelled other women in other Latin American countries to come forward and fight for justice.

1 05, 2018

Where Women Lead On Climate Change

2019-01-14T18:06:24-05:00Tags: |

Most of the Guatemalan population financially depends on farming. Facing destructive landslides, strong winds and volcanic peaks, the women of Guatemala came forward to find the coping strategies for water and forest conservation. Eulia de Leon Juarez, founder of a women’s rights group in Guatemala’s western highlands, says that climate change has changed the pattern of seasons. To address these micro problems at a macro level, women’s non-profit organizations like Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA) are working rigorously to develop women’s leadership. Climate change has amplified the inevitable process of migration, increasing the number of female-headed households in rural areas as more men move to cities. Solange Bandiaky-Badji, Africa program director for Rights and Resources Initiative, sees this as an opportunity for more women to take greater responsibility in their communities. Therefore, women should be seen as active participant preventing and coping with climate change and not merely as victim of it. Photo Credit: Sara Schonhardt

17 11, 2017

These Women Nobelists Are Fighting For Grassroots Activists In Central America

2020-12-02T20:27:53-05:00Tags: |

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Shirin Ebadi, Rigoberta Menchú, Tawakkol Karman, and Jody Williams dedicate their lives to defending the rights of women, children, and the earth and, rather than cease this work, they have used their international acclaim to fuel and uplift local women-led movements. In October, they followed grassroots efforts in Honduras and Guatemala, even marching in solidarity with women from Casillas against the San Rafael mine. The laureates aim to bring the world lens to showcase these steadfast women leaders and their work against corrupt economic and political interests that seek to silence them and disrupt their communities. Photo credit: Mel Mencos

16 08, 2017

Abirgal Quic On The Road To Sustainability

2017-10-12T14:16:18-04:00Tags: |

Abigail Quic, a young T’zutujil woman from Solola, Guatemala, recounts her trip to Australia to share knowledge and experience with sustainability education in Central America as well as learn and work alongside other youth sustainability leaders at the Australian organisation OzGreen. Building from her Indigenous knowledge of weaving and agriculture, Abigail was able to join in conversation with fellow Australians and bring the information back home to share. Photo credit: Seres

27 06, 2017

Gunmen Threaten Guatemalan Land And Territory Defender Aura Lolita Chávez

2017-11-01T23:26:16-04:00Tags: |

Members of the Council of Ki’che’ Peoples (CPK), including Aura Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic, identify unauthorized clear cutters in the protected forest area and take matters into their hand. They are confronted by a group of armed men who directly threaten Lolita and other members of the CPK, including children, causing them to flee in search of refuge. Photo credit: IM-Defensoras

1 06, 2017

Women Out Front: Indigenous Journalists On Building A Fairer Central America

2017-10-14T15:36:06-04:00Tags: |

From March 16 to 20, 2017, sixteen Indigenous women community journalists from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama gathered in Guatemala City to strengthen their capacities in radio production and exchange experiences, all within the framework of a critical analysis of discrimination faced by women. The workshop, hosted by Cultural Survival and the Channel Foundation, facilitated discussions of privilege, discrimination, marginalization and pain from patriarchal power relations. Coming together in the end, Cultural Survival pledged to carry out two further workshops based on theoretical classes on gender and feminism alongside a practical course on radio programming. Photo credit: Cultural Survival

26 02, 2017

Ana Sandoval Stands Against Mining in Guatemala

2017-11-01T23:28:28-04:00Tags: |

Ana Sandoval’s journey as a land defender has been marked with plenty of remarkable moments. She started as early as a high school student fighting to stop a gold mining mega-project in her community. The experience turned her into a law student leader in a non-violent, women-led grassroots movement “La Puya” in the defense of land. Photo credit: Global Fund For Women

1 01, 2017

Guatemalan Indigenous Women Reclaiming Identity, Heritage And Rights

2017-09-22T18:37:46-04:00Tags: |

The Asociación Femenina para el Desarrollo de Sacatepéquez/Women’s Association for the Development of Sacatepéquez (AFEDES) coordinates a range of diverse projects aimed at the physical, economic and political autonomy of Indigenous women and their families. They promote food sovereignty, political education, and building human capacities, including training in Indigenous weaving as part of Indigenous traditional knowledge. In this framework, AFEDES is demanding that the Guatemalan government recognize their right to protect the collective ancestral intellectual property on Mayan weaving designs and clothing. Photo credit: Thousand Currents

2 04, 2016

Guatemalan Q’eqchi’ Women Take Canadian Mining Firm To Court

2017-07-16T15:01:20-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous Guatemalan women, such as Margarita Caal Caal, spoke out against the sexual violence they experienced at the hands of Canadian mining company Hudbay Mineral, Inc. and brought their case to court in Guatemala. The Q’eqchi’ people have suffered eviction, sexual violence and exploitation due to the presence of international mining firms, but these women are seeking justice for themselves and their communities. Photo credit: Adriana Zehbrauskas, the New York Times

29 03, 2014

Guatemalan Women Use Agro-Forestry To Combat Climate Change, Improve Food Security

2017-07-17T17:54:23-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers in Itzapa are employing agro-forestry to combat climate change by preventing soil erosion and improving crop yields and biodiversity. The method has seen 150,000 trees planted, reforesting the of mountain slopes of an entire region. As a result of the trees, community members are able to sequester carbon, clean the air, and prevent mudslides. Photo credit: AIRES

4 07, 2012

Para El Bien Común: Indigenous Women’s Environmental Activism And Community Care Work In Guatemala

2017-10-31T14:55:26-04:00Tags: |

A total of 33 indigenous Kaqchikel women who call themselves “Mujeres Unidas Por Amor a La Vida” (“Women United for the Love of Life”) were interviewed by sociologist Rachel Hallum-Montes between 2006 and 2009. The interviews reveal Kaqchikel women’s gender, race, and class play a significant role in their decisions to become environmental activists, and that the women view their activism as a way of caring for both their families and their indigenous community. 

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