Workshops with the Seed Guardians Network in Chiapas.

Native corn varieties

Workshops with the Seed Guardian Network in Chiapas

Rural producers from across Chiapas make up a network called Guardianes y Guardianas de Semillas-- The Seed Guardians. They meet 5 times a year to discuss, share, and learn about their work in conserving native seeds and ancestral agricultural practices. We joined together for a workshop, and, as seen in the photo below, we began with a Mayan altar. Each of us lit a candle and set intentions for the workshop.

The seed guardian meetings are interesting because there is a diversity of culture. Producers from one region speak Chol, another speak Tsotsil, others speak Tseltal, still others speak Tojolabal and those from the Coast have African roots. Everyone is from Chiapas but they come from different regions with their own indigenous language and culture. That's how diverse Chiapas is! Most participants can understand and speak some Spanish but to make sure that everyone understands, there is a translator.

The workshops use a pedagogy of popular education that consist of lots of active participation, hands-on activities and visualizations rather than lectures. They have done dramatizations, drawings, individual reflections with collective visualizations, videos, etc. While the group starts out shy, everyone ends up laughing and enjoying themselves once things get going.

Opening ceremony with Mayan altar

Then we began the workshops. The director of the organization I work with started the conversation by asking the group, "Does anyone know what the biggest market it? Not in terms of the market you go to in your town or community to buy your groceries but in terms of global markets..." Everyone stayed silent thinking. "The food industry market," she stated, answering her own question. She went on to explain that because it's such a big global market, there are many different interests from powerful actors. That's why companies, governments and criminal groups are getting their hand in rural communities where campesino and indigenous producers work.

The Context of Global Policies

that Impact Small-Scale Farmers and Native Corn

During the workshop, a facilitator presented an overview of the policies that have impacted local ways that corn and other crops have been traditionally grown in Mexico. The facilitator highlighted the significance of NAFTA- the North American Free Trade Agreement- that went into effect in the 90s. NAFTA aimed to limit trade barriers and tariffs between Canada, the US and Mexico. While it boosted economic growth (albeit, unevenly), it also hurt certain sectors such as small-scale farmers in Mexico. Meanwhile, US farmers quadrupled their exports, especially in corn. Mexico went from being largely sufficient in its production of corn to importing large amounts of US corn. A lot of this imported corn is used for livestock feed, although it is also for human consumption. With cheap US corn flooding the Mexican market and changes in the form and scale of production, many Mexican farmers migrated to the US and to other regions of Mexico where other industries such as manufacturing were developing.

Over 90% of the corn produced in the US is GMO (genetically modified) corn, and Dr. Elena Álvarez-Buylla (a molecular geneticist and professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico) has done important research that proves the presence of the harmful herbicide glyphosate in the GMO corn imported to Mexico from the United States. She also educates on how GMO corn threatens the thousands of native varieties of corn that exist in Mexico, putting them at risk of accumulating these trans genes. She advocates for small-scale farmers in Mexico to have the right to continue cultivating their traditional, native varieties of corn without the risk of trans genes from the GMO crops.

The participants of the Seed Guardians Network also advocate for their rights as indigenous and campesino producers. They challenge the current system of capitalist production that encourages the use of hybrid and GMO seeds. These seeds and practices use chemical fertilizers and herbicides, encourage monoculture production and threaten native varieties. The use of hybrid & GMO seeds and the harmful chemical fertilizers and herbicides (like glyphosate) they require have damaged the soil, natural resources, native traditions and people's health. They have also made developing countries like Mexico dependent on bio tech companies for their production and inputs.

Making commitments to action

Closing out the Meeting with Commitments

After two days of intensive workshop activities, we closed out the meeting with the participants writing down and discussing their takeaways and commitments. Some of the commitments were:

• To spread awareness and consciousness of the damages being done, beginning with our own family and community

• Continue sharing and exchanging experiences

• To continue the effort and work in our own production

• To have seeds and to take care of the Earth and water

In Spanish,

• Hacer conciencia del daño que se está haciendo, comenzando con nuestra familia y comunidad

• Seguir intercambiando experiencias

• Con conciencia y trabajo

• Tener semillas, cuidar la tierra, cuidar el agua

Some of the participants' written commitments

The participants who come are representatives of their communities, and the first task that they saw as necessary was passing on this information and consciousness to their families and communities. Creating change takes community involvement and consensus. Each participant is a representative that will then go back home to their region and community to share what they learned.

An obstacle or impediment to the Seed Guardian Network is that many producers live in communities that are up to 13 hours away from the town of where the meetings are held. Therefore, it is difficult for them to commit to traveling to these meetings when they have work and families to care for. Although the organization covers the cost, it is still a big challenge to commit to these meetings, especially for women with children. It is a big time and energy investment for rural producers to travel to the city for a weekend.

Despite the challenges, it's an inspiring space where rural indigenous and campesino producers are leading the discussion. The participants of the Seed Guardians Network are the committed workers and producers who are keeping the collective spirit alive. Their commitment is truly admirable and I'm grateful to be with an organization that supports them. They need more support and broader conditions in which their local community economies can thrive.