What we do?
Working in the rural area, we have identified 4 important needs generated by the challenges of cacao farmers in Guatemala.
We believe that in order to bring more value back into the communities of the cacao producers, we have to develop economic opportunities with education in the sustainable field, to have direct links between consumers and the farmers, to involve women in the local economy and protect their rights and finally, to advocate for conscious consumption globally.
The Situation
Over 6.5 million people in Guatemala identify as indigeous and face livelihood challenges, particularly in rural areas.
The Root Causes
01
Green Revolution
What was once a solution to hunger and urbanization, became the cause of large-scale monoculture, chemical uses, soil degradation, deforestation, and climate change.
02
descrimination against indigenous
Indigenous communities are misrepresented in the politics of Guatemala and have access to a smaller amount of services.
03
Oppression
Due to centuries of oppression, the indigenous community, especially women, has lost a great amount of tradition, confidence, and abundance that once belonged to them.
Progress
Odylia is the leader of a farming women’s collective called Nuevo Amanecer. The work of the collective has been an inspiration for the conservative region. The group of women is bringing a lot of abundance into the communities and is now getting to be well-known worldwide.
When we started working with Odylia as Cacao Source, a cacao production social enterprise, Odylia’s project was still in its early stage and using very small infrastructures. A lot of work was necessary for the collective to fulfill Cacao Source requirements of sourcing but the collective saw the potential in sustainable practices.
Today, Odylia has expanded the kitchen to meet higher standards, cleared the land of trash, and developed an educational workshop on the process of cacao of which her daughter Evelyn is now the spoke person.
We see some initiatives in the diversification of crops, regeneration of soil, empowerment of small-scale farmers, opportunity development for women, and education.
Most initiatives have had a direct powerful impact on the communities targeted. With Give Back to the Source we do believe that much more work is necessary as we are tackling a population of 6.5 million indigenous with 70% living in poverty growing soil degradation and alarming climate change warming. In order to reach that scale, many more organizations are needed and a much larger scale of work with collaborative initiatives is necessary.
What is going on in Guatemala
Our programs
The government is very little active in the problem and therefore not-for-profit organizations are necessary. As the problem is so wide, very few organizations niches themselves with a crop such as cacao.. What is interesting about cacao is that it has been one of the most significant crops in the Mayan time which infused the crop with a rich history and tradition. Beyond its history, the crop is an incredible health ally and is very abundant in an agroforestry model. The crop represents much more than fruit but as well a culture, prosperity, and healing.