Creating Sustainable Economic Opportunities for Rural and Indigenous Women in Guatemala https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2020/creating-sustainable-economic-opportunities-for-rural-and-indigenous-women-in-guatemala https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Creating Sustainable Economic Opportunities for Rural and Indigenous Women in Guatemala

Additional Information
Used for	The funds will be used to generate economic opportunities for rural women in two regions in Guatemala where the local ecosystems are under threat. These small enterprises will generate income for the participating women and their families, while also reducing their dependence on natural resources which are being depleted due to unsustainable land-use practices. The funds will be spent on materials and supplies, seeds and inputs for plant production, and transportation costs associated with training opportunities and providing technical assistance.
Benefits	In the near term, the funds will improve the livelihoods of women and families in two regions in Guatemala through greater economic opportunity and security. In the longer term, by shifting away from more damaging practices that are depleting the local resources in these communities, these economic alternatives will also contribute to the conservation and restoration of these degraded areas. The two regions in Guatemala where this project will be carried out are both ecologically and culturally rich, and we aim to preserve these ecosystems through our community-driven approach that incorporates and honors local knowledge, thereby contributing to a healthier planet.
Proposal Description	Introduction: EcoLogic respectfully seeks consideration from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation for $12,000 in funding for our proposed project, which will provide sustainable economic opportunities to rural women living in several communities in Guatemala. The project would benefit women in the municipalities of Livingston, Izabal and Totonicapán, where we have active environmental conservation projects in partnership with the local residents and local organizations. A grant from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation would provide targeted funds for the economic opportunity components of these two larger conservation projects in Guatemala. Our proposed project would not only improve the livelihoods of rural and indigenous women and families in Guatemala, but would also be a part of a larger strategy to conserve and restore these significant ecosystems that are under threat. We believe that this community-powered project with a focus on empowering marginalized groups would contribute toward the fulfillment of your mission of making a difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever-changing world. Moreover, with our commitment to listening to the needs of the communities we serve and honoring their local knowledge, your philosophy of looking ahead to the future while also giving the past its due deeply resonates with the way we work. Organizational Background: EcoLogic Development Fund (EcoLogic) is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to empower rural and indigenous peoples to restore and protect tropical ecosystems in Central America and Mexico. We work in partnership with local organizations and communities to provide access to 1) tools and training to build awareness, skills, and capacity within communities; 2) incentives that catalyze the adoption of sustainable practices; and 3) networks with local, regional, and international actors and initiatives. Our approach fosters holistic and sustainable development in which conservation, human wellbeing, and community development are mutually reinforced. Local leadership and participation are guiding principles for EcoLogic’s work. Our work is founded on the belief that people living in and around threatened ecosystems are in the best position to protect them. EcoLogic facilitates participatory processes for community-level design and application of practical, locally-contextualized strategies that address both conservation needs and the needs of community members. Our commitment to meaningful participation cultivates local ownership of initiatives and increases the likelihood that alternative practices are adapted and sustained over the long term. Geographic Area of Project: The proposed project aims to benefit women and their families in two different regions in Guatemala: 1) the communities of San Juan and Barra Sarstun in the Municipality of Livingston, Izabal, and 2) the 48 Cantones (towns or communities) that make up the Municipality of Totonicapán. The Municipality of Livingston Izabal is situated in the Río Sarstún Multiple Use Area (AUMRS), which is home to extensive tropical broadleaf and mangrove forests. It constitutes one of the most fragile ecosystems and is facing degradation and loss due to landscape transformation and resource extraction. The main threats to mangrove forests in these communities are: (1) Use of mangroves in fishing and aquaculture activities, for firewood, and to produce charcoal; (2) pollution from agriculture and solid waste; (3) lack of knowledge about the importance of mangroves, particularly in the younger generations; and (4) mangrove degradation by coastal erosion and strong currents. EcoLogic is carrying out a larger project in the Livingston Izabal municipality focused on management, conservation, and restoration of the mangrove ecosystem, in partnership with the Asociación Maya Pro Bienestar Rural del Área Sarstún (APROSARSTUN), our local partner organization. In the community of Totonicapán, the second site where the proposed project activities will take place, EcoLogic has been working on a larger community-led project to conserve, restore, and reforest the 21,000 hectares of old-growth forest in the Communal Forest of Los Altos de San Miguel, which is the largest intact old-growth coniferous forest in Guatemala. This project is a partnership between EcoLogic and the 48 Cantones Natural Resource Committee (Junta de Bienes y Recursos Naturales de los 48 Cantones), the traditional Maya Quiché governance authority that has represented and served the local villages for about 800 years. The 48 Cantones govern the Communal Forest of Los Altos de San Miguel (Communal Forest), as well as the surrounding villages that rely on the Communal Forest for their daily natural resource needs. Who Will Benefit: Between the two small communities of Barra Sarstún and San Juan in the Livingston Izabal municipality, there are a total of 334 people, 175 of whom are women. Most of the residents in these communities earn their living fishing. In Totonicapán, each of the 48 Cantones making up the municipality has about one thousand residents. Approximately 98% of the residents in Totonicapán identify as indigenous Maya Quiché ethnicity. We anticipate that our project would reach about 100 women in the community. Though our project focuses on benefiting women through greater economic opportunity, we expect the livelihoods of their families to improve overall through greater economic security. Objectives and Activities: For both projects in Livingston, Izabal and Totonicapán, the overarching goal is to protect, conserve, and restore the local ecosystems through a variety of strategies and activities, each developed and adapted with the local site’s people, culture, and unique geography in mind. To increase environmental awareness, reduce unsustainable consumption of forest resources, and provide sustainable alternatives to harmful current practices, both of these projects incorporate community empowerment strategies for conservation. The focus of this proposal is the generation of sustainable economic opportunities for women in these two communities, which will improve the livelihoods of these women and their families, while also reducing their dependence on threatened forest resources and on unsustainable practices. Livingston, Izabal Site: Objective 1: Generate economic alternatives for women in the community, such as forest incentives, commercialization of fruit trees, and sustainable use of forest species, to reduce consumption of mangrove wood. Activity 1.1 Establishment of forest nurseries to provide energy alternatives and reduce the consumption of mangrove firewood. Activity 1.1.1 Establishment of forest nurseries of the Inga Edulis species with the capacity to produce 3,000 plants for energy forests. Activity 1.1.2. Establishment of 2 hectares of energy forests for the production of mahogany, cedar, and rosewood species. Activity 1.2. Implementation of 6 hectares of agroforestry systems with Inga Edulis species, fruit trees, and native vegetables (Yucca, sweet potato, chipilín, and taro) to reduce the traditional slash-and-burn agriculture. Activity 1.3. Establish a forest nursery with the capacity to produce 6,000 plants of tropical native species. Activity 1.4. Support the certification process of 17 hectares of mangroves in San Juan under forest incentives. Totonicapán Site: Objective 1: Promote sustainability and generation of economic income for 100 women in the 48 Cantones forest through commercialization of forest, fruit, and ornamental trees. Activity 1.1. Identification of groups of rural women to participate in the implementation of enterprises as economic alternatives. Activity 1.2. Selection of economic alternatives through participatory prioritization of the identified focus groups (for example, commercialization of fruit trees and ornamental trees). Activity 1.3. Implementation of at least 10 economic alternatives with 10 groups of rural women. Activity 1.3.1. Strengthening workshops for identified groups on skills such as organization, production, marketing, and business. Activity 1.3.2. Technical assistance related to the identified economic ventures. These activities will be carried out by our field staff located in Guatemala, in collaboration with our local partner organizations. The Livingston, Izabal project team includes EcoLogic’s field technician Samuel Coc Yat, Program Officer Mario Ardany de León, and our local partner organization, Asociación Maya Pro Bienestar Rural del Área Sarstún (APROSARSTUN). The Totonicapán project team includes our project technician, Fernando Recancoj; Guatemala Program Officer, Mario Ardany de León; and local partner, the 48 Cantones of Totonicapán. Because our work is continuing amidst the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, EcoLogic has developed a protocol for conducting modified training sessions and any other in-person project components, incorporating enhanced hygiene measures, physical distancing, and limits on group size. Our field technicians and facilitators will adapt the project activities above based on this protocol to ensure safety for both staff and community members. Measuring Progress: Progress at both project locations will be monitored by our local field staff in Guatemala. Our team will assess progress towards specific goals and activities by tracking the number of workshops held, the number of local women trained on entrepreneurship skills and capacities, and the number and types of different economic enterprises launched by participating women. Our field staff will also collect data on broader progress on local conservation, measuring success by careful tracking of tree production, reforestation efforts, and reduction in illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture. How Funds Will be Used: The funds would be divided between the two project sites. The funding would be spent on workshop expenses, including materials and supplies; transportation expenses for the field staff to deliver training workshops and provide technical assistance to the project sites; and materials and supplies for the nurseries which will generate the plants used in these economic ventures. Other administrative expenses related to the project may include office supplies and payment of telephone service for our Guatemala project staff to communicate with the community members and document project advances.