Call for participation for Indigenous Terra Madre – Peoples of The Americas

“As Indigenous Terra Madre network (ITM), we would like to create spaces for meetings and exchanges between elders and youth, empower ourselves, devise strategies for the future and strengthen the network”.

80% of the most biodiverse places on Earth are to be found within the territories of Indigenous Peoples, a figure that has shown their importance in safeguarding life on the planet to the international community. From a holistic perspective, Indigenous Peoples’ food systems can provide answers to global issues such as climate change and food sovereignty. Latin America alone has 40% of the Earth’s biodiversity and indigenous peoples make up 8 to 10% of its population. Unfortunately, this role of life protectors is threatened by several factors such as migration due to lack of opportunities, cultural assimilation, land grabbing and violence against Mother Earth protectors.  

We, the Peoples, must recognize and strengthen the role we play, and we must build our capacities, raise awareness and influence. As Indigenous Terra Madre network (ITM), we would like to create spaces for meetings and exchanges between elders and youth, empower ourselves, devise strategies for the future and strengthen the network. And we will!

From February 21st-24th 2020, in the Nahua indigenous community in Tlaola (Puebla – Mexico), we will hold the first Indigenous Terra Madre for Peoples of the Americas.  

The overarching topic of the event will be “the role of indigenous women and youth in the protection of traditional food systems” and we will address it during a public day on February 21st, with conferences, cultural activities, around the following topics: 

• Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and the protection of their territories. 
• Climate Change Resilience: strategies for seeds and biodiversity conservation. 
• Tools and mechanisms for the protection of traditional knowledge. 

After the mentioned public day, 30 indigenous youth food activists will be fully immersed from February 22-24th in a training process, with the goal of strengthening the ITM network in the Americas and the leadership capacities of the youth to defend and promote their food heritage. The training process will include the following topics: 

• Networking and development of an action plan for the ITM network in the Americas. 

• Projects and tools to protect and promote biodiversity. 
• Mechanisms of access to resources to develop community projects. 

During the training, participants will create an Action Plan for the continent and will commit themselves to put it into practice once back to their communities.  

During the event, we will be fully immersed in the way of life of Tlaola: we will take part in the community’s public life and we will sleep and be hosted in the houses of the local families. In a world where more barriers are created, we will open our arms and our bonds will grow stronger.  

This event is made possible thanks to the support from the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) and The Christensen Fund and it is organized by Nahua women and youth members of the Tlaola Serrano Chili Pepper Slow Food Presidium – created in 2016 to preserve the Serrano Chile native seeds and give indigenous women the recognition they deserve for their work in the fields -, the Red de Organizaciones de Mujeres Indigenas de Tlaola (Tlaola indigenous women’s organizations network)– created to develop productive projects to improve women’s life-, together with Slow Food Mexico, the Indigenous Terra Madre network and Slow Food. 

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS 

Slow Food and the Indigenous Terra Madre network are pleased to offer scholarships for the first edition of Indigenous Terra Madre – Peoples of America, which will take place in the Nahua indigenous community in Tlaola, Puebla, Mexico, and is supported by the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) and The Christensen Fund.

The goal of the meeting is to “strengthen the ITM network in the Americas, through meetings and exchanges, and build on the leadership capacities of indigenous youth and women to defend and promote their food heritage”.  

About the support offered: 

• According to the guidelines established by the organizers, for the award of the scholarship it will be taken into consideration gender and roles in the food system (chefs, fishermen, farmers, shepherds, etc.) balance among delegations, while giving priority to the young. Here below the geographical distribution: 

15 international delegates to whom it will be guaranteed the coverage of the costs of food and accommodation (in local houses), international travel (flight to and from the nearest international airport to your place of residence), ground transportation from Mexico City Airport to Tlaola and back. 

10 Mexican delegates: organizers will guarantee the coverage of the costs of food and accommodation (in local houses) and ground transportation from their communities to Tlaola and back. 

To the other selected delegates (indigenous or from partner organizations): organizers will guarantee the coverage food and accommodation (in local houses) during the event.  

Application requirements: 

• Belong to an Indigenous group, tribe or nation from the Americas 

• Aged between 18 and 32 years 
• Speak or understand English or Spanish*1. 

Preferential requirements, in order of importance: 

• Be member of a Slow Food Community or Presidium. 
• Be actively involved in a Slow Food project such as Earth Markets, Ark of Taste, Chefs’ Alliance, Slow Food Travel, etc. 

The organizing committee will try to have a balanced delegation in terms of gender and roles in the food system (chefs, fishermen, farmers, shepherds, etc.) 

Attention: it is important that delegates’ selection follows each community’s (traditional community or Slow Food community) procedures. We ask therefore each candidate to submit a letter of endorsement signed by a representative or authority of the indigenous or Slow Food community to which they belong, addressing the following points: 

• Name of the organization 
• People/Tribe/Nation or community they represented  
• Name of the indigenous leader who endorses the candidacy  

• Mail, phone number and permission to be contacted by the organization committee 

• Name of the candidate 

• Positive remarks about the candidate that can contribute to the success of the event and their skills 
• Learning opportunities for the candidate 
• Once back to their community, is expected that the candidate pass on and reproduce what they have learnt. Do you believe it is feasible? Will the community be able to support the candidate in this activity? 

Call deadline: Application forms shall comply with the requirements listed in this call for participation and candidates will have to fill out the “Application form to participate in the Indigenous Terra Madre – Peoples of America” (please click here) and send the letter of endorsement to [email protected] no later than October 15th 2019. If the candidate is unable to fill the application form through the online form, she/he can download the Word version and send it to [email protected] jointly with the endorsement letter, no later than October 22nd. 

Both selected and non-selected candidates will be notified by the endo of November 2019. 

For more information, please contact: 

• Dali Nolasco Cruz, ITM Advisory Board member for Latin America and the Caribbean ([email protected]) 
• Chiara Davico, Slow Food Coordinator for Mexico ([email protected]) 
• Luis Francisco Prieto,