Trees Water People and Utz Ché Promote Local Food Sovereignty Through Mayan Ancestral Knowledge.

Trees Water People (TWP) is an environmental organization that partners with existing organizations, including nonprofits, small businesses, and Tribal governments, to support the goals and aspirations of the communities they serve. Earth Rising is proud to support their work with Utz Ché, a network of over 40 communities and collectives in Guatemala. Utz Ché means “good tree” in the Mayan language, K’iche’, and the organization represents approximately 200,000 people throughout the country, more than 90% of them Indigenous.

Community members work on compost preparation in the community of La Ceibita, Jalapa, Guatemala.

Amongst other community forestry, conservation, and gender equity efforts, TWP has collaborated with Utz Ché to develop the Agricultura Familiar Sostenible (Sustainable Family Agriculture) program (AFS). AFS engages farmer-to-farmer learning, encourages use of heirloom species, and agroecology practices. Overall, AFS aims to promote local food sovereignty through revitalization of Mayan ancestral knowledge.

This last year has posed difficult challenges throughout Latin America, with climate-related disasters such as wildfires, extreme drought, and flooding upending Indigenous communities that continue to struggle with food and water security. Additionally, many organizations working in the climate change sector have faced funding freezes or shut downs, further jeopardizing important work in this region. 

First SFA community exchange with participants (2024).

Despite these challenges, TWP and its community partner Utz Ché remained committed to the more than 248 families, supporting Guatemala’s Indigenous communities in natural resource management and sustainable agriculture programs.

This past year, TWP and Utz Ché strengthened the SFA program by helping families to embrace farming methods that blend traditional knowledge with scientific research. These efforts protect critical biodiversity and offer stable economic opportunities to the community. Specifically the SFA program hosted a training school for four community based organizations in both the southern region and northeastern region. The program now supports 187 families across the southern and northern regions. In addition to these trainings, the SFA program hosted community knowledge exchanges, conducted trainings on equitable market strategies and supported  four community-based savings groups. SFA participants also received a variety of agroecological kits including: tilapia fingerlings for aquaculture farms, coffee pulper machines, small reservoirs for rainwater collection, drip irrigation systems, weeding equipment for weed control to reduce herbicide use, and plastic barrels to produce organic bio-inputs.

Second SFA community exchange with participants (2024).

And the work is only continuing to grow as the SFA program looks to expand and deepen relationships this next year. Clearly, the work of TWP and Utz Ché is important, impactful and crucial to this region. Earth Rising is inspired to support such work and to contribute towards the future imagined by intersectional, community grounded efforts. 

Read more about TWP here.