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From mining to organic farming

Project duration: 2 years (2022–2023)

Country: Bolivia (Oruro Department)

Partner organization: Colectivo CASA, Bolivia  

Mining is still an important industry for Bolivia’s economy. However, modern extrac-tion methods using chemicals are poisoning the soils and the water. In the face of climate crisis and dramatic impact on the environment, indigenous women from three andine communities in Bolivia that are strongly affected by mining have joined a group with the aim of lobbying for the right to clean water and food on a local scale. They call themselves “Defensoras de la Madre Tierra” (“defenders of Mother Earth”).

Having successfully completed their first project, the Defensoras, who joined the na-tional RENAMAT network, are ready to take their next step. In order to secure liveli-hoods in the long term, the women are now seeking alternatives for mining. In a pro-ject called “Ecological alternatives”, they focus on agroecology and get further train-ing in andine agriculture.
Direct beneficiaries of the project are 50 members of the national RENAMAT network. During two years, they receive training in environmentally friendly agriculture and on how to improve their production and distribution methods.
The training program is carried out by the Warmi Yaku walking school that was founded in 2020 by the Colectivo CASA with the support of the SKF (Schweizer-ischer Katholischer Frauenbund/Elisabethenwerk).