Dear Friends of the Garden’s Edge,

With gratitude to our Mother Earth and to the Indigenous Peoples whose land sustains us and whose resilience inspires us, we’re excited to share a few updates with you and to renew our commitment to community, to social, and economic justice, to the preservation of our seeds, and to our beautiful Earth.

The global pandemic and racism in America ask a lot of us. At Garden’s Edge, this has been a time for learning, for introspection, for healing, for building capacity, and for addressing the health and safety of people, and the Earth.

I’m sure you heard about Vice President Harris’s recent visit to Guatemala to address the migration crisis. Here’s a link to a N.Y. Times article titled: U.S Aid to Guatemala Hasn’t Slowed Migration, Can Kamala Harris? The ongoing migration crisis is a symptom of a much larger problem. Ineffective macro-development programs, the destabilization and loss of democracy, as seen in the recent enactment of the “NGO Law” that gives the Guatemala government the power to shut down non profit organizations at their discretion, as well as the droughts and heavy rains that cause soil erosion and crop failure, all fuel migration and threaten the immediate safety of Guatemalans.

Still more, the steady increase in COVID cases, with no coordinated vaccination delivery plan in sight, is an immediate threat. The communities where we work are in what’s referred to as “red” zones but out of necessity, businesses and public transportation have reopened. These threats have compelled us to adjust and adapt the way we work. Here’s how.

Organizational Strengthening

In January, we began a series of workshops with the staff and the board of the Association Qachuu Aloom. This coincides with Josselin Chun’s graduation from UNM with a bachelors in Organizational Communication and her return to Rabinal. Josselin hit the ground running with workshops that support personal and organizational growth in areas of communication, values-driven goal setting, accountability, and conflict transformation.

Creative Solutions

In 2020, when Guatemala was on lockdown and the staff of Qachuu Aloom couldn’t leave their communities, we began supporting individuals with creative solutions to the pandemic. These small grants gave people a chance to explore their nascent interests, and hidden passions while addressing a real need in their community. Not surprisingly, the projects we funded were mostly focused on videography, community health, traditional medicine, food security, and reforestation. Read our latest blog on Creative Solutions.

Effective Communication and Community Solutions Course

A group of young adults, at-risk of migrating north in search of jobs, are participating in an 8 month long skill-building course led by Josselin. Students are developing critical thinking, communication, and project management skills. The course is aimed at stimulating the entrepreneurial spirit of young adults, teaching them community organizing skills, and supporting their dreams, while addressing the needs in their communities. Students will receive a Creative Solutions grant and a diploma.

Milpa Project: A Movement in the Making

The Milpa Project began in 2019 as a study to challenge the notion that ancestral farming systems are less productive than conventional agriculture. In Guatemala, the devastating effects of climate change on agriculture threaten food security and many aspects of the Maya way of life. What we learned from our study is that the ancestral seeds used in the traditional milpa system fare better in droughts and are more pest resistant.

In 2019, we started a pilot project with 10 farmers growing small plots of the traditional milpa alongside their conventional corn fields. In 2020 that number jumped to 20 and the farmers doubled the size of their milpa. This year, we’re working with 45 families who are sharing their seeds, knowledge, and experience to grow the traditional milpa system. This is essentially a return to subsistence farming and an effort to strengthen local food systems, improve soils, grow seed banks, and provide mutual aid.

A social movement is born when an idea arises out of a ubiquitous need and spreads across the land through exchanges of knowledge, and practice. They are self-sustaining and regenerative, building social capital and momentum as people see and feel a difference in their everyday lives. Read the blog: Decolonizing Agriculture in Guatemala

The Sand Dam Update

The “Xola” Sand Dam is up and running! It captures rainfall in the mountain, filters it through sand, and gravity feeds water to 500 families in the community of Chixolop. Julian Vasquez Chun has been working with the community on the system maintenance and is preparing another reforestation campaign with the collaboration of 95 students from the local school. By 2022 we’ll be ready to begin work with community leaders on the construction of the second sand dam. By continuing to work in the same community we can see the difference in access to water, reforestation, and community-wide changes in watershed management.

Thank you for reading to the end! Our profound hope for a safe and conscientious return to social activities, an end to isolation, a steady dismantling of racism in America, and a fruitful growing season for all!

Your’s truly,

The Garden’s Edge