Indigenous women from Panama design action plans to ensure food security
This program, led by FAO, FIMI and CONAMUIP, aims to provide indigenous women with advocacy tools that allow them to influence public policies, programs and budgets that impact their communities.
©FAO/ M. Sistini
More than 20 leaders from the 7 indigenous Peoples of Panama presented their advocacy plans devised to influence the formulation of public policies and budgets. Their final aim is to improve agricultural production and guarantee food and nutritional security in their communities.
The preparation of these advocacy plans is the result of the third phase of the Human Rights and Food and Nutrition Security Program promoted by the International Indigenous Women Forum, the National Coordinator of Indigenous Women of Panama and FAO. The first two phases consisted of seven months of virtual trainings plus a two week seminar.
This program, led by FAO, FIMI and CONAMUIP, aims to provide indigenous women with advocacy tools that allow them to influence public policies, programs and budgets that impact their communities.
Among the main challenges identified by the participants are food and nutritional security in their communities, access to technology to preserve and collect native seeds, access to credit and restoration of traditional productive systems. The integration of young people into communities through agricultural employment was also a main concern, as well as the lack of technical support to generate capacities of administration, organisation strengthening and tenure of their territories.