After having a grand time riding
around in Julio's truck, stacking together chicken wire, nylon,
buckets, papers, screws, nails, branches, and WORMS, then picking up
wooden planks from a woman's courtyard I'd previously wandered into
on a side street in Rabinal, things were all set in Chiticoy for
composting.
Julian arrived at 8am by bicycle (on
TIME!) to lead the vermicompost intro. An organizer from Qachuu Aloom
('mother earth' in Achi, a local organic agriculture cooperative that
does capacity building in communities throughout the municipality),
he was kind enough to offer to help us out when I wandered into the
organization's office last week and clumsily explained my ideas of a
composting project. Apparently vermicomposting is all the rage here
in Rabinal, and red wrigglers ain't cheap, either: one pound goes for
about 1,500Q (roughly 200$USD). Qachuu Aloom gave us 25 worms free of
charge, to start.
So, after spending weeks translating,
formating, budgeting, and collecting materials, this morning was a
whirl of bin-building, bed-mixing, and worm prraising with primero A
and B (grade 7).
Julian says youth are our hope: a
farmer who has been spraying his crops for 20 years is not likely to
stop just because someone explains its harmful effects and gives
potential alternatives, but, a kid who learns real possibilities and
is empowered can change minds and matters a hundred times over.
After almuerzo, I rode my bicycle to
ECAP for another charla. Lucky me: today's talk was on FOOD
SOVEREIGNTY and la Via Campesina. I am not exagerrating when I say I
jumped up and down excitedly as we broke into groups to discuss.
Faciltators asked what some essential elements of the idea are, after
passing around a guate-related reading. Some thoughts floating were:
- respect: for human beings, mother earth and our ancestors
- self-determination: the right to have rights, to determine our own food system
- space: secure territory/ land access/ control
- community and household sustainability
- gender equity: recognize and (re)value women's role in food
- food is political; (re)value the labourer and farmer
- solidarity
ECAP is wonderful. It makes me sad there are only 2 more sessions like these before the end of the
school year, with January a blur to future charlas... Vermicompost
was mentioned: taking back our soils, one worm at a
time..!
...
And, after a fruitless room-search in
Rabinal, I've settled into the great-grandmother's eroded estate –
it really is beautiful once you clear away the grey cloud that had
been blurring my vision last week. I painted my walls red, hung herbs, lit candles – reclaiming my room from
the bugs and mildew. Floors have been fixed (no more flooding!). Good
to have my own space, finally, with only the sound of crickets and
fireflies at night, jungle on the other side of my window... and the
occasional salamander on my wall.
Amazing.
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