By D. W. G. Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes News
As water scarcity threatens their livelihoods, indigenous women in Mexico are rediscovering how to grow their ancestral foods. When Agustina Ortiz, 45, returned to her hometown in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2010 after a decade in the US, she knew the challenges that awaited her, a scarcity of drinking water and a life reliant solely on agriculture. Like many other Oaxacans, Ortiz and her husband had gone to the US seeking better opportunities to send money back home. "You can't have a life unless someone sends money from abroad," Ortiz says.
The mountains of Oaxaca are harsh and unforgiving. The Zapotec indigenous community of Xixovo, in Santa Maria Velato, is located around 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level and a two hour drive from the state capital. Dry, dusty slopes and yellowed crops dominate the landscape. The scattered fields of agave serve as a reminder that even in the most challenging conditions, life persists.
Returning home in 2010, Ortiz was shocked to see the big trees she had grown up with had died, and medicinal plants like chicalote Mexican prickly poppies were nowhere to be found. The first few years back home were a nightmare for Ortiz. She had to hike to the river two or three times a day, carrying buckets of water with only the help of her donkey, even while pregnant. Each year, heatwaves and drought dominated the season, and Ortiz felt the rainy period had become shorter and more unpredictable. Maps from the National Water Commission of Mexico show a growing number of areas in the region experiencing severe drought.
In 2015, Oaxaca suffered one of its most severe droughts in modern history, with nearly 80% of the state experiencing water stress. This lack of rain significantly impacted agricultural production, making it difficult for communities like Ortiz's to grow crops, access fresh food, and breed animals. The drought was not just a regional issue but a national one, as Mexico is currently battling its worst drought in over a decade, with residents facing "critical" water shortages.
To become self sufficient, Ortiz and other mothers from the parent’s committee started a vegetable patch at her children's school, the Porfirio Diaz Elementary School, in 2019. They grew native crops like coriander and green beans, as well as onions, garlic, and radishes, which require little water. They sold any leftover produce at the market to fund school improvements. However, they knew this project was vulnerable to climate impacts, and when the drought came in 2019, their crops began to fail.
That same year, they started working with the non profit Group to Promote Education and Sustainable Development (Grupedsac), founded 30 years ago in Mexico City. Grupedsac teaches women to manage water and their land using ancestral irrigation methods and growing endemic, drought resilient medicinal plants. Grupedsac faced two main challenges, increasing droughts and working exclusively with women in a traditionally male dominated culture. "We learned very quickly that women were the ones using these technologies but weren't the decision makers of their households. Our mission became to teach them their value in their communities," says Joaquin Carrillo, director of Grupedsac's center in Oaxaca.
Grupedsac started by building a 20,000 liter (5,283 gallon) ferro cement tank at the school, an inexpensive water tank made from cement that needs little maintenance. The entire community helped build the tank, following the indigenous practice known as tequios, where every person has a civic duty to assist their community. The tank collects rainwater that would usually drain away, which can be reused for cleaning, cooking, and irrigating the school's crops. The tank also has a built in filter to purify the water, removing bacteria, pathogens, and harmful particles.
Carrillo saw the mothers' commitment to growing their own crops and invited them to Grupedsac's training groups. In 2020, Ortiz and five other women from Xixovo started attending workshops. To date, over 1,500 women have been part of the program, with around 280 women from 13 communities currently enrolled. The women were offered a similar water tank to the one at the school for their homes but had to commit to a four year program at Grupedsac's training center in Ejutla de Crespo, an hour from Santa Maria Velato. The workshops teach the women how to make the best use of available water, build composting waterless toilets, and use biofilters to treat water. Ortiz already has her own 20,000 liter tank installed on her land.
Ortiz relies heavily on the water tank, which has greatly improved her farming livelihood and her family's health. "It literally changed my life," she says. The tank helps her collect rainwater and stores water she pumps from the river. It also stores greywater, which goes through a natural filtration system made of stone, gravel, and sand. Now, Ortiz grows her own vegetables, including bananas, corn, and alfalfa, to feed her livestock.
Climate Guardians
This article in the Climate Guardians series was supported by funding from the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"I can shower at home now; I used to go to my neighbor's house, and it was very uncomfortable," Ortiz says. "I can also water my plants constantly and make some money with what I sell." Families with more than 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of land can also install infiltration drains to help refill the deep wells that run dry each year due to the lack of rain.
Tzinnia Carranza, general coordinator of Espacio de Encuentro de las Culturas Originarias (Meeting Space for Traditional Cultures), a local non profit in Oaxaca that recently won the Local Adaptation Champions Awards at COP28, says water scarcity in the region is also due to excessive use of agrochemicals that have polluted the few available water sources. "Most rivers are contaminated," Carranza says. Sanitation systems in Oaxaca are both ineffective and costly to maintain. Local actions like treating sewage at the source using biodigesters and bio filters, or using composting toilets, offer "practical solutions with affordable materials," she says.
Oaxaca is the most vulnerable state in Mexico to climate change, with its agricultural sectors facing significant threats from drought. The region surrounding Santa Maria Velato receives just 350mm (13.8 inches) of rainfall per year, compared to Oaxaca's annual average of 1,550mm (61 inches). In 2023, one of the hottest years on record for Oaxaca, the drought destroyed 90% of the crops in the region, with only 100mm (3.9 inches) of rain recorded.
Ortiz tried growing tomatoes but was unsuccessful due to the water shortage. The only crops that would grow were medicinal plants and flowers, which she sold. "I could make maybe 1,000 pesos ($60) for three months of work," she says. By early 2024, the minimum wage for this region in Oaxaca was 3,800 pesos ($224) a month. For reference, 10,000 liters (2,199 gallons) of water can cost up to 1,200 pesos ($68) in Oaxaca.
Permaculture training has taught the community to farm sustainably and self sufficiently, says single mother Feliciana Arango, another Grupedsac graduate. As head of her family, Arango needs to provide for her child and elderly mother. She raises chickens in a coop built with materials provided by the Grupedsac program. "We eat the meat we raise, the eggs we collect, and now I can afford cheese costing 25 pesos ($1.50) if I sell some of the vegetables I grow," she says. Self sufficiency is one of Grupedsac's main goals for these women, who have traditionally relied on men.
Social change
The program also aims to address gender disparity in these indigenous communities. Women are encouraged to set up an annual savings fund when they enroll. "We need to empower these women, but we also need to understand that empowerment means different things in our societies," Carrillo says. Access to water for growing crops is crucial for building gender equality, as it enables women's participation in farming activities, making them financially active and resilient to climate change. Addressing norms and structural inequalities through training is essential for realizing these benefits.
"Water is very precious," says Aurora Perez, who is completing the training with her mother. They are always eager to attend the sessions. "Breeding animals makes me independent and has helped me survive." A study in Oaxaca between 2016 and 2022 found that the gender gap exacerbates women's vulnerability to climate change. Limited education, high illiteracy rates, and restricted access to resources hinder their adaptation to extreme weather. Societal expectations, burdening women with childcare and domestic duties, further constrain their mobility and ability to respond to disasters.
Traditionally, when women earn money by selling vegetables or animals at the market, they give it to their husbands, Carrillo explains. "In a respectful and understanding way, we are teaching them that they can also have a say in the use of that money." Women who have gone through Grupedsac's program are now questioning if that practice is beneficial for them and their families. The knowledge they receive gives them leverage to change family responsibilities.
The training has taught Perez that men and women are equal a lesson she has shared with her children. "I now know my boys need to learn to cook and help in the house," she says. Many women in the community have suffered physical, sexual, and psychological violence. Grupedsac facilitates group therapy, providing women with a safe space and a support network. In one nearby village, a participant arrived for training with bruises and a black eye, having been beaten by a male family member. Grupedsac provided funding to help her build a mud brick
