Women who beat the desert

This ongoing project narrates the stories of rural/farmer women who are agents to combat climate change in the Jubones Desert, located in the south of Ecuador. My country, Ecuador, is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In many rural areas of the country women impact the climate action through their leadership in the design, development and promotion of environmental projects, infrastructure and public policies.  

Rural and indigenous women have fragile means of subsistence that widely depend on local natural resources, which cannot be guaranteed when facing climate change. The risks linked to this phenomenon affect food and nutrition security and lead to income losses for the communities.  
 
The women portrayed in this project have adapted to climate change in their territories in the following ways, and many of them do not realize the great impact of their work:
Strengthening of communal irrigation in drought areas, management of organic manure for moisture retention on the ground, breeding of smaller animals as protein sources, protection of water sources, water harvesting, development of family farms, and use of drought-resistant seeds.

This has all been achieved through a community organization among the residents, strengthened by female empowerment and leadership.

*Currently I’m working on a second stage where I’m building an audiovisual project, that can be a bridge to help transmit their knowledge and initiatives to other neighboring communities affected by climate change.