Help 25 Latin American youth change food systems

We are pleased to share that, with your support, the Latin American School for Food Systems Resilience will take place in Fall 2019 in Cusco, Peru, in partnership with Asociación ANDES and the communities of the Parque de la Papa. We will focus on transformative socio-environmental learning to foster food systems innovation grounded in local knowledge.

We look forward to meeting young Latin Americans between 20 and 35 years of age, from Indigenous communities, universities, and the private and public sector, who are transformative voices and actors committed to the sustainability of the food systems and the biocultural diversity associated with them. In addition, we seek qualities of leadership and diversity in terms of area of work and action plans. The young people selected will have the common characteristic of being agents of change, community leaders and innovators. Three full scholarships will be awarded through internal competitions for young people from the communities of the Potato Park (Cusco-Peru). We will invite outstanding academic and Indigenous mentors, including local farmers, to interact with community leaders, practitioners and professionals at the beginning of their careers. Together, we will analyze intersectoral strategies for food systems resilience.

How will we approach the theme of the school?

Our approach aligns itself with ANDES’ Yachay Kuychi Pluriversity for Biocultural Landscapes and Resilient Food Systems. Thus, it strives to integrates Andean concepts of learning: Ruway (learning by doing), Yachay (thinking and knowing), and Munay (learning from the heart and making connections). These reflect different kinds of knowledge and ways of learning.

We affirm, with ANDES, that transformative learning opportunities are essential, and must be available at numerous sites and settings, and to participants at different levels of education, formal and informal education settings, for significant change to occur. Consequently, we seek to provide alternatives that incorporate traditional knowledge and ecological perspectives, critical and feminist pedagogies, and dynamic local-global connections.

To understand food systems and promote innovation for resilience, we will encourage participatory leadership; facilitate horizontal learning, sharing of experiences and methodologies for socio-ecological approaches; advance recognition of local knowledge and traditional practices as a basis for innovation, and collaborate for action. The School will foster innovative collaborations among participants across sectors and disciplines, to bring about positive socio-environmental change. Diversity of identity, knowledge, and culture will produce crucial insights for action-oriented approaches for future sustainability.

You can help make the Latin American School for Food Systems Resilience accessible to the most diverse, amazing group of participants. Global Diversity Foundation will direct all contributions to GlobalGiving Project 15728, Support 100 Global Emerging Environmental Leaders, to the School through October 2019.