Community strategies for strengthening food autonomy and buen vivir in a Nasa Indigenous Reservation, Colombia

A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach

Abstract

The growing problem of hunger and food inse­curity remains a persistent global challenge. In Colombia, the Department of Huila, an admin­istrative region located in the southwest of the country, exhibits high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition among its Indigenous population, a process linked to land and ancestral traditions that are part of the concept of food autonomy. This study aimed to describe the community strategies co-constructed by the Nasa Páez Indigenous Reservation to strengthen food autonomy and buen vivir (good living) within their territory. Using a qualitative community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, the study was conducted in two phases. The approach to the community phase involved presenting the proposed study during a community assembly, forming a community coali­tion, and agreeing on methodological aspects. The diagnosis and strategy formulation phase included documentation review, participatory meetings on buen vivir and food memory, Circles of the Word (talking circles), and visits to the tul (traditional household garden). These activities facilitated the co-construction of community-led strategies to strengthen food autonomy. The community coali­tion established five strategies: the recovery of native seeds, the implementation of demonstration tul, the development of a Nasa cropping calendar, the installation of water filters, and a cross-cutting component focused on ongoing support, aware­ness-raising, and training. These strategies were grounded in the cosmovision, traditional knowledge, and practices of the Nasa people and took into account the local community’s capacities. Ultimately, these community-led strategies helped lay the foundations for strengthening food auton­omy and buen vivir, highlighting the value of the participatory process and the community’s capacity to self-organize around food practices. This study offers valuable insights for strengthening participa­tory approaches to Indigenous food sovereignty.