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Unicauca's research project has been selected as a pilot experience to evaluate its impact in southwestern Colombia
The WWB Colombia Foundation chose this project from the Rural Development Research Group TULL, which is being carried out with women from the Valle del Patía, to characterize their role in the region and promote sustainable territorial management in the area.
Until 2022, the TULL Rural Development Research Group implemented the project "Territorialization Processes of Afro-Patian Women in Water Management and Food Sovereignty Defense," funded by the WWB Colombia Research Foundation and coordinated by Professor Luis Antonio Rosas from the Department of Intercultural Studies at the University of Cauca.
The main objective of this project was to characterize the role of Afro-Patian women in the territory and promote sustainable territorial management in the Patia region. It employed an agroecological approach that considered ethnic, historical, cultural, and gender-specific aspects. This approach aimed to identify traditional production practices, address the rooted relationships between the Patia community and nature, and foster economic and social development in the region.
As part of the project's methodological framework, various community meetings were held to foster Participatory Environmental Management comprehensively. This approach empowered Afro-Patian women and their leadership in defending their territory, managing and conserving biodiversity through the adoption of agroecological practices. These efforts affirmed food sovereignty and autonomy as alternative resistance processes, built networks and agendas contributing significantly to the sustainability of the territory.
After concluding the project in August 2022, it was selected as one of the top 2 research projects out of 38 funded by the WWB Foundation from its first call in 2017 through 2023.
The other selected project was "Rural Women and Reincorporated Women from Northern Cauca: Traditional Knowledge for Memory, Resistance, and Exercise of Rights." Both projects are integral parts of the larger investigative initiative led by the WWB Foundation titled "Walking the Territories: Lessons to Strengthen the Action of the WWB Colombia Research Fund." The main objective of this initiative is to analyze the discoveries and experiences of the communities involved in projects supported by the WWB Foundation.
"The recognition of the outcomes from the WWB Foundation-funded project is a significant motivation for Afro-Patian women, encouraging them to continue leading community processes aimed at safeguarding the biotic wealth characteristic of the Patia Valley. It underscores the importance of water and tropical dry forests for their well-being and that of their community. This acknowledgment also highlights the essential role women play in caring for life, land, and sustaining community production methods. They are the custodians, preservers, and transmitters of cultural and ancestral heritage," noted project coordinator Luis Antonio Rosas.
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences extends its gratitude to the Research Vice-Rectorate of the University of Cauca, Professor Luis Antonio Rosas, the Department of Intercultural Studies, the TULL Research Group, the WWB Foundation, and the community, particularly Afro-Patian women, for their significant contribution to the Cauca territory. Congratulations on this important achievement.
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Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences