Rural Women Are Essential to the Struggle Against Hunger

[Judi Lynn]

By Orlando Milesi
This article is part of a series of stories and op-eds launched by IPS on the occasion of this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8.



Adelaida Marca, an Aymara indigenous woman, has been successful at the Rural World Expo in Santiago selling her
sought-after premium oregano, which has a special fragrance, grown on terraces in Socoroma, her village in the
highlands of northern Chile. Credit: Indap


SANTIAGO, Mar 3 2018 (IPS) - Adelaida Marca, an Aymaran indigenous woman who produces premium oregano in Socoroma, in the foothills of the Andes in the far north of Chile, embodies the recovery of heirloom seeds, and is a representative of a workforce that supports thousands of people and of a future marked by greater gender equality.

“They asked me for oregano that was completely clean, without sticks and very green. I achieved that quality at the altitude where we live, at 3,000 metres above sea level,” the 54-year-old family farmer told IPS.

Proudly, she emphasises that her oregano “is an ancestral legacy: the seeds I inherited from several generations of ancestors.”

“We grow our crops on terraces. Last year I had one hectare planted, but since oregano is fragile at low temperatures, I lost a third of my crop. The Bolivian winter (rainy season) helps alleviate the water shortages,” she said.

More:
http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/03/rural-women-essential-struggle-hunger/

[Anon-C]

1. Her industry should be supported! -nt