Solar panel and rainwater harvesting by women farmers in a region affected by climate crisis and environmental conflicts

The photovoltaic system is integrated into a rainwater harvesting and the operation of a water pump used for irrigation of a community nursery, the system belongs to the El Aguirre Committee of the Municipal Association of Peasant Women of Lebrija – Ammucale, located in Vereda El Aguirre, peasant reserve «Los Naunos», municipality of Lebrija. 

The community nursery allows the multiplication of forest, agricultural, medicinal, ornamental and forage species used in the restoration of ecosystems and in the diversification of plantings in peasant reserves, as well as the recovery of native seeds that have been disappearing.  

With this experience in alternative energy, new families are motivated to join the women’s committee and young people are invited to reflect on the importance of energy transition and agroecological practices. 

With the supply of energy from the solar panel for the motor pump and the lighting of the house, electricity costs are reduced: at present, the company pays an average of 3,000 thousand pesos for energy consumption, whereas before it paid an average of 20,000 thousand pesos.

This process motivates the women’s committee to carry out new community practices such as the organization of work mingas in the plots for planting in circular gardens and strengthens the process with the active involvement of young people and women in the process. 

This has strengthened the cultural roots and the value around the defense and care of water, there is more awareness of the importance of animal protection, the application of agrochemicals has been reduced with agroecology, and there is another reading of the environment. 

The farmers’ reserves have been recovered and restored, as evidenced by the arrival of birds, bees, insects, worms, soil improvement; they no longer depend on pineapple monoculture and the family economy has improved.

Technical characteristics of the proposal

Productive, community, environmental, or economic processes or activities that were positively impacted by the implementation of the community experience of TEJ.

The solar energy experience is located in the rural reserve «Los Naunos» in the municipality of Lebrija, where a solar energy project is being carried out. agroecological process The company went from growing pineapple as a single crop to citrus, cassava, pumpkin, sweet potato, buttercup, sugar cane, sugar cane, sugarcane, avocado, banana, cocoa, mangoes, naunos, corn, guamos, soursop, móncoros, guayacán and abarcos. At present, there is an agroforestry system for family self-consumption and for the feeding of livestock species (chickens and chickens, pigs, rabbits, fish), and the ecological recovery of the soil. 

The community nursery is also being adapted for the assembly of a clonal garden of ornamental plants, which is projected to become an economic initiative for the committee of rural women in the area.

The territory of Lebrija, presents many problems of water contamination and scarcity, the little water that arrives through the aqueduct is restricted to domestic use; for this reason, rainwater harvesting systems have been replicated, with which it has been possible to have access and availability of water for agricultural and domestic activities. Access to water has improved in the homes, the planting of food crops and the raising of livestock species (chickens, pigs, fish) that were previously not possible due to water scarcity; the workload has been reduced, because previously water had to be fetched and carried from distant places. 

Thanks to the availability of water, which was a limiting factor for planting, the women’s committee has been diversifying planting and has allowed us to rescue and conserve our native seeds, with a view to building food sovereignty processes.

Women’s participation in the TEJ community experience

The Ammucale association has a total membership of 70 women, organized in nine (9) rural committees, the committee where the experience is located is Aguirre, with 17 women.

The organization has promoted mingas and community exchanges in agroecology, alternative energies, and community organization with other women’s organizations at the national level. The leadership and real inclusion of rural women, who, like men, have begun their work as promoters of alternative energies, has been essential.

The association generates spaces for popular education in agroecology, food processing, self-care and women’s community participation. The exchanges allow for the visioning and articulation of other purposes that the communities may wish to carry out, such as the training of young farmers and initiatives for women’s committees to develop their own economy.

Impact of the community experience of TEJ on public policy

They have participated in a Latin America-wide campaign on gender equity and empowerment of rural and indigenous women’s groups – Mujeres 2030: «Towards Good Living with Gender Justice and Environmental Equity: Gender Analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals in 5 Latin American Countries.»  https://globalforestcoalition.org/es/lac-gender-assessments-report/