Agustina Ortiz and other women are using ferro-cement water tanks to collect and purify rainwater.
They grow drought-resistant crops, ensuring food security and creating income through surplus sales.
The nonprofit Grupedsac trains these women in sustainable water and land management practices.
Key quote:
"We need to empower these women, but we also need to understand that the word empowerment means different things in our societies."
— Joaquin Carrillo, director of Grupedsac's Oaxaca center
Why this matters:
Water scarcity is intensifying in Oaxaca, impacting agriculture and daily life. Teaching sustainable water management and empowering women enhances community resilience against climate change.
Mitzy Violeta Cortés Guzmán is a Mixtec from San Sebastián Tecomaxtlahuaca, Oaxaca. She's part of Futoros Indígenas, a network that discusses the climate crisis narrative from Indigenous Peoples' perspective.
Irma Galindo Barrios, a member of the Mixtec people, has been declared missing barely a week after a savage attack on indigenous villagers displaced from the lands she was defending against illegal logging.
Without assistance to stay afloat, community managers say they fear they will have to shut down their ecotourism initiatives, which is one of the main incentives for keeping their forests standing.
