The RIAC-Joven (Red Internacional de Agroecología Comunitaria – Joven) is a youth movement that transcends borders to defend Agroecology and Food Sovereignty in rural and urban communities. Indigenous, Afro-descendent and campesino youth build from their ancestral foodways to innovate agroecological practices and solidarity economies interconnected to community. They make visible the struggles for the defense of their homelands. CAN accompanies the RIAC-Joven by imparting curriculum in agroecology, creating spaces of collective reflection on all themes and topics identified by youth leaders, and co-facilitating and co-organizing an  International Youth Exchange each year since 2011.

Youth from UCA San Ramón cooperative, Nicaragua.

What Is The Youth Exchange?

 

Imagine a gathering between Indigenous, Afro-descendant and Campesino youth where they can share their experiences and practices that support the stewardship of seeds, soil and water in their communities, as well as an array of strategies to defend their homelands from industrial agriculture and megadevelopment projects. This and more happens at the International Youth Exchange, a space to strengthen youth-led processes in agroecology and traditional food in their communities. The exchange slogan for this year is:

This year will be the first in person youth exchange since the pandemic, co-hosted with Asociación ANDES in the region of Cuzco, Peru. From March 31 to April 7, youth leaders from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico and the U.S. will come together representing some of the most important centers of crop origin and diversity, as well as varied agroecosystems in the Americas: milpa and maize agriculture, Andean root and tuber agriculture, chacra agriculture, traditional home gardens, beekeeping and diversified coffee forests. Youth have prepared an agenda with activities such as collective work sessions using playful and participatory methodologies, visits to sacred sites of the Andean culture that will then be reflected upon in discussion circles, as well as a closed dialogue space exclusively for young people. Also included are cultural exchange activities, such as the RIAC’s renowned Cocina Compartida (shared kitchen), where youth have the opportunity to cook, share and learn local recipes, rescuing the flavors and traditions of ancestral foods.

It will be a pivotal moment for connecting youth across the Americas, from Turtle Island and across Abya Yala, to learn from each other and this territory about food production practices harmonized with agroecological practices of respect and understandings growing from and with Mother Earth.

“After three years in virtuality, we remain firm and in resistance as a youth movement in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty. Despite the challenges, we have persisted by supporting each other and weaving collective efforts to continue sowing seeds of good living (buen vivir) and pollinating seeds of life in the face of the ailments of industrial agriculture.  This is the work that provides us with knowledge and in practice so we can continue to heal our bodies and territories, to resist erasure of our communities and share experiences in food sovereignty, alternative economies, autonomy and resilience to climate change.” – RIAC 2021

We are very excited about this youth exchange. We know how important it is to include youth who, day by day, hold a commitment to learning and sharing knowledge and practices to preserve their ancestral foodways and land stewardship practices in their homelands. We are convinced that by coming together, reflecting, and sharing, we complement each other and can build the agrarian future that youth are already making possible.
 

Visit CAN and RIAC’s social networks to follow the exchange activities. Consider making a donation to keep our work going!

Fotos from below to the top. Youth starting seedlings from CII-Asdenic organization in Nicaragua & Youth from No hay como Dios organization in Montes de María, Colombia in their regional youth gathering.