Within this framework, the women of Nerquihue, especially those participating in the Peumayen de Nerquihue Unit, have promoted collective work and solutions to the various land degradation problems afflicting their community. They have been trained and learned techniques to implement technologies and manage resources, which reflects the importance of participation in the design and planning of initiatives meant to serve the local conditions and communities at the grassroots level.
The women of the Peumayen Unit work towards food self-sufficiency for economic savings and the supply of products outside their family groups. They have learned that agroecological food production helps maintain good health both environmentally and socially. In addition, they rescue and promote solidarity practices of seed, patillas and food exchange, incorporate the whole family into the cultivation process (planting, harvesting, and postharvest), and create and strengthen bonds of trust and friendship in the community, attending solidarity activities and accompanying neighbours, as well as grandmothers and grandfathers.
Regarding local governance, they have experience in project management, budget management, and democratic decision making processes, and they have gained experience from participating in community activities. Notably, their female leadership enables them to achieve representation in other territorial organizations, such as the neighbourhood council and the organisation for rural drinking water supply and sanitation services.
In this context, this group of women is willing to face new challenges and gain access to public funds in culture, environment, health, and education through their organization.
Women champions:
Lorena Droguette is the group president and leads the actions benefiting the community. The mother of three daughters and a son is firmly committed to the care of the environment, understanding that it is the basis that allows any development.
Katerine Leyton, a tailor and the organization's secretary, supports the development of commercialization spaces and assists in designing and managing initiatives.
Valeria Valdivia, the organization's treasurer, is constantly learning to do this while steadfastly ensuring the effective expenditure of resources and their transparency.
Carmen Muñoz, a committed partner who loves the environment, is responsible and always willing to implement new technologies, unafraid of trial and error.
The following institutional challenges have been identified:
Inclusive land governance: There is a need to strengthen inclusive land governance, focusing on people as the basis for advancing neutral land degradation. This is critical due to the gender gap in land ownership, with less than 20 per cent of land in the hands of women and those who have land owning only a small area. This represents a limitation for initiatives, such as this one, to multiply, scale, and contribute to environmental sustainability and income generation since most women still need title deeds.
Local and regional dissemination strategies: Local and regional dissemination strategies should be implemented to ensure more people have access to information and women‘s participation is integrated into processes related to neutral land degradation and integrated land use planning.
Financial support: Public and private investment in policies, strategies, and actions should be prioritized, to accelerate progress and gender equity.
Alternatives: Expand the alternatives for new generations, aiming at quality of life and permanence in the territory. The above considerations need to account for rural-urban migration processes.
Environmental conservation: There is a need for forestation and restoration actions with native and fruit species to recover the forest and water and improve soil, and to improve the community‘s rainwater and wastewater catchment and storage capacity and extend the benefits to other localities.
