Podcast: Nourishing Community in Guinea Bissau

In a new podcast featuring Rugui Balde, Tiniguena staff member, and Eric Chaurette, Inter Pares co-manager, earln more about the special partnership between these two organizations - a partnership that dates back 30 years, where the two organizations support each other in their struggle for social change. Ecological food systems and school lunch programs, community-based biodiversity conservation and agroecology, and the centrality of women in these areas, are some of the themes discussed in the podcast.

Tiniguena is an organization based in Guinea-Bissau with a national reputation for creative environmental education and leadership, promoting sustainable livelihoods for rural communities, and encouraging citizen action for peace and democracy. Tiniguena helped create the first-ever community-based marine protected area in West Africa, a model of community-based biodiversity conservation recognized worldwide, most recently with the prestigious 2019 Equator Prize. Through its work with farming communities, Tiniguena also promotes climate-resilient agroecology.

For nearly a decade, Inter Pares has supported Tiniguena's work with women farmers. This program supports women who have created seed banks to preserve and multiply local varieties; and women's cooperatives at the village level that process local varieties and market them in nearby towns. The program also supports the organization of rural women to increase their power and influence over land rights and economic and natural resource management. Tiniguena and Inter Pares see their relationship as one of solidarity - we support each other in transforming our societies to be more egalitarian, just and sustainable. 

Enjoy!

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