Contribution short abstract

This paper examines chakra (forest garden) revitalization by Sacha Awana, the research arm of the Quijos Nation of Ecuador’s Amazon, as part of a strategy to enhance territorial autonomy, food sovereignty, and biodiversity management, thereby contributing to Indigenous forest governance.

Contribution long abstract

This presentation will examine initiatives by Sacha Awana, the research arm of the Quijos Nation of Ecuador’s Amazon, to revitalize Quijos women's chakra (forest garden) practices as part of a broader strategy to strengthen territorial rights and food sovereignty while enhancing biodiversity management and contributing to rainforest conservation. Chakras are widely understood to be biodiverse-rich productive spaces and loci of female productive and ceremonial practices. Yet, territorial loss and fragmentation, economic pressures on Quijos families, and the acceleration of legal and illegal mining operations have contributed to a decline in women’s gardening practices as land is converted to cash-cropping, sold, or concessioned off to mining companies. With the decline of the chakras, so too is the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of chakramamas (women gardeners) in decline. Sacha Awana, however, sees the revitalization of chakra practices and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge associated with them as vital to enhance territorial autonomy and strengthen domestic economies. By working closely with elder chakramamas and younger Quijos women in inter-generational land-based workshops, they are consolidating and transmitting ancestral chakra knowledge to the next generations of Quijos gardeners, while positioning Quijos women at the forefront of forest governance and management practices from Indigenous Quijos perspectives.