EVENT RECAP | Communities Beyond Crisis: Agroecology and Food Sovereignty Following Disaster

Members of Organizacion Boricua de Agricultura Ecologica engaging in social and political activism.

On March 29, 2021, we collaborated with Professor Juan Camilo Osoiro from the Pratt Institute on another part of our Communities Beyond Crisis speaker series. In this event titled “Agroecology and Food Sovereignty Following Disaster”, speakers Ana Elisa Pérez Quintero, Magha García Medina, and Elda Guadalupe Carrasquillo discuss how they work towards food sovereignty in Puerto Rico.

The presentation started with an engaging music video that introduces the lush Puerto Rican landscapes that would later be discussed in the presentations. Magha discusses natural disasters that have recently impacted Puerto Rico along with the political decisions that have compounded the effects of disasters. Magha is part of Organización Boricuá de Agricultura Ecológica de Puerto Rico, a collective that has, for over 31 years, emphasized the interconnectedness of food sovereignty, social movements, and political agency. The major theme of her presentation is encapsulated in the following quote she shared with us, which translates to “a country that does not produce its own food is not free”.

“Un país que no produce su propia comida no es libre”

Bare supermarket in Vieques even before Hurricane Maria.

The presentation continued with Ana Elisa Pérez Quintero and Elda Guadalupe Carrasquillo, from La Colmena Cimarrona. The organization focuses on food sovereignty as well as empowering the residents of the island Vieques, which is a ferry ride away from the main island of Puerto Rico. At the beginning of their presentation, Ana and Elda shared a stark picture of a bare supermarket in Vieques and shockingly, this picture was taken even before Hurricane Maria further devastated the island. Due to the remote location of Vieques and lack of resources, food sovereignty is an even greater issue for this smaller island, as compared to mainland Puerto Rico.

The sectors of La Colmena Cimarrona.

The presentations were followed by a very active Q&A session. We were glad to hear from people doing work in these communities and look forward to continuing to support causes like this and to amplify the work and voices of people like the women that shared their stories with us in this series.

To listen to the full presentation, click here and make sure to check out the other videos in the series.