Gender just climate solution: Lenca Women Reclaiming Their Land Through Agroecology in Honduras

In Honduras, AMIR (Asociación de Mujeres Intibucanas Renovadas) is spearheading a movement led by Indigenous women of the Lenca community, reclaiming their ancestral lands and restoring ecosystems through the gender just climate solution of agroecology. AMIR’s work focuses on regenerating local ecosystems while securing food sovereignty and resisting environmental exploitation. The project is a powerful reminder that locally-led, gender just climate solutions are critical to both fighting climate change and addressing systemic inequalities that affect Indigenous communities.

In Honduras, as in many places across the globe, women are denied access and control over key resources like land, which not only contributes to their food and economic insecurity, but precludes their full participation in measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change. AMIR saw the challenge first hand: in Silimania and Planes Rio Grande, two areas in Intibucana, Lenca women were engaged in agriculture on plots that they rented, which meant they had no guarantee of using the plots again. This created a barrier to their investment in the health of the plot, such as measures to enhance soil nutrition, since the women may not be able to enjoy the benefits. Moreover, the women lacked sufficient knowledge about the management of certain crops and consequently used practices that are harmful to the environment. 

To deal with this problem, AMIR tried a new gender just climate solution! The group raised funds to acquire plots in Silimania and Planes Rio Grande for collective use by Lenca women.

To learn more, download the complete case study!