With Panela and Coffee: Young people from the Andean Chocó resisting mining
The Andean Chocó region in Ecuador was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO; however, it is a territory coveted by mining companies. To fight against the threat of mining expansion, young people from the Andean Chocó have organized themselves. They participate in the Quito Without Mining Collective, which successfully promoted a popular referendum in 2023 to prohibit the granting of mining concessions in this biodiverse area belonging to the Metropolitan District of Quito. In August 2023, the "Yes" vote won the referendum, meaning that mining should indeed be prohibited in the area. In this episode of "Voices for Environmental Justice," we visit two parishes in the Andean Chocó and talk with four young people who are committed to agroecology as an economic and lifestyle alternative. They tell us why they are fighting for their territory to be free of mining, how they are building their agroecological farms, and why they believe it is important to find ways to produce in harmony with nature.
In the Voices for Environmental Justice series we discuss the impacts of the socio-environmental and climate crisis in the Latin American and Caribbean region and focus on alternatives and resistances that emerge from the territories and diverse social actors.
We thank the young people of Chocó Andino, especially Johana Aules, Danila Andagoya, Dylan Miño and Alejandro Ruano for their voices and their struggle.
Music by the Rupay folk group, from the Gualea parish.
A podcast from the CLACSO Working Group “Social Metabolism / Environmental Justice”
Text, photography and voiceover: Tamara Artacker
Edited by: Tamara Artacker, Eric Domergue, Carlos Soria
This podcast episode was produced in collaboration with the Rural Change Observatory and the Agroecological Collective of Ecuador
The CLACSO Working Group "Social Metabolism and Environmental Justice" The Working Group (GT) launches its podcast series: Voices for Environmental Justice. The GT brings together Latin American academics at the forefront of socio-environmental analysis and practice. In the Voices for Environmental Justice series, we discuss the impacts of the socio-environmental and climate crisis in the Latin American and Caribbean region and focus on alternatives and resistance emerging from local communities and diverse social actors. We invite you to listen to the first episodes at [link to podcast]. spotify.
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