Food and Seed Sovereignty

As part of the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance (NMFSSA), Tewa Women United creates initiatives that promote food and seed sovereignty and is vigilant in advocating for policy that protects our power to make decisions related to our food and seeds.

Initiatives:

• The Española Healing Foods Seed Library
• Our in-office “seed house”

Collaborations:

• Owingeh Tah Pueblos y Semillas Seed Exchange
  Annual gathering to celebrate the sacredness of our seeds, traditions and culture
• Qachuu Aloom/Seed Travels
  Solidarity with Mayan farmers in Guatemala; amaranth workshops at the Espanola Healing Foods Oasis

Policy Win: In October 2019, Seed Library Youth and TWU put forth a Resolution to the City of Española in support of the NMFSSA’s Declaration of Food and Seed Sovereignty. It passed unanimously, showing the deep roots that all of our diverse Peoples share for our land-based values and beliefs. We are also working with the city to enact Genetically Engineered-free zones and implementation of these policies. This success built on previous years’ work to defeat HB61, a bill in the New Mexico state legislature that would have denied protection from genetically modified seeds and organisms.