Securing Indigenous Livelihoods: Providing sustainable, culturally-relevant food sources for the Teribe Peoples in Costa Rica

This Indigenous, women-led initiative will create self-sufficient local farming solutions to create food sovereignty and security to those who need it most.

Project Summary

The territory of Térraba comprises 9,355 hectares in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica, in the canton de Buenos Aires. Térraba's seven principal communities are: Térraba, Bijagual, Ceibón, San Antonio, Volcancito, Mano de Tigre and Bajo Veraguas. Térraba also includes several small villages that do not have a predominantly Indigenous population. The community of Macho Monte is populated by Térraba people, but is outside the areas where Indigenous titles are recognized, so that they have no assurance of title to their traditional lands.

The Teribe Indigenous community (650 persons), is experiencing social and cultural disruption, economic marginalization, and encroachments upon its traditional resource base. Traditionally, the region's Indigenous economy was subsistence-based, with people relying upon the resources of forests and rivers. However, during the 1970s the Costa Rican government promoted the conversion of forests for agricultural land, altering ecosystems. These changes have profoundly disrupted the ability of families and the community to participate in traditional and collective income-generating activities and to continue to practice and transmit their culture. 

According to the most recent census, only 11% of Indigenous households in Térraba have livestock, pigs or chickens, and only 15% of families cultivate any crops. Average schooling among the Teribe people is 5.9 years (one of the lowest rates in Costa Rica); while 24% have no schooling at all. Some 88% of Térraba's Indigenous households live with one or more basic needs unmet.  The Térraba people comprise one of the smallest Indigenous groups in Costa Rica. Their culture is one of the most threatened at a national level, and it will disappear entirely if efforts to preserve and continue ancestral knowledge and practices are unsuccessful. 

The project focuses on restoring food sovereignty and meeting the needs of families in vulnerable circumstances. Interrelated issues to be addressed are loss of biodiversity and the associated loss of traditional knowledge, loss of livelihood among Teribe families living in vulnerable circumstances, and limits on economic development among Indigenous Teribe families. The proposed project aims to advance gender equality in the Teribe community, and realize the benefits of women’s capacity and relationship to the earth: by restoring local production based on traditional practices and improving the well-being of participating families.

The territory is located in a mountainous area and has several streams, springs, waterfalls and a lagoon (Laguna de Carsi). The use of the land is varied. There are areas of conservation, subsistence agriculture, livestock, housing and forest patches that are still maintained in different parts of the territory. Areas at risk of environmental degradation have been identified and will not be part of the project.

By restoring traditional Teribe use of natural resources, the project will strengthen traditional knowledge, cultural identity, and the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the Térraba Indigenous territory. At the same time, the project will expand the livelihood options for families and increase their incomes. In this context, the work in recent years of the Mano de Tigre Women's Organization has been essential for the economic and social regeneration and empowerment of the Teribe people. This work has focused on revitalizing the culture and traditions of the people, promoting the rights and participation of women, and encouraging the development of productive activities, especially among Indigenous women.

Key Achievements

• Four families (25 people) provided with infrastructure and training to sustainably raise and process machaca (a threatened fish species) and shrimp in order to increase family income, improve family nutrition and protect a species that has traditionally been part of the local diet.

• 15 Indigenous women economically empowered through knowledge exchange on productive enterprises to improve the economic well-being of their families.

• Térraba culture strengthened by promoting appreciation and learning of the Térraba language and manufacturing of traditional dress within the Teribe community.

• Services and responsiveness of the Mano de Tigre Women’s Organization strengthened through construction of additional facilities to meet the needs of the community.

• Overall the project seeks a 10% decrease in poverty in the community, while achieving qualitative and quantitative improvements in the quality of life for participating families. This will be achieved through economic empowerment: maintaining traditional fish species and assisting women in developing productive enterprises; and social empowerment: promoting knowledge and practice of the Térraba language and traditional dress, inspiring community members to actively participate in and defend their culture.