Two activists from Nicaragua recently visited Bristol, visiting small farms and holding exchanges on agro-ecology.

Marlen Sanchez and Erika Takeo from the Rural Workers Association (ATC) and the Latin America Institute for Agroecology (IALA) visited Bristol last month, as part of their speaker tour hosted by the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign.

Ever since the ATC overthrew a 45-year-long dictatorship in 1979, they have played a key role in fighting for the rights of small-scale farmers and rural workers in improving their living conditions and strengthening the rural economy.

The activists were invited to an event hosted by Sims Hill Shared Harvest, a community co-operative based in Frenchay, that supports partnerships between food growers and consumers.

But how do they see Bristols’ food and ecological landscape through the lenses of what they’ve experienced in Nicaragua and Latin America?

“They’re different realities and cultures. For us, the core issues are food sovereignty and access to land ownership. Whereas, here (in the UK) we’ve seen urban agriculture as a priority,” said Marlen.

Erika also mentioned the importance of strengthening the bond between urban food consumers and growers, especially in predominantly industrialised countries like the UK: “Partnerships between the countryside and urban areas are vital, as well as people being curious about food growing in reduced spaces.”

Agro-ecology and climate change, where do they meet?

According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), industrial agriculture is responsible for 10 to 12 per cent of global total emissions. Some research suggests that industrial agriculture (meaning, large-scale, intensive production often involving chemical fertilisers) contributes ‘significantly’ to climate change.

Agroecology consumes less energy while generating fewer emissions than its industrial counterpart.

“Small-scale agriculture actually cools down the planet,” Marlen and Erika point out.

“Agroecology is most definitely a strategy against climate change. It’s a response against industrial agriculture, which involves great corporations, the ones responsible for a high percentage of global emissions,” pointed out Marlen.

“Agro-ecology is not a new science – we’ve seen some academics argue that, for us it comes from ancient practices. However, we do value the importance of intertwining the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ in a conversation between different sources of knowledge,” added Marlen.

What could the UK learn from Marlen and Erika?

“From the Nicaraguan experience with the rural reform, grassroots communities are a key part of forging change in agriculture,” said Erika.

Bristol has been no exception to the proliferation of initiatives to bring agriculture to the city, to make people more familiar with produce while working on food security and tackling the climate emergency.

For Marlen and Erika, food and agriculture are intrinsically political, thus it is key to integrate socio-economic issues into its practice: “Organic food leaves a key ingredient out of the table… Food justice. Organic food prices replicate inequalities observed in other areas of the economic system.”

What would they say to citizens from more geopolitically powerful countries?

“It’s important to be conscious about the systems in place, It’s always important to fight passivity and get involved, join a movement or push for change. Solidarity between countries goes beyond just donating money, is understanding the fight other people are fighting,” said Marlen.

To this, Erika added the power of community, of gathering around common causes: “We’ve also noticed how in the global north there’s a heavy focus on individual change, rather than community-led action. The real change comes from the masses.”

“Even if someone from the UK thinks that they have nothing in common with someone from Latin America, they might be wrong. We have so many fights to fight in common. All of our struggles are interconnected,” they concluded.