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A community vegetable garden in an Enxet Sur indigenous village in the Gran Chaco, Paraguay.

Until recently, the Enxet people survived entirely as nomadic hunter, fisher gatherers. But as commercial farming has encroached dramatically on their traditional lands, they are now living in a reduced area of land, very small by Paraguayan farming standards, unable to move as they did between hunting and fishing grounds, and according to seasons for gathering in the forests. They are finding it hard adapting to the changes. While they still survive mainly by hunting and fishing, their diet, nutrition and food security has suffered. They live in very remote areas, and buying food is from travelling salesmen called 'macateros' is difficult because they are so overpriced and their incomes, from occasional labour on nearby farms, are so low.

Church World Service supports the community by teaching them to grow vegetables for themselves and providing the seeds for community vegetable gardens. Despite setbacks from floods and droughts, the projects have been taken up enthusiastically by the indigenous people.

Filename: Paraguay_Hawkey_20190904_1338.jpg
Copyright: Sean Hawkey, all rights reserved
Image Size: 5760x3840 / 6.6MB; CWS Chaco Church World Service Gran Chaco Paraguay South America enxet indigenous vegetable garden woman
Contained in galleries: Indigenous communities, Gran Chaco

A community vegetable garden in an Enxet Sur indigenous village in the Gran Chaco, Paraguay.<br />
<br />
Until recently, the Enxet people survived entirely as nomadic hunter, fisher gatherers. But as commercial farming has encroached dramatically on their traditional lands, they are now living in a reduced area of land, very small by Paraguayan farming standards, unable to move as they did between hunting and fishing grounds, and according to seasons for gathering in the forests. They are finding it hard adapting to the changes. While they still survive mainly by hunting and fishing, their diet, nutrition and food security has suffered. They live in very remote areas, and buying food is from travelling salesmen called 'macateros' is difficult because they are so overpriced and their incomes, from occasional labour on nearby farms, are so low.<br />
<br />
Church World Service supports the community by teaching them to grow vegetables for themselves and providing the seeds for community vegetable gardens. Despite setbacks from floods and droughts, the projects have been taken up enthusiastically by the indigenous people.