Decolonizing Agriculture: A Case Study of Chakras in the Ecuadorian Amazon
Research Team
Katherine Riebe, Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Linda Xiong, Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Alexandria Sedar, Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Project Summary
This team has examined chakra use, a traditional agroforestry method, among the Indigenous Kichwa of Ecuador, by conducting an extensive literature review, oral interviews and a structural, attitudinal and transactional assessment. They learned that while some progress has been made, power imbalances do not centre the Indigenous voice or recognise the value of the environment for its whole rather than its parts. In addition, the current model of globalisation is founded on colonisation and inequity.