For the 15 million indigenous people and tens of millions of poor, mixed heritage (mestizo) peasants, farmers and farm workers (campesinos) living in Mesoamerica, globalization is nothing new. These diverse peoples have known the challenges of living under economic, political, cultural and military colonization for more than 500 years.

Nowadays the conquistadors are corporate boosters and technocrats pushing free-trade agreements and the gospel of the free market. Sadly, the struggle for social and economic justice and cultural and political autonomy remains much the same.

Through grantmaking, education and advocacy, our Mesoamerica program helps advance the resource rights of indigenous and mestizo campesinos in Mesoamerica, with a special focus on:

• Strengthening representative grassroots organizations that can effectively defend rights to land and water and promote food sovereignty
• Supporting innovative community projects based on sustainable agriculture principles
• Furthering indigenous self-determination and autonomous control over territory
• Challenging U.S.-led free trade agreements and corporate-led globalization

The two most significant social and economic justice movements in Mesoamerica today are those of campesinos and indigenous peoples. Grassroots’ Mesoamerica program supports each of these movements, both individually as well as in areas where they intersect. This includes struggles against the privatization of life-giving public goods such as water and corporate-biased free trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) that undermine small producers’ livelihoods.

Our work in Mesoamerica began in 1993 with the launch of our Mexico program, where we have supported work like organic gardening projects in Oaxaca as a way out of dependence on coffee as a cash crop (the price of which has crashed in recent years) as well as women’s empowerment and leadership training among indigenous communities in Chiapas.

Recognizing natural alliances across borders, as part of our Resource Rights for All Initiative, we have built relationships with other organizations and movements in the region to strengthen a regional movement. In 2006, we announced the expansion of our Mexico program to form a new regional program in Mesoamerica.

For example, in Nicaragua we have partnered with the Association of Rural Workers (ATC) to support a regional Central American training and leadership development program for the Vía Campesina Central America. A priority objective of this educational program is to strengthen “globalization from below” coalitions through partnerships with indigenous and campesino organizations and movements throughout Mesoamerica.

We currently support partners based in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.