The Interconnectedness of All Living Things: Ya’axché and FEWs Insights in the Ridge
By Maya E. Carrasquillo
There are certain experiences that organically alter our perspectives on life. These usually come in the form of some event, milestone, or trip that challenges us to think about the world from multiple perspectives and to consider many, sometimes competing, variables. This is the inherent nature of systems thinking, an approach to problem solving, that we practice each day as the STRONG Coasts cohort. For me, this perspective-altering experience came through a recent international research trip to Belize where I saw an example of a harmonious system between people and nature.
We often define the culture of a place by a number of factors- language, music, clothing, food… (food is always especially important to me). Before going to Belize, in some ways, I expected the culture to be like that of other Caribbean countries. And in some ways, that was true. But what I observed and learned in our 2 short, yet jam-packed, weeks was how uniquely interwoven the relationship between people and nature was to the very fabric of Belizean culture, whether in the reef or on the ridge. To some this may seem trivial but to this city-girl, the harmonious relationship with nature was an ideal that always seemed like a struggle to realize, especially within U.S. cities. During my time in Belize, what was previously conceptual suddenly became tangible.
The goal of this trip to Belize was for the STRONG Coasts cohort to study ridge to reef systems and to develop a holistic understanding of food, energy and water systems (FEWs) challenges and potential solutions through an interdisciplinary, community-based approach. During the first week of our trip, we engaged with several organizations and individuals doing work on the “reef” including Fragments of Hope, the Placencia Seaweed Farmer’s Association, and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (5Cs). By week two, we transitioned from the reef to the ridge and had the opportunity to meet and workshop with staff from the Ya’axché Conservation Trust.
This idea that “nature and humans can coexist” is a foundational principle of Ya’axché and is reflected in the translation of their name: “the interconnectedness of all living things.” Alongside our partners, the Strong Coasts program co-hosted a workshop to learn about and discuss the dynamics of FEWs challenges that are experienced by farmers in the Mayan Golden Landscape (MGL). Myself and my colleague, Atté Penttila, facilitated the workshop by guiding the group through 3 interconnected discussions regarding the dynamics between food, energy and water in the community. This process was a humbling reminder that no matter how many papers you read and research you do, unless you talk with people and make room for them to share their stories, then we will never have a broader picture of what goes on in a system.
Our colleagues at Ya’axché shared insights about the system of farming in MGL including context on the traditional value of corn in comparison to the growing value of cacao for agroforestry and ecotourism. Specifically, we learned that cacao for agroforestry began in 2001 after Hurricane Iris hit Belize clearing out many of the forests on the ridge; this reminded us that the impacts of extreme weather extend to communities far beyond those directly on the coast. Another topic of discussion was the amount of energy –human energy, in particular — that is typically needed during a farmer’s workday. Many farmers work approximately 12-hour days, not including the time for walking to and from home for meals. Rounding out the discussion, we talked about water-related matters that ranged from its recreational uses to industry and commercial farming’s impacts on water quality. While we still have somewhat of a beginner’s perspective on the dynamics that occur in Belize’s ridge, this exercise gave us a little more depth into one part of that landscape.
For many Belizean communities, from indigenous Maya, to Belize Creole communities, to those who make a living as fishermen or tour guides in Placencia, the “interconnectedness between all living things” can be found in Belize. To translate this to our communities in the United States will be a much-needed process of restoration and reconciliation, but one that I believe will not only help shift the culture and climate, but will open the realm of possibilities of how to live harmoniously as an integral part of nature and with one another.
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Maya Elizabeth Carrasquillo is an Environmental Engineering PhD student at the University of South Florida. Her research interests are at the intersection of water, sustainability, and social justice. Her current research looks at stormwater management through an environmental justice lens to develop a community-based framework of sustainability, promoting more equitable development of stormwater best management practices in coastal African American communities. Her work includes community partnerships in East Tampa, Florida and Bayview-Hunters Point in San Francisco, California.
Maya holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering with a minor in History from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Maya is also a recipient of the National GEM Fellowship, the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship and the Alfred P. Sloan Graduate Minority Scholarship Program, and has industry experience with Intel Corporation working on environmental treatment systems and diversity and inclusion projects.
STRONG COASTS is supported by a National Science Foundation Collaborative Research Traineeship (NRT) award (#1735320) led by the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) to develop a community-engaged training and research program in systems thinking to better manage complex and interconnected food, energy, and water systems in coastal locations. The views expressed here do not reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
