Life Stories from Suriname and Ethiopia
Where can we learn about the future of farming? We are going right to the source – the rural people who are transforming agriculture. Our new, in-depth “Life stories” mini-series brings their stories to the fore.
In this first episode, we travel from the forests of Suriname to the highlands of Ethiopia to meet two inspiring innovators driving change in their communities. Plus, we share voice messages collected from Indigenous leaders at this year’s Indigenous Peoples Forum.
Transcript
This is Farms. Food. Future. – a podcast that’s Good for you, Good for the Planet, and Good for Farmers. Brought to you by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Brian:
Welcome to episode 79 and to our first edition of Life Stories, a series that will bring you closer to the real-life struggles and triumphs of those shaping the future of farming.
Michelle Tang:
As we look back on International Women’s Day last Saturday, March 8th, we’d like you to join us in celebrating the women leading change in agriculture, from the ground up.
Brian:
So, we bring you the story of Jupta Itoewaki from the Wayana community in Suriname, to whom we spoke at this year’s Indigenous Peoples Forum.
Michelle:
We’ll also hear the voice messages you left us at the Forum and the story of Wolde Tadesse from the Gamo region in Ethiopia.
Brian:
Don’t forget we want to hear from you – what you think about our stories and who you want us to be talking to – so please get in touch with us at podcasts@ifad.org. You can also subscribe to this podcast via your favourite podcast platform and please don’t forget to rate us.
Michelle:
Coming up, we meet Jupta Itoewaki from Suriname.
Brian:
You’re listening to Farms. Food. Future. with me Brian Thomson and Michelle Tang.
Jupta Itoewaki is an Indigenous rights activist, and the President and Co-Director of the Mulokot Foundation, representing the Wayana Indigenous Organization in Kawemhakan, Suriname.
Michelle:
The Wayana people's way of farming reflects their deep bond with the Amazon rainforest. And they’re known for their unique approach to sustainable agriculture.
Brian:
Exactly. And what’s interesting is the role women play in this.
Michelle:
That’s right, because when a man and woman marry, the man leaves his family and joins the wife’s family, where the land is owned by the women.
Brian:
Women own it, farm it, and take care of it. Our reporter Paolo Salvatori spoke to Jupta Itoewaki during the Indigenous Peoples Forum at IFAD headquarters in Rome.
Paolo Salvatori:
I'm Paolo.
Jupta Itoewaki:
Hi. Jupta.
Paolo:
Very nice to meet you.
Jupta:
Nice to me you.
Paolo:
Where are you from?
Jupta:
I'm from Suriname, South America. Only Dutch speaking country… No Spanish.
Paolo:
Nice, nice. Ik kan een beetje Nederlands praten (I can speak a little Dutch).
Jupta:
Oh, geweldig (Oh, fantastic!)
Paolo:
But just een beetje (a little), so we're gonna do the interview in English.
Jupta:
Good (laughs).
Paolo:
So, for the first question, I would like to ask you if you could find a photo or something on your phone that reminds you of home and tell me why it calls home for you.
Jupta 3:09
Oh, well, that's easy. This is my family. That's my husband and my son. And they are very important to me because of the work that I do as a mother from an indigenous community. I think it's very important because of what we are doing as indigenous rights defenders. We are fighting for a better future for our children. So, my son is very important in that aspect. And then having the right partner to support you in the work that you're doing, because it's a lot of travel and you need to leave your kid and your husband behind. So, in that case, I think it's very, very important for me, yes.
Paolo 3:54
So, when you when you look at your son, you see the responsibility for the future of this?
Jupta 3:59
Yes.
Paolo 4:00
And what about your childhood?
Jupta 4:03
Whoa. Um… I was born in my village called Kawemhakan, which means higher ground, because the Wayana – my community – they made villages on higher ground because sometimes the river had high tide, so the villagers could stay dry. And I was born when my mom was 16 years old. So, at that time, when a woman did not have a partner, they would be an outcast from the community. So, my mom had to suffer a lot with that and she tried to abort me a lot of times, which didn't happen. And when I was born, my grandparents actually took me as their own child and for a long time I thought that they were my parents. Yes. So, when I was five years old, my grandmother, kind of played a very important role because a decision had to be made because there is no formal education in the village and a decision had to be made: “Who is going to the capital of Suriname for education?” Would it be one of the boys or one of the females? And at that time, it was easy to say: “Oh, the man, you know, because a woman needs to take care of the family, needs to be in the kitchen, etc.” And my grandmother was like: “No, that's not going to happen. We're going to send the girl because the woman will come back, and they own the land and they will take care of us. So, I think it's better to send her”.
Traditionally the Wayana woman own the land because, in my culture, when a woman and the men get married, the men leave the family and go lives with his woman family while the woman they stay with their family, so they own the land. So, titles etc. are owned by women and not by the male, like in Western perception. And I think, with that in mind, when I was in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, that decision my grandmother made stayed with me even when I was that young, for everything I was doing. And because I didn't want to disappoint, and also just to prove why it's so important for also allowing women to have formal education. So, that's kind of been my youth. And I've been raised by tribal people, which is a Afro descendant community in Suriname, and they're like indigenous peoples, but they're not indigenous people because they're Afro descendants. So, I've been raised by them, so I know their culture, but also my indigenous language still and my culture, because every summer vacation I would go back to my community and then during school I would be back. And so, I kind of have the best of both worlds.
Paolo:
A very rich childhood, indeed.
Jupta 6:52
Yes, yes. The Wayana people are not very known because we're very small, but we're also scattered… Some of us, we have family in French Guinea, we have family in Brazil... And, we have never been colonized and we've never been made slaves. So, we're very proud people and a lot of times people think that we are difficult to work with because we are always have been independent and visionary, so we love our freedom.
Paolo 7:19
And what about the future? If you think about the future, the future of your community, and if you had to describe it in just one word, what would that be?
Jupta 7:30
Oh… I hope… And this is not just a hope for my community, but I think the whole indigenous community, if you look at the challenges that we are facing, you know, mining, land grabs and all of those things that we're facing, and now climate change and everything is that, I hope that we can have allies and support in the ideas and the solutions that we have from indigenous perspective and the solutions that we can provide. A lot of time you have that people are look down upon us like we don't know nothing, but we actually have the solution. And that people can really recognize that traditional knowledge is the solution to a lot of problems in the future, and that only by supporting and recognizing indigenous people, traditional knowledge, you can have thriving peoples which will be creating thriving communities. So that's my hope.
Paolo 8:27
So, the word is hope.
Jupta 8:28
Yes.
Paolo 8:29
Nice. Thank you.
Michelle:
Thanks to Jupta and to our reporter Paolo. You can find out more about the Wayana people and the work Jupta does by visiting mulokot.com.
Brian:
Up next, we’re passing the mic to Indigenous voices from around the world.
Michelle:
You’re listening to Farms. Food. Future. with me Michelle Tang and Brian Thomson.
Brian, did you know that 28% of land is owned, managed or used by Indigenous Peoples?
Brian 9:08
That’s a huge part of our planet, Michelle…
Michelle 9:10
Indeed, and there are more than 476 million self-identified indigenous people worldwide, living in 90 countries. Their knowledge and traditions have shaped sustainable farming for centuries, yet their voices are often overlooked.
Brian 9:27
So that’s why, at this year’s Indigenous Peoples Forum, we opened our Raise Your Voice Mail! to hear directly from them — their favourite traditional foods, the wisdom they want to share, and their hopes for the future of their communities.
Michelle 9:42
Let’s hear what they had to say!
Hanieh Moghani 9:46
Hello, I hope you can hear me. This is Hanieh. My last name is Moghani. And geographically, I am coming from Iran. But naturally and philosophically, I am an indigenous in the whole universe. The thing that I want you to know about, not just my community, but from the indigenous peoples who are living in a region that I am coming from, is that we are affecting by so many challenges. We are affected by armed conflict, by sanctions, by so many discrimination that is affecting our life. I hope you can hear me and you can respond to me and you can take so me action. For the indigenous peoples who are living at that part of the world. Thank you.
Alethea:
My name is Alethea. I'm from Indonesia, and my ethnicity is Javanese, from the island of Java, in Indonesia. So, Javanese people, I would say, are we’re pretty peaceful. We have a big heart and are really really patient… Like, we're really patient to a fault and I think there is a lesson in the wisdom of patience and peace that the world can try and emulate, because that's what we need, like a global peace, the message of kindness and ability. And these are the very core of Javanese values. So, yeah, go to Java and other cities in Indonesia and you will learn how, Indonesians, they smile a lot because, yeah, this is all about kindness and being good to each other and cooperation.
Anthony Debbarma:
Hello, I'm Anthony Debbarma from northeastern part of India. I do hope for my community to accept the self-determinations, where my community will be able to proudly say that I’m a tiprasa and I’m a member of the Borok people of my land. If there is no land, then there is no language. If there is no land, then there is no culture. If there is no land, then there is no identity.
Maria:
My name is Maria. What I would like you to know about my community is that we're very warm-hearted people.
Filiberto Penados:
My name is Filiberto Penados. My favourite indigenous food I would is something that is called pipian, which is made out of ground pumpkin seeds. And it could be any kind of protein, but the whatever protein, mostly chicken, is cooked in this grounded pumpkin seeds. And of course, they add annatto. So, it gives a little bit of an orange pinkish colour and that with corn tortillas and, yeah, it's just an amazing dish.
Myrna Cunningham:
Well, my favourite indigenous food is the one on the east coast in Nicaragua. And it's Kalukluk. And it's a mixture of meat with bananas with different vegetables. It doesn't have any grease and it's very nutritious.
Ulaiasi RadokeBaya:
Hi, my name is Ulai. I'm from Vanua Levu in the province of Madura in Fiji. What I want the world to know about my community is that they're very resilient people, they're very happy. And the international dateline, where the new day begins, crosses my island three times. Thank you.
Yun Mane: us community in the world, by:
Tlhokomelang Ngaka:
Hello. My name is Tlhokomelang Ngaka. I'm from Botswana, from an organization called San Women Botswana. I'm the founder and executive director of the organization. I come from the same community, but from the sand who dwell on the river, the River Bushmen. And my favourite indigenous food is fish. I also like fish because you can also preserve it, especially when we are facing issues of climate change. So, when the river levels go down and you have, a long chain of fish you can pick up and then preserve them, and then you can smoke it with fire and then use it in the next season.
dalia (Tai) Pellicier (Pelli): pean invasion. Here we are in:
Andrew Simon Msami: been living. So, I believe by:
Brian:
Thank you for all your inspiring messages, and don't forget to tune in to our latest episodes. In episode 76 we spoke with leading global youth advocates.
Michelle:
Then in 77 we talked about protecting biodiversity – through love, not loss – for the future of food, health and climate resilience.
Brian:
And episode 78 is an episode not to be missed! We went on a mission where no podcast has ever gone before to bring you futuristic innovations and out-of-this-world solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Michelle:
That brings us to our final story today, one that takes us from the Amazon to Ethiopia, where we sit down with Dr. Wolde Tadesse to hear about his Life Story and what growing up as a farmer was like.
Brian:
You’re listening to Farms. Food. Future. with me Brian Thomson and Michelle Tang. Our last guest is someone who’s dedicated his life to bridging indigenous knowledge and global research.
Michelle:
Dr. Wolde Tadesse is an Ethiopian anthropologist who’s spent decades advocating for indigenous rights and biocultural diversity.
Brian:
He’s worked with organizations like IFAD and the Max-Planck Institute, supporting grassroots initiatives and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Michelle: And in:
Brian:
Our reporter, Rosa González, sat down with him to hear more about his journey.
Rosa González:
Hello, Wolde and thank you for joining us on our series Live Stories to tell us about yours. So, was life like growing up in Gamo?
Wolde Tadesse:
I grew up with my grandfather and he had animals, which I took care of, oxen and sheep and cows. Yeah, I was like a farmer, a young farmer then. I did most of the tough work, and I did what children of my age then did. So, I tended animals, put them inside the house, and then took them out in the morning and made sure there was some dinner for them, some chopped insects, banana leaves or whatever, mowed grass. I was like an adult. You don't have a childhood, actually, because you do what adults do, but at your level. And so, life is complementary. You can't simply go around playing because you're a child, you have responsibilities.
Rosa:
So how would you describe a typical day for you growing up?
Wolde:
A typical day would be… Mhm… Depending on the season. If it's a cultivation season, then you would follow the adults. My grandfather and people and then the family that assisted. The women carried manure to the fields. He closed the ox, and I take care of the ox and when they're, you know, freed from plowing, I take them to the hills to graze. And then you have to do different errands. You have to go to the stream to fetch water. You have to bring the small storks home before it's dark and do all kinds of errands you are told to do.
Rosa:
What about the climate? Do you remember what the climate was like then? Do you see differences between what it was like when you were a child and what it's like now?
Wolde:
I don't know if it's a matter of perception or so, but I see I noticed a massive difference. But you think maybe you were fantasizing as a child that things were better, but in actual terms now when I really pause and think…The seasons were seasons. When it rains, it rained. And when it was sunny, it was sunny and dry. So, there was moments, you could see moments transit from one to the other and you could see the vegetation speak to you in ways or, you know, telling what season it is. You see the flowers bloom all over the mountain. You see the grasses in the high-rise mountains, and you see the pastures open and the animals celebrating festivities like humans do, because we led the animals to the mountains when it's celebration, the festive season. So, the animals also have their festival, not just the humans. People had special meals prepared for them, because there was a few days of freedom where you don't do any work after harvest or after planting. Then the kids would go around singing, collect food and eat together, and then will all be having, you know, specially made outfits for kids. Every age group had different kinds of outfits. And so we belong, we actually belong to our age group, and the elders belong to their age groups. And the seasons clearly marked what role we had to play in each season.
Rosa:
What other traditions from your community do you remember fondly?
Wolde:
Well, some of the traditions still are carried out to this day, and they include the festivities of the New Year. Throughout the mountain we have fire. We light fire in the mountains. We sing in our neighborhoods. And after the end of cultivation, everybody in the neighborhood, at least five families kill a bull. Each five family kills a bull and share the meat. And they make special brews in their homes. And women make special kind of milk. And so, it's time for singing and feasting. And the meadows are so beautiful then, you just… Tt's like you're having massive carpets all over the place and the flowers and so on. So, you could see really welcome a new year. You really welcome this moment where you share everything, and you really welcome the song and dance. So, everything turns very musical and there is a joint singing, you can say celebration, not just the humans, but animals and nature also.
Rosa:
That’s lovely.
Wolde:
Yeah... We do celebrate. And there is a big bull’s market all over the mountains. And, you need, you have to slaughter because, you know, you've labored for over a month planting, plowing. So, you need some energy, so you replace your lost energy too. So, people have gone on different trades in urban areas and in the capital come back home to share that festive moment with their family. So, it's like a European Christmas in some ways, where you come under the roof of a senior family member and celebrate everything.
Rosa:
Yeah. And what other foods do you remember that you used to eat growing up?
Wolde:
Oh, foods. Um, cracked barley porridge with fenugreek powder and butter. And that was my most preferred meal. And we have barley flour that's mixed with milk and butter again and made into balls, roasted barley flower and also roasted barley. Yeah, it's like snacks, but you always have to have it available for kids and for visitors and so on. And, you have this the three cabbage, the green, and it's one of the most nutritious kind of things we mix with every food we eat, especially cooked food. Yeah. So orange bread from the insect crop and wheat and barley and then roasted barley etc. These are the regular meals we have in the mountains.
Rosa:
And how did he go from growing up as a farmer to becoming a scholar and an advocate for indigenous peoples?
Wolde:
Mhm. This is… yeah, it's a big transition. Because I've never left my roots, I was educated. My father was a schoolteacher when my grandfather was a religious figure then he always made sure I was rooted and he would train me in such a way that I would, you know, I would suit life and I'd be ready to, you know, meet challenges in life. So, I think that's the basic thing that helped me with my father also encouraged me to educate myself in the in the modern sense. My grandfather was more rooted. He was actually a real indigenous, as opposed to my father, who was a schoolteacher. So, he would think he represented modernity, but actually modernity without, you know, everything that made what you are. And that was something not negotiable as a young person. So, when I went to university, it was not easy. And secondary school was not easy because people teased us who came from rural areas and you had to resist that, and it hardens you, actually. You want to prove that you were right, your life was right, and there was nothing wrong with it, but you needed more to be like everybody else. So that's why you went to school. But it was different when I look back, the schools didn't want you to have any element of who you were. They wanted to recreate who you are, and that was very difficult to deal with.
Rosa:
Do you think things are getting better now?
Wolde:
I don't think… I don't think so, no. I have some children, my relatives living with me now, and it's a struggle to show them the right way, because the schools tell them something different and you tell them, you know, what it means to be who you are. It's it's really about understanding the foods you eat that make what who you are, the environment you live in… The trees, the grasses and the special things that make your environment. And nobody seems to care about what the environment is and the constituent parts of your environment… The grass, all the living things around you that make… You know, you have special preference to special kinds of trees, that flower which you don't find anywhere, or you see as precious. And there are so many things you can really identify with. And I can spend. you know, a whole day in my own place, not here, but in the mountains… With my trees. And, you know, you can sometimes speak with the mountains and really be part of the whole thing, like the tree, like the grass, like the birds. You feel part of the company, but there is that detachment here now, the young kids are not… Are not made to feel part of the whole. They are seen as special. They are seen as educated and they see others as not uneducated, but in actual sense they do not have much knowledge of anything. I think local agriculture should be a big subject of study, and the way barley, wheat and the different crops we have are treated must be really something we associate with our future and with our survival as human community here. I mean, rice is good, but rice is not our crop here. You know, pasta is good, but pasta is a different kind of tradition. We don't know the value of what we have. We could have non literate elders going to the schools and share their knowledge about the mountain pastures and how we manage them, how we get drinking water's clean, drinking water from the mountains without plastic bags and so on. We have people, elders who are in charge of forests, who sacrifice for the forest, who celebrate the forest, and to perform rituals in these forests. And for some forest seem to be a problem rather than a resource. Nature should be appreciated, taken care of, and it takes care of us. So, there is a mutual kind of thing between us and nature, so that's a bit undermined. But there are some also nice people who try to make these things clear for everyone, including for people in authority and departments of education and so on, that we should not fail the young. We should equip them with the basic knowledge that we've inherited, which has helped us to survive all these, you know, many generations, and they need to survive to, to be the next Gamo.
Michelle:
Thank you Wolde and Rosa.
Brian:
And that brings us to the end of this episode.
Brian:
Thanks as always to our producers and editor here in Rome, Rosa González, Francesco Manetti, Jianing Zhang, and to our reporter, Paolo Salvatori.
Michelle:
But most of all thanks to you for listening to this episode of Farms Food Future brought to you by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Brian:
We’ll be back in two weeks with a question for you…
Michelle:
Can we control the weather?
Brian:
We’ll explore the science behind extreme weather, how we predict it, how it’s changing, and what it means for our future. Stay ahead of the storm – don’t miss the episode!
Michelle:
And on the first Monday of April, we’re heading to the desert! We’ll explore how these vast, arid regions are coping with extreme heat and water scarcity.
Brian and Michelle:
Stay tuned!
Brian:
This is Farms. Food. Future. – a podcast that’s Good for you, Good for the Planet, and Good for Farmers. Brought to you by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
You can find out more about all of our stories at www.ifad.org/podcasts
Remember we want to hear from you – what you think about our stories and who you want us to be talking to – so please get in touch at podcasts@ifad.org. Send us your voice or text messages to this address and we'll be happy to play you out in the next show.
Also, don't forget to subscribe to this podcast via your favourite podcast platform and please rate us.
And once again, we'll be trying to be Good for you, Good for the Planet, and Good for Farmers. Brought to you by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Until then from me, Brian Thomson, and the team here at IFAD.
Thanks for listening.
