The Re:Earth 2024 grant arrived at a critical moment, enabling the center to make foundational strides—including its first-ever connection to electricity, the expansion of native agroecological systems, and the deepening of Maya-led programming. What follows is a record of this year’s growth: a year defined by collective work, intergenerational learning, and the strengthening of food sovereignty from the ground up.

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CIELO x CEPC Tolimán

Re:Earth Grant Report 2024

Grant Details

Fiscal Sponsor: CIELO 

Fiscal Sponsor website: www.cieloglobal.org

Grant Recipient: Community Permaculture and Education Center (CEPC) Tolimán

Project Title: Environmental Education and Food Sovereignty in a Maya Kaqchikel Eco-Village

Location: Quixaya Village, San Lucas Tolimán, Sololá, Guatemala

Grant Amount: $6,100

Grant Period: January 18, 2024 – December 1, 2024

Recipient Information

In the 1980s, 63 Maya families living in the Quixaya valley of Guatemala were able to legally take back our ancestral lands after generations of working for a plantation owner. Our families joined together to start an ecological community initiative and transformed the industrial monoculture farm into a lush, biodiverse permaculture system using traditional Maya knowledge and agroecological practices. 

In 2018, one of the Quixaya families founded CEPC (which stands for Community Permaculture and Education Center in Spanish) Tolimán to continue this legacy of agrobiodiversity and food system resilience. CEPC Toliman is an ecological center committed to improving food security through ecological agriculture. We incorporate ancestral practices with permaculture to create sustainable, productive, agricultural systems. Our objective is to produce healthy, organic food and create economic opportunities through the sustainable use of our natural resources. We also provide training to people who are interested in our model. 

We advance this mission through:

• Managing community food systems that restore the local ecosystem and increase the local food supply including:
  
  • ‘Milpa’ native crop farms (Mesoamerican diversified system);
  • Community and family intensive gardens; 
  • Aquaculture systems (tilapia and vegetables);
  • A food forest & agroforestry nursery;
  • A community chicken coop;
  • A demonstration kitchen & processing center.
    
• Providing practical training and workshops that use the community food systems listed above as demonstration sites to teach people how to grow and process food in an ecologically sound way. The hands-on workshops also include food processing and nutritional cooking classes specifically tailored for women. 

Re:Earth 2024 Grant Summary

The Re:Earth grant was used to support environmental education and food sovereignty initiatives of CEPC Tolimán in the eco-village of Quixaya. The funds enabled the implementation of critical infrastructure and staffing initiatives, including an electrical energy connection and salary for an Indigenous youth staff member. These developments have significantly enhanced the center’s capacity to deliver educational, environmental, and food sovereignty programs for the local Maya Kaqchikel community.

GRANT OBJECTIVES 

• Hire a full-time Indigenous youth staff member to oversee operations of the community center operations.
• Connect the community center to electricity to enhance functionality and accessibility.

KEY RESULTS

• Full-time staff salary for an Indigenous youth, as the Operations Manager
• Successful implementation of an electrical energy connection, enhancing educational initiatives through powering lights and speakers, power tools, and electric kitchen appliances
• Expansion of permaculture projects, including establishing a cacao nursery, planting 150 new cacao trees in the food forest, and initiating a bee-keeping initiative with native melipona bees.
• 70 participants strengthened ecological agricultural skills through workshops at the community center

Project Implementation

Leadership development and employment skills for Indigenous youth

The grant funded a year's salary for CEPC Tolimán’s operation manager, Jose Francisco, a local indigenous youth raised in the Quixaya Valley. His role includes maintaining permaculture systems, coordinating workshops, and managing operational tasks. The permaculture systems he is responsible for include aquaculture systems, chicken coops, seed banks, composting and greywater treatment systems. 
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Photos 1-2. Jose Francisco, Operations Manager, taking care of on-site permaculture systems at CEPC Tolimán

Modernization of the community center through its first electricity connection

The community center was successfully connected to electricity, providing lighting, internet access, and the ability to use modern appliances. Electricity has enabled nighttime classes, improved workshops with audio and visual tools, and enhanced kitchen functionality for food processing and cooking demonstrations. The availability of electricity will also allow for an internet connection in the future, which will enhance workshops as well as enrich learning opportunities for community members. 

Photos 3-5. Uses of electricity: use of power tools, kitchen appliances, and lights for night classes (left to right)

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Photo 6. Ramiro Tzunún, CEPC Tolimán Founder, using power tools for a carpentry workshop

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Photos 7. Photos of hardware parts purchased using the grant and the electricity installation

Expansion of on-site permaculture systems to sustainably produce food, while also serving as educational demonstration sites 

During the year, CEPC Toliman continued to expand their on-site permaculture systems, specifically focusing on the expansion of medicinal plant and vegetable cultivation areas to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. A cacao nursery was established to support future planting initiatives, and the food forest was expanded and diversified through planting 150 additional cacao trees. CEPC Toliman also established a new bee-keeping project utilizing native Melipona bees to promote pollination, biodiversity, and sustainable honey production.

Photos 8-9. Ramiro (Founder) and Jose Francisco (Operations Manager) building bee boxes for native melipona bees

70 people, including 32 youth, strengthened ecological knowledge, through workshops and training

The program featured workshops on tilapia cultivation, agroecology, nutrition, and cacao processing, alongside hands-on activities that fostered community learning and collaboration. A total of 22 producers received aquaculture training, enhancing their ability to cultivate and manage aquatic food sources. In total 70 people participated in workshops and events at CEPC Toliman during the year, including 32 youth.

Photos 10-12. Various ecological workshops with local farmers and community members

Photo 13. Beekeeping workshop with local producers 

Acknowledgments & Future Plans

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Re:Earth Team for your support. The grant has been instrumental in empowering the Maya Kaqchikel community of Quixaya through education, sustainability, and food sovereignty initiatives. This project represents a significant step toward building a resilient and self-sufficient community.

To build on the progress achieved, CEPC Tolimán plans to:

• Expand training programs to include more advanced agroecology and permaculture topics.
• Seek additional funding to enhance facilities and establish more long-term projects
• Train more local leaders to ensure the sustainability and growth of the community center.

We hope that the Re:Earth grant can continue to support these initiatives in the future. We have submitted a second grant application for the next funding cycle.