Project Title: Amaranth Empowering Rural Women to Improve Nutrition and Family Economy

Location: Mexico

Grant Amount: $50,000

Grantee Website: www.puentemexico.org/

Areas of Impact: Economic Sustainability, Gender Equality

Mission of Puente A La Salud Comunitaria
Puente a la Salud Comunitaria contributes to food sovereignty and advances the health and well-being of rural communities in Mexico by promoting the cultivation, consumption and commercialization of amaranth.

Summary
This program will give rural women and girls opportunities to bridge the gender gap, become healthier, play a larger role in economic decision-making, and work their way out of poverty. Puente’s programs empower women to farm with more access to inputs, improve family nutrition and health, and organize with other community members to create jobs and economic opportunities locally. Amaranth is a pseudo-cereal with remarkable potential; both leaf and grain amaranth are nutrient rich food sources, and the plant resists drought, allowing farmers to adapt to difficult growing conditions. The current market price is considerably higher than that of other grains, offering economic opportunities for farmer families. The nutritional, agro-ecological, and local economic opportunities make amaranth a remarkable opportunity for community development.

Why We Love This
We love this project because of its focus on the specific needs of rural Oaxacan families which are lack of economic opportunities, malnutrition and obesity. Puente’s project empowers women to farm with more access to inputs and knowledge, improve family nutrition and health, and organize with other community members to create a sustainable model of knowledge transfer, jobs creation and economic opportunities locally.