Misak People ›

Misak migration and homeland interrelations

In Colombia, many Indigenous communities have been displaced or have settled far from their ancestral territories. In the department of Cauca, the Misak community has experienced significant youth migration driven by the pursuit of education and income-generating opportunities outside their traditional lands. Yet, many of those who have migrated maintain strong familial and cultural connections with their communities.

This partnership project seeks to deepen understanding of the dynamic relationships between migrants and their territories of origin, with a particular focus on how their knowledge and practices influence the future of mountain landscapes and community life in the original territories.

To achieve this, the project employs an action-oriented research approach, using qualitative and collaborative methods aimed at fostering reflection and driving tangible, community-based actions.

The Mountain-Diaspora Colombia project is organised in close cooperation with the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, particularly the Excellency Center on Sustainable Agri-food Systems (CE_SAS).

Among its various initiatives, CE_SAS has led an action-oriented research project focused on transforming food systems to enhance livelihoods and promote environmental sustainability in two Indigenous territories. Through this work, it has already established connections with the Misak community in Cauca.

The project aims to achieve the following objectives:

Characterize Diasporic Situations

by analyzing the relationship between community actors settled in the ancestral territory and those settled outside it.

Identify the Impact

that diasporic conditions have had on the configuration of the ancestral territory, particularly on the agri-food systems and on the energy practices.

Co-create Strategies

to promote diasporic situations that contribute to dignified and sustainable ways of life in ancestral territories.