GABA - 2019

Territorial adaptation of Food Based Dietary Guidelines (GABAs) and updating of the Colombian Food Composition Table (TCAC) for the department of Vaupés.

The planning of tools for the promotion of healthy practices and lifestyles in the department of Vaupés requires an effort to understand and integrate the concept of diet specific to Amazonian indigenous groups. Diet from a local perspective not only has to do with food consumption, but with the availability and access to all human and ecosystemic resources that make food possible: sustainable use of spaces (forests, rivers, streams, water channels, etc.), through time (ecological calendars, prayers, rituals, norms associated with the laws of origin of each ethnic group, etc.). In other words, this means that at every moment of life and of the year, some foods can be eaten and others cannot, and that the food consumed must be cured by a wise person so that the food fulfills its purpose, nourishes and does not make one sick.

Having said the above, the objective of this project was to carry out a territorial adaptation of the Food Guide Based on Food (GABA) and the Colombian Food Composition Table (TCAC), in such a way that it adjusts to the cultural, biogeographical and economic context of the department of Vaupés, and to the rationality of the local knowledge systems. For this reason, the process was carried out in conjunction with the indigenous communities, based on collaborative research and the strengthening of their own processes, their cultural identity and strategies for the promotion and prevention of various types of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

This process was led by Sinergias - Alianzas Estratégicas para la Salud y el Desarrollo Social and had the financial support of Fundación Éxito, with the support of the Nutrition Directorate of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) and the institutions that make up the Departmental Committee for Food and Nutritional Security of Vaupés, including the participation of the Departmental Health Secretariat, the SINCHI Institute and the regional office of the ICBF. In addition, the communities, traditional authorities and particularly the group of indigenous women leaders and co-researchers played a fundamental role in the process.

The work was developed in 11 communities in the suburban area of Mitú, where through collaborative research, a mutual learning process was carried out between the Sinergias team and the members of the communities on food and nutrition and how to prevent the most frequent diseases through the use of local resources.

As a result of the project, a guide was developed for institutions in charge of promoting healthy habits and lifestyles in family, community and school contexts, and for entities committed to the management of ecosystem resources (fauna, flora, agriculture, among others).

Consult GABA here