Cultivated food plants: culture and gendered spaces of colonists and the Chachi in Ecuador

Colonists and indigenous groups living in and around Ecuador’s Mache-Chindul Reserve cultivate various subsistence food plants. The data reveal various differences between the two groups in regards to gendered agricultural spaces. Colonists maintain distinct planting areas, while the Chachi do so less. While each group plants some of the same crops, their basic staples differ: rice for the colonists and plantains for the Chachi. The gendered spaces are also distinct. In colonist households, women take primary care of plants closest to the home, while men’s domain is furthest from the home. Among the Chachi, the reverse pattern is the norm. This spatial organization is looked at in the context of previous theories regarding gender and agricultural. These distinctions are important to be considered in the context of better understanding gendered space among rural groups, and also for developing and implementing effective land use programs in and around protected areas.