Back in 2005 the Maya Nut Programme was selected as a SEED finalist for its impact on the lives of women and their families in rural Nicaragua and Guatemala. By responding to international demand for the nutritious and indigenous maya nut, recently rediscovered as an important food source, the Programme helped familiesto support themselves whilst stimulating biodiversity and food security through training women in the harvesting of maya nut.

The Maya Nut Programme has made huge progress since its work with the SEED Initiative. Over 16,000 women in 900 different communities have now been trained, indirectly benefiting more than 100,000 people. The Programme continues to grow and has recently expanded into Jamaica and Haiti.  In Haiti its work has actually reintroduced the Maya Nut, previously extinct in the island for some 200 years. The Programme is now looking forward to spreading the social and environmental benefits of the maya nut to Peru, Colombia and Cuba in schemes due to start this year.

Read more about their new developments or try recipes from the Maya Nut cookbook here.