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Whilst sailing on a dhow past Lamu, I passed these mangrove forests. Degradation of these critical living systems remain a concern. 

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Conduct interactive workshops to explore and preserve cultural heritage through storytelling and multimedia.

Tambua Tansa from west sumatera, Indonesia

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Field studies in Guatemala

Explore my diverse personal and professional projects that merge concerns about social justice and a healthy planet

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My training as an ethnologist shapes my perspective on global inequalites and governance over natural resources. I´m an expert in sustainability, resource justice, and participatory science communication, with over 20 years of experience in research, university teaching, and international development cooperation across Europe and Latin America.This page is about some of my work and life experiences. It aims to guide you through my various professional and personal projects and share what I´ve learned. I hope by doing so I'll be able to capture your interest and inspire you to reach out.

Katja Winkler

Sustainability. Participation. Political ecology and resource justice

About me

"Agrotóxicos en el Cultivo de la Caña de Azúcar y Sus Impactos en la Salud Humana: Causas y Orígenes de la Nefropatía Mesoamericana en Guatemala" by Katja Winkler / Photo: ©Katja WinklerThis in-depth working paper from IDEAR-CONGCOOP (circa 2018) investigates the escalating use of agrochemicals (pesticides and herbicides) in Guatemala's expansive sugar cane monocultures—the world's third-largest producer—and their direct links to chronic kidney disease of non-traditional causes (CKDnT), known as Mesoamerican Nephropathy. Drawing on interviews with affected workers, medical personnel, and officials (2017–2018), alongside extensive documentary review, Winkler exposes how industrial practices exacerbate public health crises, labor violations, and environmental harm amid weak regulations and corporate lobbying.Core Arguments and Findings<ul><li>Agrarian Context and Labor Precarization: Guatemala's sugar cane sector has tripled production since the 2008 crisis, driving land grabs for agro-exports like biofuels and bioplastics. This has displaced small farmers, diversified rural incomes (heavily reliant on remittances), and worsened labor conditions—long hours without protection, union suppression, and rights abuses echoing historical violations in the industry.</li><li>CKDnT as Epidemic Health Crisis: The paper details the surge in non-traditional chronic kidney diseases, affecting agricultural workers (mostly men, but increasingly women) in hot, low-altitude regions. Prevalence has reached epidemic levels, with estimates of thousands of deaths; causes include dehydration, but Winkler emphasizes continuous exposure to agrotoxics without protective gear, leading to symptoms like deteriorated reflexes and renal failure.</li><li>Agrotoxics and Corporate Influence: Focuses on key pesticides like glyphosate (in Monsanto's Roundup) and 2,4-D (DowDuPont's Agent Orange component), banned or restricted elsewhere but imported in rising volumes to Central America (e.g., Guatemala's imports tripled from 1994–2017). Aerial spraying contaminates communities, rivers, and air; studies link these to kidney damage, cancer risks, and ozone depletion, yet corporate lobbying (e.g., over $34 million by Dow) downplays health impacts and blocks international regulations like the Rotterdam Convention.</li><li>Regulations and Gaps: Critiques inadequate international (e.g., Montreal Protocol, Basel Convention) and national frameworks in Guatemala, which lack enforcement on pesticide limits or worker protections. Calls for blacklists, independent monitoring, and human-rights-based reforms to prioritize health over profits.</li><li>Analysis and Recommendations: While acknowledging multifactorial causes, Winkler argues for a causal link between agrotoxics and CKDnT, urging independent research, better labor conditions, reduced pesticide use, and accountability for agro giants. Concludes that these chemicals do not boost food security but endanger workers and ecosystems.</li></ul>Why It's KeyAmid ongoing debates on "multifactorial" vs. pesticide-driven causes of CKDnT, this paper stands out for its activist lens, tying health data to socio-economic critiques and real testimonies. Prepared for a 2017 CIDH hearing on agroindustry abuses in Central America, it amplifies calls for justice in a region plagued by exploitation. Though from 2018, its warnings resonate with current climate and health challenges in Latin American agriculture. For full text, reference pages 1–57.

Agrochemicals in Sugarcane Production and Their Impacts on Human Health

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From 2007 to 2019 I was working as a development worker at IDEAR-CONGCOOP. I coordinated research projects on land rights for advocacy of grassroots organizations with relevant Guatemalan institutions.My responsibilities:<ul><li>Conflict analysis: managing research projects related to resource equity in rural development, land rights and territorial conflicts</li><li>organizational development: consultancies for non-governmental organizations, farmers' organizations, umbrella organizations, grassroots organizations and rural communities on optimizing work processes, knowledge management, strategic processes &amp; fundraising</li><li>Adult education and qualitative research</li><li>Documentation for advocacy of indigenous rights over resources</li><li>Developing indicators for monitoring human rights and collective rights over land and indigenous territories</li></ul>

Development work

As a Research Associate at the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) and the Energy Seminar, alternative didactics have been key.My responsibilities:<ul><li>Planning, organization and self-administration of teaching in an interdisciplinary team of the energy seminar</li><li>Didactic supervision of interdisciplinary student groups in theoretical and practical projects in the field of sustainability, renewable energy, environment and society by means of a participatory teaching format</li><li>Cooperation with internal and external institutions and initiatives on energy and the environment</li><li>Personnel administration</li></ul>

Teaching activities

Human Rights and the Oil Palm Industry in Guatemala (2015), coauthored expert opinion for the hearing before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.Water Use by the Sugarcane Industry (2016) Analysis of the social and environmental impacts of industrial water use.More publications on resource justice in Latin AmericaThese include:<ul><li>anthropological case studies</li><li>magazine compilation</li><li>monitoring human rights and collective rights over land and indigenous territories</li><li>parallel reporting</li><li>expert reports on cultural identity of indigenous groups for legal disputes over territories</li></ul>

Publications

Professional projekt showcases 

<h3>Coordinating research projects in Guatemala</h3>Mmost of the information gathering that I did -in both teamwork and on my own- was for the benefit of guatemalan grassroots organizations that could use the generated content for their arguments in defending their territorial claims over lands and the environment.<h4>Organizational development</h4>By doing so, I was advising non-governmental organizations, farmers' organizations and umbrella organizations, grassroots organizations and rural communities on optimizing their work processes.Organizational development /is a strategic approach to improving an organization’s effectiveness, adaptability, and overall strength. It’s a critical and science-based process that builds the organizations’ capacity to change and achieve greater success by developing, improving, and reinforcing strategies, structures, and processes.<h4>Didactics in adult education and qualitative research</h4>I also transformed applied my social studies into didactic materials, so that people could take this sistematized knowledge and use it for their (political) purposes and strategic processes. Sometimes I supported by fundraising activities.<h4>Proof-reading and editing</h4>While I did my own research I also compiled collegues´research and was responsible for several publications on indigenous and territorial rights.<h4>Advocacy</h4>The body of evidence produced and gathered was used for shadow reporting at UN Publications of parallel reportings. It was also used in expert reports on cultural identity of indigenous groups for legal disputes over territories.<h4>Indicators</h4>A database with indicators for monitoring human rights and collective rights over land and indigenous territories was also created and part of my terms.Thanks to Bread for the World and CONGCOOP in Guatemala City, as well as to all indigenous organizations that I worked with. Special thanks to CNOC and the inidgenous authorities of Sololá and Suchitepéquez.Please visit the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://soloist.ai/kts/kt-work-experience">Guatemalan field impressions </a>gallery for more visual content.

Experiences from the field

Interactive workshops designed to enhance creative writing skills for individuals and groups, fostering storytelling and expression.

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Providing expert advice and strategies to promote sustainable development practices in both local and international projects.

Consulting on Sustainable Development

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A journaling Bible open to the New Testament. 

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In Guatemala, 12 sugar mills act as an oligopoly, a cartel with deep political connections whose power is often resented by communities in the countryside, reveals an investigation by El Faro and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://eldiario.es">eldiario.es</a>.

The Guatemalan sugar cartel

Article based on the article by the same name in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://elfaro.net/es/201704/centroamerica/20091/El-cartel-del-az%C3%BAcar-de-Guatemala.htm">El Faro (</a>by mentioned authors)

The abandoned grain hoppers and silos of the Arlington Cattle Company were left to rust in the Arizona desert.

The Guatemalan Sugar Cartel

                     project teaching 

How large hydroelectric companies dispossess the people

How land dispossession for biofuels harms indigenous people's food security

How the extraction of raw materials for renewable energy systems harms the environment and people of the global south

How fair is climate justice? Green burdens on unequal shoulders: a story of compensatory mechanisms and neo-colonialism

Fungi are indispensable for the functioning of our planet's ecosystems and can be future building materials for our planet

Building with clay is one of the oldest cultural techniques of humanity and yet, it can be a modern building material 

teaching portfolio: project work formats

books, pencils, laptop, and iphone on a desk

Instagram - @andrewtneel | Donations - paypal.me/AndrewNeel

Wood table with paper sheet and drawing tools

Some of the Unsplash Team fam working together 🤘

Scrabble tiles and smartphone. 
More awesome freebies here: https://firmbee.com/freebiesun

This is a creative & co-working space in Brisbane, Australia.

Sunday walk through Box Hill Farms in Duvall, WA. This beautiful, strong plant seemed to be a map of the world. Veined in a way that makes us relatable & not simply human.

web contributions from students and participants:

<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://inselfitness.wixsite.com/home">Social impacts of hydropower</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tu.berlin/nachrichtendetails/insekt-inn-eroeffnet">Green Campus</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7LoeuomO4V6TY0Czl69qZH">The Land Grabbing Podcast</a></li></ul>

In 2015, I was very fortunate to be able to translate Lama Ole Nydahl´s book "Fearless Death" (2000) from its original German version into Spanish: "Sin temor a la muerte".What it is about: For centuries Tibetan Buddhist masters have uncovered joy and meaning in the dying process. For them death is not a mystery. They know what will happen and see it as a great chance for spiritual development. Fearless Death makes their teachings accessible to the modern West.

Book translation

This article by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="last-byline css-ojhyzr e1jsehar0" href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/elisabeth-rosenthal">Elisabeth Rosenthal </a>in the New York Times focuses on food security of the Guatemalan population in the face of sugar cane and oil palm monocultures. I was one of the interviewees on this delicate food security issue.

As Biofuel Demand Grows, So Do Guatemala´s Hunger Pangs

An article on development work in Latin America and my reinsercion in Germany after being abroad.February edition 02.2024"Wissensschaft, Forschung und Lehre",(pages 4-6)

Teaching as a very enriching experience

In the 2000´s, I was co-founder of a maya women´s association in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala, for the traditional production of natural dyes for textiles.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://asociacionlema.ed.tl/">Check out their start up and beautiful work on social media.</a>

At Lake Atitlán in Guatemala

In the context of generalized limitation of available water resources, Guatemala shows a precarious scenario, more for its management and distribution than for scarcity. The absence of institutions and regulation, frame the current perspectives of supply and demand based on the interests of domestic and transnational monopolies -mining, export-oriented agriculture, bottling companies- and the growing generation of electricity.

Whose is the water in Guatemala?

Transnational Corporations - the new plundering ships of the Indies: perspectives of the Peoples Summit

Transnational Corporations

News and articles

Two middle age business workers smiling happy and confident. Working together with smile on face hand giving high five at the office

With the help of others and a heart.

Science communication: a video project on indigenous community resistance

This didactic video is based on my book <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.academia.edu/6120906/La_territorialidad_tzutujil_frente_a_la_expansi%C3%B3n_de_la_ca%C3%B1a_de_azucar">La territorialidad tzutujil frente a la expansión de la cana de azúcar.</a> For the making of this short film I was involved in the project idea, the story board, as well as the overall production process.What it is about: In the face of the generalized expansion of monocultures, especially the sugar industry, land for growing food is becoming increasingly scarce, giving rise to dispossession and hunger in Guatemala. The good news ist that indigenous practices for managing ancestral territories still remain to this day. They offer ways to survive and resist the corporation´s landgrab.This material has been used as a teaching tool for adults in indigenous communities that can not read or write. It has also been used for community work with grassroots organizations and in schools. It is available in Spanisch, Maya Tzútujil and English on youtube.A Production of CONGCOOP's Institute of Agrarian and Rural Studies IDEAR 2014.

My video project on community work

This video highlights the community activities of people in Antigua against megaprojects and logging of Guatemala's beautiful rainforests.©KatjaWinkler

Frequent reflections

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Monocrops like sugarcane and oil palm are taking over arable lands for food and threatening vital spaces of the local populace

One advances more or less the width of a street, and one has to advance 25 meters (1 rope) in a day in order to earn Q50.

A week´s pay at the plantation. 
A day's wage per weight is about Q 75 (9,76 USD) per day.

Father and children during forced labor
Photo by ©Rodrigo Abt -
https://www.artehispano.com.ar/Rodrigo_Abd_La_Camara_Afgana.html

"Children start working in the cane from the age of 13. In coffee they start from the time they can walk... ”

Young sugar cane requires much water. The irrigation of this crop? 24/7 during a period of at least six months of the year.

large trucks transport tons of harvested sugar cane on public roads every year. After each harvest, the roads are destroyed.

Ethanol is the most lucrative biofuel on sugarcane base that contributes to Guatemala´s important exports to Europe.

Sugarmills in Guatemala never turn off their power. Sugar barons compete with larger economies on the back of simbolic wages 

Results of inexisting water regulations for maximized sugar production: dried out river basins. Photo taken at the Río Sis, GTM.

Monocrops for fuel and sugar for food  

The carefully compiled content of this website is personal and is not intended for sale of any kind. The mere use of this website does not constitute a contractual relationship between the user and the provider.The use of the documentation is at the sole responsibility and risk of the user. Any liability claims arising from the use of this documentation are therefore rejected.Despite careful content control, I assume no liability for the content of external links. The operators of the linked pages are solely responsible for their content, and no liability is assumed for the content or legal violations of linked websites. They are subject to the liability of the respective operators. The inclusion of external links does not imply endorsement of the content behind the link.I appreciate your interest and hope you enjoy reading.

young Afro-American businesswoman working with sticky notes on office wall looking through memos thinking about business project.

"Agrotóxicos en el cultivo de la caña de azúcar y sus impactos en la salud humana: causas y orígenes de la Nefropatía Mesoamericana en Guatemala" by Katja WinklerExploring the link between pesticide use in sugar cane large scale production and the epidemic of kidney diseases in Guatemala. Is cronic exposure to agrochemicals fueling a public health crisis? Learn more about how this affects communities.#PublicHealth #Agrochemicals #NefropatiaMesoamericana

Agrochemicals in large scale sugarcane production

Water use by the sugarcane agroindustry in Guatemala

"Uso del agua por la agroindustria de la caña de azúcar en Guatemala" by Katja Winkler🔥 Must-read from 2016 still hits hard: “Uso del agua por la agroindustria de la caña de azúcar en Guatemala” by Katja Winkler reveals how sugar cane plantations in Guatemala devour billions of liters of water and poison rivers with toxic vinasse — while communities go thirsty. One hectare = up to 20,000 m³ per cycle. That’s not “green gold,” that’s water theft.Dedicated to water defender Rigoberto Lima Choc.#WaterJustice #Guatemala #SugarCane #TerritoriosXI

<h3>"Uso del agua por la agroindustria de la caña de azúcar en Guatemala" by Katja Winkler</h3>This standout article from Territorios XI (2016), published by Guatemala's CONGCOOP and IDEAR, provides a critical examination of the sugarcane agroindustry's outsized and unsustainable water footprint in Guatemala. Authored by researcher Katja Winkler, it draws on field data, environmental reports, and policy analysis to expose how large-scale monoculture plantations and mills dominate water resources, often at the expense of local communities, ecosystems, and food sovereignty.Core Arguments and Findings<ul><li>Massive Water Consumption: Sugarcane is portrayed as a "thirsty" crop, with Guatemala's industry—concentrated in regions like Suchitepéquez and Escuintla—consuming billions of liters annually for irrigation, processing, and cooling. Winkler estimates that a single hectare requires 15,000–20,000 m³ of water per harvest cycle, leading to groundwater depletion and river diversion that starves smallholder farmers and indigenous groups of access.</li><li>Environmental and Social Impacts: The piece highlights contamination from vinasse (sugarcane waste) discharge into rivers like the Samalá and Coatán, causing eutrophication, fish die-offs, and health risks. It critiques lax enforcement of environmental regulations, noting how agroindustrial giants secure concessions that prioritize export profits over human rights to water, exacerbating inequality in arid southern territories.</li><li>Policy Critique and Calls to Action: Winkler advocates for a human-rights-based water framework, referencing Guatemala's stalled Ley de Agua initiative. She contrasts industrial overexploitation with sustainable indigenous practices, urging reforms like participatory basin management and caps on corporate withdrawals to reclaim territories for local use.</li></ul>Why It's KeyIn the broader context of Territorios XI's focus on water as a battleground for territory and dignity—dedicated to water defender Rigoberto Lima Choc—this article stands out for its data-driven urgency. It bridges academic analysis with on-the-ground activism, making a compelling case that sugarcane's "green gold" label masks an ecocidal reality. Though from 2016, its insights remain relevant amid ongoing climate pressures and agroexport booms in Latin America. For the full text, see pages 69–92 of the publication.

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A river so rich with minerals from the mountains, it’s white. Blue wheelbarrow with plants in to looking over the frothing water.

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Taipei Energy Hill solar park from above.

Organizing interactive sessions to foster community involvement and collaborative project development.

Community Engagement Workshops

In 2015, I was very fortunate to get the chance to translate Lama Ole Nydahl´s book "Fearless Death" (2000) from its original German version into Spanish: "Sin temor a la muerte".What it is about: For centuries Tibetan Buddhist masters have uncovered joy and meaning in the dying process. For them death is not a mystery. They know what will happen and see it as a great chance for spiritual development. Fearless Death makes their teachings accessible to the modern West.

Visit my fater´s scented candle project with my brother´s visionary input.As a masterperfumer, my father has developped a lot of scented products. His latest creation is a luxury high end series of scented candles.

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