Artisans from Bolivia and Paraguay keep culture aliveand transform cotton into art

07/10/2025

Indigenous farmer and artisan María Posiva, 65 years old, lives in the municipality of San Antonio de Lomerío, in Bolivia, where spinning is part of her DNA. She learned to work with cotton at the age of 10 with her grandmother. Belonging to the Chiquitano people, María recalls that cotton has been present in her life since childhood, when her family cultivated it to make their own clothes. “Craft is an art”, she says.

She recalls that from a very young age, she has been part of a women’s group in her community where she learned to sew and make various garments. Married for 50 years and mother of 11 children, she divides her day between household chores, farm work, and spinning, the latter being the activity that has allowed her to contribute to the family income.

She is currently a member of the Association of Small Artisan Industries and Tourism Services (APIASERTUR), made up of 20 women who produce cotton thread crafts such as handbags, backpacks, hammocks, and shirts, among other products.

With the support of the +Cotton project of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program, María participated in experience exchanges with artisans from Argentina and Peru, training, national and international events. “Sometimes it is good to go out so that one gains knowledge”, she says.

The +Cotton project has been jointly carried out, since 2013, by the United Nations Organization of Food and Agriculture (FAO), the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), and six partner countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. One of the actions of this initiative is to promote the strengthening of the capacities of the “cotton women”, farmers or artisans who, through courses, fairs, and exchange spaces, rescue ancestral knowledge linked to cotton art.

María and other Bolivian artisans were trained in colorimetry, occupational safety, cutting and sewing. The Chiquitano artisan also masters the ancestral technique of natural dyeing with roots, stems, bark, and husks, a cultural heritage of her people. Everything she has learned she now passes on to other women, in the same way that she received teachings in her youth.

One of her greatest learnings with the project, she highlights, was to put aside synthetic materials and return to her origins: “I work with cotton because it is our culture”.

Delicate garment, in cotton

About 900 km from María’s community, in Yataity, Guairá department, Paraguay, lives Carolina Giménez, 57 years old, single mother of two children and artisan. “For me, cotton represents an invaluable cultural legacy. Keeping this tradition alive means honoring the memory and the knowledge transmitted”, she says.

Yataity is recognized as the capital of Ao Po´i, a Guaraní term that means “fine fabric” or “delicate garment”. The relevance of this technique is such that, in 2024, through Decree 929, the Executive Branch declared Ao Po´i weaving as the preferred official garment of the National Government.

Carolina lives mainly from cotton crafts, although she complements her income with other activities. She sells her garments at fairs, to direct clients, and in cultural spaces. “Living with Ao Po´i embroidery is carrying with me a part of the identity of my region. This tradition represents history, culture, and the effort of many generations”, she says.

For Carolina, embroidery connects with the roots, strengthens identity as a people, and ensures the transmission of knowledge to young people as a heritage that must not be lost. She is currently a member of a committee of artisans that enhances collective work and facilitates the exchange of experiences.

For the Paraguayan artisan, the support of the +Cotton project was a great opportunity to strengthen her craft, expand knowledge through training courses such as More Cotton, More Craft, improve the quality of her products, and open doors to new markets.

From Bolivia and Paraguay to the fashion runway in Brazil

María Posiva and Carolina Giménez were together during the launching fashion show of the collection “Latin America dresses in cotton”, held in Brasília, Brazil, where they represented the crafts of their countries.

Both were protagonists of the narrative of the fashion show, which sought to highlight the artisanal process of cotton — from cultivation to embroidery — and the role of rural women as guardians of ancestral knowledge. “It was an opportunity to show my art, my craft”, María recalls. Carolina adds: “I never thought of visiting such a beautiful place through craftsmanship”.

The event presented 30 looks made with family farming cotton and embroidered by rural artisans from five countries, with the support of the +Cotton project, including Bolivia and Paraguay.

The two artisans are also part of the Latin American Network of Cotton Women, an initiative supported by the +Cotton project that seeks the empowerment of women in the cotton value chain and the promotion of more sustainable, fair, and value-added economies.

World Cotton Day

According to FAO, cotton supports about 24 million farmers and more than 100 million families around the world benefit from it. In addition, it is the second most used fiber worldwide, among other plant, animal, and synthetic fibers. Cotton constitutes a fundamental livelihood for millions of small producers and workers and their families. In addition to promoting sustainable livelihoods, it drives women’s empowerment, youth employment, and access to decent work.

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 7 October as World Cotton Day, recognizing its unique benefits. The objective is to give greater visibility to the cotton sector and raise awareness about its role in economic development, international trade, and poverty reduction in territories around the world. In 2025, the theme is “The fabric of our lives”.

More Cotton

For 12 years now, the +Cotton project has been carried out in the region, within the framework of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program, with the aim of promoting sustainable and inclusive production systems, with a comprehensive view of the cotton value chain. The project fosters good agricultural and social practices, value addition, fair trade, and agro-textile development.

One of its strategic axes is the empowerment of rural cotton women, whose central role goes beyond cultivation: they also transform cotton into crafts and contribute to its commercialization.

Videos