Sugarcane production has more than doubled in El Salvador over the last several decades, especially in the eastern region surrounding the Bay of Jiquilisco. The department of Usulután, particularly in the Lower Lempa zone where our partners the Mangrove Association and La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa are based, has experienced the greatest growth rates since […]
Sowing Sustainability by Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders
We’re halfway through our fifth annual Viva Fund campaign to empower young leaders in El Salvador and nearly halfway to our goal of $7,000 thanks to the generosity of our supporters. If you haven’t had a chance to, donate before the campaign ends Monday, June 29. The word “sustainability” gets batted around all too often these days. At […]
El Salvador and the Right to Water: Now What?
One way or another, El Salvador is going to have to get a handle on its water supply. In the most water-stressed country in Central America, over 90% of the country’s surface water, from places like rivers and streams, is not considered safe for drinking. Census data shows that in 2011, some 28% of rural […]
Farmer cooperatives, not Monsanto, supply El Salvador with seed
In the face of overwhelming competition skewed by the rules of free trade, farmers in El Salvador have managed to beat the agricultural giants like Monsanto and Dupont to supply local corn seed to thousands of family farmers. Local seed has consistently outperformed the transnational product, and farmers helped develop El Salvador’s own domestic seed […]
Conflict over land use tops meeting agenda with Ministers in Usulután
Community leadership from the Mangrove Association and La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y Bahia de Jiquilisco–alongside the Mayor of Jiquilisco–convened a meeting on Tuesday with the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of the Interior, to discuss local concerns about unregulated agricultural and development activities that threaten mangrove and coastal areas critical to local […]
