The Environmental Court of San Salvador ruled yesterday that the sugar mill Ingenio La Magdalena be held responsible for environmental damages resulting from the massive molasses spill that took place on May 5, 2016. During the spill thousands of gallons of molasses, a byproduct of sugarcane processing, entered local waterways in the municipality of Chalchuapa, […]
El Salvador’s Burning Ban: A Step in the Right Direction for Sugarcane
Government institutes common-sense limits on burning, while industry motions toward 100% sustainability by 2020. El Salvador experienced its driest period in over 40 years this past summer. The drought caused major crop loss across Central America, and family farmers who depend on rain have been hit particularly hard. Rivers, lakes, and groundwater levels have also […]
Sugar and El Salvador’s Economic and Social Woes: Not Just a Tempest in Your Coffee Cup
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 […]
Kidneys, Chemicals, and Clinics: What Rural Communities and the Salvadoran Government Are Doing About a Global Epidemic
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 […]
Countries target pesticides as suspected link to rare kidney disease
This article, from the Center for Public Integrity, originally appeared here on September 20th, 2013. By Sasha Chavkin On opposite ends of the world, governments are cracking down on pesticides as a potential cause of a mysterious form of kidney disease killing agricultural workers. In El Salvador, the congress approved a ban earlier this month on 53 agrochemicals. […]
