Farming for the Future Projects
About our Program:
Our program, Farming for the Future, is an umbrella term that encompasses many of our different programs such as organic agriculture and our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program. However, we have so many other offshoots of this program that we decided we needed another page for more information on the Farming for the Future Program and its many different aspects! Many of these projects were also completed through our Leadership Program with students taking the lead!
Una Vida Saludable
This program was initiated by Manuel and Edu, and it’s whole focus is about living a healthy life. Una Vida Saludable translates to A Healthy Life and the program focuses on just that. A healthy life that encompasses more than just food. Essentially it focuses on everything that we put into our bodies so total nutrition, clean water, a clean environment, etc.
This program unofficially began in 2012, when CdA first began as a non-profit, and at the time we had no idea we were doing it. We began with clean water and ever since we were able to install a well, we have been consistently monitoring the water for bacteria and metals. The water consistently tested clean till 2023, when the test came back positive for bacteria. After that, we tested the families that were using the well and they also came back positive for parasites and bacteria. This gave Manuel and Edu the idea for long-term testing for accurate nutrition monitoring. The idea is a healthy life for everyone not just focused on food.
Dragon Fruit Production
Recently, we were able to re-introduce the production of Dragon Fruit or Pitaya in the rural La Paz area! These are members of the cactus species and are normally bright pink and bulb shaped. They are primarily grown in tropical and subtropical areas and are native to Central America. This is absolutely amazing that we were able to provide them saplings and the families are all super excited to grow them!
Dragon Fruit is super rich in Vitamins C and B3, riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus in addition to providing naturally occurring sugars and fiber. Overall, these fruits contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which are all beneficial to creating a balanced diet.
Alternative Medicine & Community Garden
Juan Carlos, a scholarship student in the midst of obtaining his doctorate, began and runs the Alternative Medicine Program. Juan Carlos teaches workshops on how to create natural medicine from plants such as guava, jocote leaves, and many others. Another reason this program is super exciting is because so many women are interested and learning so much! We are so excited to help Juan Carlos spread his knowledge and help empower the community and the women in the rural La Paz region.
We began the creation of a community garden after many of the women in both the Farming for the Future Program and Juan Carlos’s Alternative Medicine Program came to us with the idea of starting one. The idea is that everyone could grow plants for both homeopathic remedies and eventually sell the medicine made from those to the surrounding communities.
Reforestation
Due to decades of colonialism, conflict, and economic exploitation, El Salvador’s environment has been decimated. In 2020, Forests covered 817,000 ha (hectare) or 8,170 square kilometers, and according to the World Bank, these “forests are being lost at an estimated average annual rate of 2.6%, equivalent to about 21,700 ha annually” (1). 21,700 ha roughly equates to 217 square kilometers lost per year. Despite these depressing statistics, the Salvadoran government, in addition to the general population and non-profits, have been actively trying to mitigate this potential catastrophic damage. As part of our commitment to reforestation, we manage over 200 limber and fruit trees with the purpose of helping reforestation efforts in the Tehuistes community and surrounding areas. We are so fortunate to have our partners support, as these trees were donated by the Salvadoran Ministry of the Environment.
As of 2024, we have completed reforestation projects at:
Guiscuyulapa River 8/5/2019
Hiscuyulapa River in Los Tehuistes 7/23/2019
(1): Global Forest Watch: El Salvador Deforestation Rates & Statistics | GFW (globalforestwatch.org)
We first brought Tilapia to the Los Tehuistes community and surrounding area in 2020, but we’re super excited to announce that were expanding the program so more families are able to join! This is a big deal because Tilapia is a huge source of protein for most families! For these families it was a big deal for them to have chickens, but chickens are way harder to work with. They require more space, time, and attention without providing a sufficient amount or protein to offset the cost. Tilapia are just the opposite. They are easier to take care of, are more cost effective, and provide better nutrition.
So now that there is Tilapia, how do we keep them healthy and maintain their environment? As these fish are kept in enclosures, the water can get incredibly dirty with waste and saturated with carbon dioxide, so we came up with the idea to use aquaponia or aquaponics to repurpose the dirty water for vertical farming.
By using this method of aquaponia, families with smaller plots of land have more room and options to grow a garden, water is repurposed instead of being disposed of, and the fish maintain a healthy environment.
Tilapia Production & Aquaponia
Organic Corn Production
In 2021, with the aim of expanding the benefits of basic grain production, we began preparing the land and repellents for a completely organic corn production. Through this new crop, we aimed to teach the families in the Farming for the Future Program how to create and use organic repellents and fertilizers with the idea that the communities will gradually abandon the use of agro-toxins normally used to produce corn. Through the pictures below, you can follow the success of growing completely organic corn from start to finish!
Car Tires for Irrigation
Sometimes our projects just don’t turn out as we intended. Even when we have the best intentions, the results just may not work out, and we are not afraid to admit when we have failed. One of our failed projects was trying to use old car tires as a method for irrigation. Ultimately, they needed to be taller, and the amount of work vastly outweighed the benefits. Nevertheless, we learned so much from this failure, we learned from our mistakes which eventually steered us in the right direction.
Cleaning the Water Tank
The young beneficiaries of the scholarship program carried out the cleaning of the water tank that distributes water to all the Tehuistes communities and La Loma Caserio. They worked with youth from La Loma Caserio and the Unit Health and Scholarship Program. These pictures are from the second cleaning of the water tank. The main contaminant found inside the tank was dead spiders and corroded sand from the same structure. We are so proud of everyone who came together to help!
