Today is World Environment Day and we at Social Promotion Foundation want to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the protection of natural resources and the fight against climate change.
Thus, sustainability and care for the environment are fundamental elements in most of the initiatives we develop in all the countries where we work.
Such is the case of the project we are carrying out in the rural communities of San Bartolomé Jocotenango and San Pedro Jocopilas, located in the Department of Quiché, in Guatemala.
In collaboration with our local partner FUNDAP and with funding from the Regional Government of Madrid, we are working with several indigenous families in vulnerable situations. One of the main objectives of this project is to raise their awareness and strengthen their knowledge so that they are able to take advantage of and improve the available natural resources, producing food in a sustainable and safe way.
Cecilia’s experience
Cecilia Pelicó participates in this initiative having been trained as an agricultural promoter. As part of this project, she has learned new environmentally friendly agricultural production techniques. “Before, I didn’t know how to take care of the soil or plant new healthy crops,” she explains.
In addition, Cecilia says that now she also knows how she can and should manage the organic waste generated to use it as fertilizer for the next planting. This advance, consequently, also allows her to obtain healthy food through her crops.
On the other hand, Cecilia adds that the knowledge and new techniques learned are allowing her to teach and share with her family and community how to manage her agricultural productions. “We are a group of women in this community who also teach the other women the knowledge we have about caring for the environment,” she adds.
“Our land, our future”
As Flor Ochoa, a member of FUNDAP, rightly recalls, the slogan for this year’s World Environment Day is “our lands, our future.” With the deterioration of soils and the consequent desertification, the population, and especially the most vulnerable communities and families, are more exposed to serious risks, such as food insecurity, and the risk of being exposed to the effects of climate change.
To address this situation, “every action counts”, so we are convinced that, through this project, these communities and families will continue to make progress in the production of their own food in a sustainable way, ensuring their own food security and the nutritional health of all their members.