Project Summary

SalvAide recently applied successfully for a major grant from the Canadian Government through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to support a rural development project in Chalatanango, an economically depressed province of El Salvador which suffers frequent droughts and from a lack of crop diversity. In Chalatenango 70% of households live in conditions of poverty or extreme poverty and 67% percent of the economically active population in the region relies on subsistence agriculture. SalvAide and its well established Salvadoran partner organizations (CORDES and CRIPDES) will implement their project, entitled “Integrated Family Farm Plan: A Gender Sensitive Model for Sustainable Agricultural Development of 6 Rural Municipalities of Chalatenango” over a two year period.

This project addresses the challenges of food and income insecurity and gender inequality faced by Salvadorans in this region. In the area of food insecurity, crop diversification will be improved by introducing several types of fruits and vegetables through seed purchases and agricultural training while hand-made irrigation systems will help farmers use water more efficiently and save more crops during the dry season. To improve the prices received for their products, farmers will be trained to run their own markets and will set up "commercialization committees" to market them and organize production at the community level. The sustainability of the project will be promoted by having those trained in agricultural methods and entrepreneurship train more beneficiaries after receiving the training themselves, making each direct beneficiary a “producer teacher.” The imbalance in women's domestic work loads will be aided by purchasing and installing Tortilla Corn Dough Mills, while gender sensitization workshops are also proposed for 528 people (equally between men and women) to help address a patriarchal culture that has relegated many women to secondary roles and economic marginalization.

There are to be 1260 direct beneficiaries of the project overall through training, workshops and/or having their domestic workloads reduced. The total population of the municipalities is about 30,000, many of whom should benefit, at least indirectly from the project as more diversity in food, improved environmental conditions and some "trickle down" effects occur through social diffusion of benefits and interaction. In the past integrated family farms have proven popular and may encourage other citizens to seek out similar projects to improve their quality of life.

Funding for the project with a total value of $447,059, will begin with a $ 314,859 donation from the Canadian Government through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), While SalvAide is required to raise approximately $163,000 from private and public funds, from concerned Canadians, businesses and other institutions, which represents 34% of the total project costs. Because of this need and a desire to involve others in this exciting project, SalvAide it is now seeking sponsors and partners.

Thanks for your help !

To date 100 women have been able to reduce their domestic load with the help of 3 Tortilla Corn Dough Mills. Now they can use their energy in other activities, including the participation on social activities, as well as, in activities that concern the development of the community, such as in participating at the decision-making level.

The communities where the grinders had been installed are:
1. El Portillo, in Arcatao where 38 women are the beneficiaries.
2. El Sitio, in Nueva Trinidad where 28 women are the beneficiaries.
3. Las Cuevas, in Nueva Trinidad where 34 women are the beneficiaries.

Beneficiary: Maricela Monge

Progress