In the community of El Gavilán in the department of Ahuachapán, municipality of Tacuba, women found themselves without participation in agriculture and without access to land.
The solution was to give women training in the production of organic food and in garden care, for example by working the soil with ashes, dry leaves, microorganisms, rice husks and chicken manure when planting. Each day of the training was a space to exchange ideas and look for solutions to the various personal problems that each of the women had. Together, the burden is much lighter.
A group of organised women, aged between 20 and 50, with different marital status, have received training from various organisations working in the area, FUNDESYRAM and Ayuda en Acción, among them. They decided to put what they have learnt into practice.
In order to get their project off the ground, a 450 square metre plot of common land was rented to cultivate a vegetable garden. In 2019, five women started the project, now 20 women are trained in organic agriculture and have a voice in their community.
They have organised themselves into groups and have expanded the garden, where they grow various plants, such as aubergines, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, chilli peppers, radishes, baby squash and aromatic herbs. The harvest is always shared among all of them. The women also arranged water for irrigation, as the land does not have access to water.
Fundación para el Desarrollo Socioeconómico y Restauración Ambiental (FUNDESYRAM) is a Salvadoran organisation that facilitates community eco-development, trains and facilitates agroecology with more than 30 organisations in the country and shares its knowledge virtually to 190 countries.