Turbulence

We left the United States the week of much turbulent weather. We rocked and rolled the entire trip, from Milwaukee to within an hour of landing in El Salvador and were 3 hours late arriving at SAL. We immediately called our driver who was waiting for us.

The next turbulence we experienced was in immigration. The details are boring, but the outcome is we are currently illegal and are unable to leave the country. I guess you can only get deported to El Salvador, not from El Salvador. (This is not going to look good on my resume.)

We arrived home in Batres around midnight. The yard was ankle deep in fallen leaves. A storm passed through just a day or two earlier dropping grapefruit size avocados on the roof, making two new holes. The house was very dirty. We pulled the dust covers from our bedroom furniture and called it a day – a very long day!

The next two days we had meetings with Oikos on the Food Security project in Candalaria and San Julian. This project benefits 41 families with food and a potential income stream. Personal security is an issue, thus a visit to two of the sites took some planning. There is no security risk from the beneficiaries of the project, but the mountains are filled with all types of individuals.

We left Batres in the red jeep taking the familiar drive through San Jorge into the river bed to drive up the volcano in the quebrada towards the two work sites. Prime land is scare and expensive in El Salvador. After the Peace Accord, the government also signed a land restoration agreement, giving land taken from farmers and communities during the war back to them for their personal use. While this is an excellent provision, it also has a down-side. Two generations of campesinos were lost during the war --- those who knew the farming skills for working mountain land and those who would inherit the farms and the knowledge to produce crops and protect the land. Much damage was done to the environment both during and after the war.

Oikos has the engineers and skills to train, assist and encourage these rural farmers. With the latest wisdom in environmental care and erosion control, the mountain-sides are cultivated appropriately for the planting of corn and beans. Planting the beans on the side of the mountain prevents standing water from rotting the seeds. The sites we visited face south; with the direct exposure of the sun, the beans will mature in 7 weeks. The first crop in June will be for the family. If the first harvest is sufficient, a second crop of beans in September will be used for food and sold in the market. This is the first time they will be able to produce two harvests.

Three beneficiaries accompanied us to the sites. They are grateful that we took the time to visit with them and also for financial support for this project. We spent almost two hours at the first site, then we walked the riverbed to the second site. The canyon walls grew higher, with curious residents looking down at our passing. Marta yelled up to them, it’s ok.

At the second site the land is owned by the beneficiary family. They have land but no seeds. Last years devastating weather caused wide spread crop failure and a shortage of seeds for this years planting. Oikos included this family as participants in this Food Security Project.

After spending 4 hours viewing the project in the hot humid sun, it was time to leave. We returned to the vehicle a different route, eating freshly made tamales Marta Lydia brought with her as we walked through the forest and fields back to the jeep.

These two sites are available to view on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hPpxxt370I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQkyCnc1tzU

David y Nancy