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CREA Panama
Country background:
Panama is one of the fastest growing economies of Latin America, however there are still issues to be addressed such as social inequality and poverty. At a national level, 52% of children between 0 – 5 years of age live in poverty. More than 29% of these children live in a state of malnutrition, without access to basic healthcare and education and also in areas of difficult access.
Organization:
Conservation through Research Education and Action, (CREA) works exclusively in Panama to combat poverty and environmental degradation, which are two of the biggest challenges that Latin America faces today. By providing poor rural communities with life-long land management skills, training and support, CREA helps them to improve their quality of life without depleting the natural resources on which they depend.
A very important component of the work carried out by CREA is that farmers in these rural communities are trained to promote these practices and to become both teachers and role models for their neighbours. This methodology known as “Farmer to farmer” training has been shown to be a highly effective way of transferring information. By leaving information in the hands of local farmers the information is not only more likely to be implemented by other members of the community but will also provide a rich training environment for many years to come, making this project highly sustainable and with long lasting effects.
Project Overview:
The aim of the project was to train local farmers in appropriate land use practices that would allow them to improve their quality of life without depleting natural resources. The project took place in the Mamoni Watershed of Panama and the project equipped 3 communities with skills necessary to attain sustainable land use practices and ecosystem management.
A farmer-to-farmer training programme was introduced, which helped disseminate important information on the best sustainable practices within these communities. The numbers of direct beneficiaries of this project were 15 families living in the Mamoni Valley in Central Panama, and the number of those that benefited indirectly were 600 living in the whole community, specifically in the communities of La Zaina, El Valle and Mamoni Arriba.
Event where money was raised:
DLA raised £6,800 and welcomed 800 visitors during the 5th DLA Film Festival.