Promotion of sustainable territorial development initiatives, with the participation of young people and women in six municipalities of the Bay of Jiquilisco, El Salvador

• Country: El Salvador
  Location: Departamento de Usulután
  Start date: 01/03/2014
  End date: 31/05/2016
  Applicant(s): Fundación ETEA
  Local partner(s): ASIBAHÍA, UCA El Salvador, Asociación Mangle, G. Cuenca Bahía de Jiquilisco
  Fudner: AACID
  Funding: 279.560,00 EUR

The general objective of the project is to contribute to sustainable territorial development in the Bay of Jiquilisco, through social participation, economic promotion and associated environmental management. To this end, it focuses on the specific objective of strengthening local institutions and economic autonomy in the Bay of Jiquilisco, through the empowerment of social and environmental organisational structures, the participation of young people and women and the implementation of environmental practices.

The intervention is carried out in 6 municipalities in the department of Usulután (Jiquilisco, Jucuarán, Concepción Batres, Puerto el Triunfo, Usulután and San Dionisio) in El Salvador. It is a territory with a long agricultural and aquaculture tradition, with a largely rural population, whose history was marked by population resettlement processes derived from the signing of the Peace Accords, which resulted in high levels of poverty, exclusion and social marginalisation to the detriment of the quality of life of the inhabitants of these territories, as well as an accelerated deterioration of the environment. Although the territory has a great wealth of natural resources, the productive sectors face difficulties in consolidating an adequate commercialisation circuit with their respective local and national market niches, as well as in the adequate management of technical tools to improve the quality of their sustainable production. Although there is an important social capital based on a network of community organisations, there is still a need to articulate networks and consolidate inclusive spaces for dialogue in terms of gender and youth, applying management tools that contribute to a greater generation of cultural value.