CATIE strengthens technical capacities to promote nature-based adaptation solutions in Ahuachapán Sur, El Salvador

• Technical staff from the SAF-GB and SSP projects were trained to improve field assistance and strengthen follow-up with beneficiary families, ensuring the sustainability of the practices implemented.

Since July 2023, with funding from the Adaptation Fund (AF) and support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), and the Environmental Investment Fund of El Salvador (FIAES), CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) has been implementing two projects in Ahuachapán Sur aimed at promoting nature-based adaptation solutions.

These initiatives include the establishment of 900 hectares of Agroforestry Systems with Basic Grains (SAF-GB) and 414 hectares of Silvopastoral Systems (SSP), with the goal of strengthening the resilience of production systems to climate change in territories where agriculture and livestock are the foundation of family livelihoods.

Considering the adverse climatic conditions affecting the region—where agricultural and livestock systems form the basis of local livelihoods—CATIE specialists designed a comprehensive capacity-building plan aimed at ensuring the technical and methodological appropriation of the approaches promoted in both projects. This process targeted both the field technical team and participating farming families.

The plan addressed six strategic areas: (1) Agroforestry systems and farm planning in the context of climate change, (2) Fundamentals of rural extension and assertive communication, (3) Gender and intersectionality, (4) Digital tools for tracking, monitoring, and geolocation, (5) Production and management of agroecological bioinputs, and (6) Benefits of restoration processes and their link to climate change adaptation.

The sessions combined theoretical and practical activities led by the project management team, composed of specialists MSc. René Jarquín, SAF-GB coordinator; MSc. Richard Olmedo, SSP coordinator; and MSc. Sergio Fernández, executive director. A total of 16 individuals (2 women), who make up the field technical team, have been trained.

Community ownership

Between March and May 2026, the technical team will conduct awareness-raising activities with farming families to strengthen their understanding of the benefits of the restoration techniques implemented on their farms.

These actions promote a vision of nature-based solutions as components of socio-ecological systems that go beyond tree planting, incorporating the strengthening of ecosystem services, the reduction of environmental degradation, and the improvement of climate resilience in agricultural and livestock systems.

To date, three training and project outreach workshops have been conducted: two in the communities of Nueva Esperanza and La Ceiba (La Ceiba district), and one in El Golondrino (El Sacramento district). A total of 85 farmers participated in these sessions, with 41% female representation, demonstrating significant participation of women in the capacity-building processes promoted by the initiative.

Upcoming actions include promoting integrated water management, reinforcing key messages during the update of farm plans with more than 560 SAF-GB families and 120 SSP families, and sharing project information with community leaders through a group workshop.

The articulation between technical staff and farming families at the local level contributes to greater ownership of the knowledge and tools promoted, encourages active participation in informed decision-making, and strengthens resilience and sustainability indicators of the supported farms.  

MSc. Richard Olmedo
SSP Project Lead
CATIE
Richard.olmedo@catie.ac.cr