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Watershed Education Project

Environmental Education in the Laja River Upper Watershed
In recent years, the water crisis in the greater San Miguel de Allende environs has
raised social conflicts and community fear in outlying communities. Accelerated by
climate change, the impact is that rural communities are living with prolonged and
extreme droughts, the erosion of soil and its "nutrient cycles" and loss of
pollinators. The resulting diminishment of habitats and crops is escalating an
advanced desertification process, impacting access to water and the sovereignty
and quality of food crops.

To raise resilience and adaptation we are working with our local community NGO
Salvemos Al Rio Laja (SRL) to design and develop sustainable ways to improve the
health of the ecosystem to aid community wellness. We are educating local
communities with processes to create alternatives and to change the culture of
land overexploitation. Our priority is to activate and promote actions and
knowledge with a local perspective and collaboration in rural and urban
communities, simultaneously improving the health of the family, the community,
and the watershed.

In partnership with the Secretary of Education of the Mexican State of Guanajuato,
our collaboration with SRL has created active education programs in 22 schools in
the surrounding communities of San Miguel. The program has activated
"demonstration spaces" with ecotechnologies based on "Nature-based Solutions."

Each demonstration site includes a rainwater collection cistern and a vivero
(greenhouse) for the ongoing propagation of healthy “milpa diet” food plants as well
as the production of water conserving plants for rainwater catchment/soil
conservation gardens.

Through comprehensive hands-on education programs starting with students of
primary and secondary schools, our program teaches resilience and improvement
of the local ecosystem and activates children, youth and families as managers and
actors of change by promoting an understanding and respect for nature.

Actions that can be supported:
1. School and family gardens and nurseries
2. Activation of habitat spaces -Rain gardens
3. Sustainable reforestation actions
4. Training and work for community promoters
5. Training and actions to enable sustainable healthy food for families
6. Training and actions with farmers for adaptation to climate change
7. Workshops and school projects in rural primary schools

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Midday Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende
Club 70057 - Rotary District 4140
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico