Who Benefits

Profile of  participants
ACÁ training opportunities are for everyone: children, women, gardeners, growers, teachers and families. The workers in the Eco Training Center are primarily women. Carlos de la Garza, ACÁ's Outreach Coordinator, says organic training program participants are 50% women, 35% children, 15% men. In outreach activities for courses and conference activities, there are 90% men and 10% women. The growers we work with and the interns are very evenly mixed. We target local low-income farmers, particularly farm workers, mothers and children, who have no voice or opportunity.

Educational Institutions
We work with educators in Lerma Basin schools particularly in rural  marginalized areas to provide specific eco-curriculum development and provide training support for school educators. Through our Youth Eco Tours and discovery day camps we support teachers who want to promote safe and sound principles of eco literacy, ecology, food, sharing and growing together. Our on-site demonstration models are the best way ACÁ has found to inspire environmental solutions. We follow that up with support for interested schools to establish an integrated edible garden approach to integrate biology,  cycles of nature, and global conservation issues directly into  the curriculum. Our integrated approach brings the schools and parents together and the field into to the kitchen. Our project feeds minds and bellies, brings back endangered species into the regions they grow best, diversifies food crops, encourages the rich culinary diversity along with nutrition, and provides a hands-on experience of ecology, community-driven training and outreach programs.

Participant Profile for 2006

The following chart shows ACÁ's profile of the populations we work alongside, showing a broad-based appeal. It would be reasonable to expect the projections on training alone. but with the  proposed infrastructure for the Eco training Center, as it grows to be an Eco Tour destination  . However, ACÁ anticipates that it could quadruple for 2007 with the grant funding.

	Quantity	Families/direct contacts	Total of people now	Total of people benefiting now	Anticipated numbers for 2007
Civil Organizations	25	60 (desarrollo rural)	240	240	480
Farmers	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
Producers	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
Producers Organizations	15	288 (producers)	1,152	1,152	2200
Educational Institutions	8	3,365 (students)	13,460	13,460	27000
Jalisco Counties	6	15 (Secretaries)	Variable	Variable	Double
Media Fresh Newsletter	5	2,000 (readers)	320,000	320,000	640000
Apprentices & Interns National	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
Interns International	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
School Discovery Day	6	30	120	120	220
Agro Classes & Courses	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
Educator Workshops	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
Community Gardens	updating	updating	updating	updating	Double
Parents Groups	1	updating	updating	updating	Double

 

 

   

Rural Social &  Economic Benefit

The degree to which the students from rural schools, communities, gardeners and growers are the catalyst for an ongoing ripple effect of active alliances and partners networking with other regional, national, international organizations and universities.

Virtually everyone in the targeted villages will benefit from the ACA outreach programs through increased nutrition, income, and learning that can be transmitted throughout the village across generations. While ACA's organic farming models for highly nutritious crops have been developed specifically for the highlands of Mexico, the program model potentially can be used in any area of the world to combat poverty and malnutrition. That is why it is so important to include all aspects of the program design—the teaching of organic farming, nutrition and cooking to families—to ensure that the initial programs meet their potential for enhancing nutrition and combating poverty.