NEWS & REPORTS

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CEDESA and Sustainable Campo Housing

by Betsy Bowman

CEDESA, the Centro para el Desarrollo Social y Agropecuaria in Dolores Hidalgo was founded about 40 years ago by the Roman Catholic Priest Father Memmo.  It  helps campesinos in the Dolores Hidalgo area survive and prosper on the land. 

What do people need to know to be able to live off the land?  The answers to that question were different 50 or 25 years ago from today.  Today we have much more scientific knowledge about agriculture, water recycling, sanitation, etc., and we also know about international competition in the agriculture market thanks to NAFTA!  And a community’s success in living off the land directly impacts the number of young people who emigrate north. 

Since 2000, CEDESA has been building a model sustainable housing unit complete with rain water catchment, recycled water,  home garden plot for raising vegetables with natural fertilizers, nopal greenhouse, dry toilets, and passive solar construction.  These new sustainable techniques are helping the local campesinos survive living off the land.  The goal for CEDESA and campesino families is that no family member be compelled by necessity to leave the area and emigrate north just to help the family survive.   CEDESA not only is building a model for sustainable campo living but they help individual families incorporate these sustainable features into their homes.

One contribution that we at the Center for Global Justice hope to be able to make to CEDESA is to introduce them to solar stoves, stoves which use very small amounts of combustible material, and solar water heaters. 

We can learn from CEDESA about how some Mexicans are working to beat NAFTA and stay on their own land in spite of the changes wrought by so-called free trade and in spite of the collapse of markets for their agricultural products.  Please join us!

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