Reforestation and sustainable agriculture at Lake Chapala

Lake Chapala – repeatedly named Threatened Lake of the Year. 11 million people who live in the lake’s catchment area draw water from it, as it is used as Mexico’s drinking water reservoir. In addition, climate change, wastewater and agricultural inputs are putting pressure on the lake. The water level is dropping – dramatically! The lives of animals, plants and people depend on it. All around it, deforestation is progressing and erosion is the result.

Within two years, we implemented a project for reforestation, climate protection and poverty reduction in two villages. The inhabitants are dependent on agriculture. Forests in the Sierras de Chapala are being cleared to create new pastureland. Through training courses on sustainable farming options, in which traditional farming methods are combined with modern, sustainable forms of agriculture, the residents learn how to cultivate their fields in an environmentally friendly way and how to protect themselves from landslides by creating terraces.