Center for Envirionmental Education and Ecological Actino (CEDUAM)

CEDUAM (Environmental Education and Ecological Action Center) is a non-profit, environmental organization located in northern Tlaxcala state, in the heart of México. Much of CEDUAM's work takes place in the municipal area of Tlaxco, which has among the most deficient and depleted natural resources in the country. For more than ten years, CEDUAM has been working towards the sustainable development of rural Tlaxcala in order to promote social justice and an equitable harmony with nature. CEDUAM´s efforts have been vital to the health of México's environment and to the survival of local cultures and communities. CEDUAM's agricultural programs have achieved remarkable success teaching farmers to conserve soil and water. Additionally, it has organized a participatory process that has improved agricultural techniques and facilitated community development. The organization's team of staff has helped farmers to accomplish an ecologically sustainable increase in the output of corn, beans, and peas. Currently CEDUAM is working on a new organic farming project in rural Tlaxcala, near the city of Tlaxco. Thegoal is to develop a model organic farm with education, conservation, and empowerment programs for farmers from around México. Small-scale Mexican farmers in general have been affected very negatively by NAFTA and globalization legislation, this is especially apparent in Tlaxcala. CEDUAM is seeking to help these farmers by teaching them efficient, cost-saving, environmentally safe, and sustainable techniques that will help them to better compete in newly liberalized markets.