Latin America Projects

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

WMG in partnership with Dr. Diane Austin, University of Arizona Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, is conducting a binational community assessment. The assessment process is bringing together UA undergraduate interns with a high school in southern Tucson, a middle school in Nogales, AZ, and a high school in Nogales, Sonora. The UA interns will lead a group of students in conducting a grassroots assessment of water harvesting.  They will be looking at what technologies are used, how the technologies are working, the interest level in these types of technologies, and if people are sharing the technologies.  The research is ongoing and will be completed by the spring. A community forum is being planned to share the results of the assessment. 

Volcán de Buenos Aires, Costa Rica

The Volcán River drains the Volcán watershed into the Térraba River basin.  It is located in the southwestern region of Costa Rica, and is primarily an agricultural area.  Pineapple is the major crop, and other significant land use is for coffee, cattle, and sugar cane. The Volcán watershed has experienced issues related to intensive agricultural production and deforestation.

WMG began working in collaboration with the Volcán watershed commission (La Comisión para la Gestión de la Cuenca del Rio Volcán) in January of 2006.  In partnership with the watershed commission WMG assisted with the design and implementation of a reforestation demonstration project for the benefit of the watershed community.  At the culmination of the reforestation project WMG and the watershed commission coordinated a demonstration day which involved local producers, and representatives from the environmental ministry, a pineapple company, Nature Conservancy, and Tropical Science Center.