Our work in Guatemala began in 1995, in and around San Lucas Toliman in the country’s central highlands. Early support led to a profitable fair trade program for 300 indigenous organic coffee growers. Building on this achievement, numerous other small cooperative projects were initiated, among them work with orphaned children and local women. Our rapidly growing mission led to the formation of the Institute of MesoAmerican Permaculture (IMAP) in 2000, and a beautiful parcel of land was purchased on the shores of Lake Atitlan, becoming the new, permaculture reference center.

IMAP has since developed into a kind of nucleus, managing a web of extension activities serving indigenous communities devastated by Hurricane Mitch. IMAP’s seed bank is striving to reconstruct the lost Mayan seed heritage, and an ambitious education program has been initiated to train young indigenous leaders in technical proficiency.

Since early October 2005, IMAP has been working on disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Stan. IMAP leaders are coordinating their efforts with the International Non Governmental Organizations Water for People, Doctors without Borders, and The Red Cross, as well as several Governmental Organizations and the Local Municipality of Santiago Atitlan.

In the wake of this disaster and in light of the situation in Mesoamerica today, the work IMAP is doing is now more essential than ever. For the past year IMAP has spearheaded the formation of forty grassroots projects from eight countries into a MesoAmerican network. This network will be highlighted at the MesoAmerican Convergence in January 2006, in San Lucas Toliman.

Click Here to read about the
2006 Mesoamerican Convergence

Food production at IMA

Local food market in San Lucas Toliman

Permaculture food forest in the I'jatz cooperative demonstration farm.

Seed saving at IMAP

New IMAP Project Center

Photos Thanks to Ben Levy