NuMundo - El Pedregal

About.

INSO is an NGO that supports sustainable development in the region of Oaxaca City, Oaxaca. Founded over 20 years ago, the project involves diverse environmental practices that connect civil society, institutions, and the government in working to protect the environment and educate the population of Oaxaca. The project is also building a series of demonstration centers to show how a site can sustainably use resources and maintain high productivity. El Pedregal is located on the ranch of a local campesino who in the past suffered a harsh dry season and severe erosion on the site’s steep slopes.

A decade ago, the site was re-designed with a permacultural vision, and has transformed to become a demonstration of the possibility of this type of change for others in the area. The site now features renewable energies, diverse organic techniques including composting, mulching, and worm composting, natural building, rain water harvesting, with hillsides covered in swales and gabions. The site is an example of how the area can be re-greened and returned to balanced productivity and self-sufficiency. INSO also works on a series of activities that focus on water conservation and rain water catchment in dry areas of the Oaxaca region, coupled with educational events including the Oaxaca Water Forum in Oaxaca City.