The Salteña University works with Acambuco

The province of Salta and the National University of Salta (UNSA) have joined forces to develop a project that seeks to ensure that the community of Acamuco takes care of its environment. It is an idea that seeks to disseminate and deepen environmental education. The initiative is carried out with the funds of the national  forest law. The project is called “Education and environmental communication in the communities of the integrated territorial management area Serranía de Tartagal”. This is developed in the town located about 500 kilometers from Salta, in the department of San Martín, within the framework of the specific agreement signed between the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of  Salta  and the UNSA High Studies Foundation.

The idea of the project is to work with the community and institutions to develop awareness of  environmental protection.

Resolution No. 1795/18 designated the Socio-Educational Research Center of Northern Argentina and the Faculty of Humanities of UNSA. These institutions are responsible for the implementation of the environmental education project. They were chosen for their experience and trajectory in the development of research and the training of students, teachers and researchers. Especially in the field of social sciences and education. Cisen pledged to provide scientific and technical advice. Also the logistical support necessary to carry out the actions outlined in the agreement.

 The first workshops 

Last year, environmental awareness workshops were held with educational institutions at primary and secondary levels, and an  environmental  citizen participation workshop aimed at the community. They painted a community environmental mural in high school and did socio-community activities. Among them are the puppet work “Sueño para volar”, by the group A Punto de Ser Pez.

They also wrote the review of the play “Tale the Story of a Girl Seeking a Treasure of Gold Coins”. This is a story about a girl who, along the way, finds different characters who teach her the value of nature. They also organized a community lunch as part of the environmental education project.

They produced audiovisual materials to disseminate the socio-environmental heritage of the place and to document legends and oral memories. They made storybooks and board games to recreate the biodiversity of the Acamuco area. What is noteworthy is that the work was done in the territory and what had the most call was the mural designed by José Rueda.

 Environmental Education 2020 

This year the Athenaeum of Teacher Training “The environmental dimension in educational practices in rural contexts” is scheduled. The call for specialists who will make up the training team is still diagram. It also works on the planning of the Athenaeum and the teaching material that will be used.

 What's Acambuco like? 

It is an area of lush nature. Rural families depend exclusively on natural resources.

Acambuco is bordered to the north by  Bolivia , to the west by the Rio Grande de Tarija, which is later renamed the Itaú River. With private Argentine properties, the eastern boundary is the Aguaragüe and Tartagal mountains. The southern boundary is also defined by private properties. It contains an altitudinal range between 650 and 1200 masl.

They are scattered villages, made up of approximately 100 families that carry out agricultural-livestock activities mainly aimed at self-consumption, with some surplus sales to the market. Orchards and animal husbandry are part of the social economy and local development. There are regular migrations of young people to the cities of Tartagal, Aguaray, Pocitos or Vessel. This is for reasons of study or in search of job opportunities. Important points to understand why this locality was chosen for the development of the environmental education project.

Source:  El Tribuno