New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/23/2013 -- Fundación Guayacanal, a highly regarded NGO from Columbia, recently announced the launch of its new social project, the Energetic Efficient Model for Arid Zones (el Modelo Energético Eficiente para Zonas Áridas). The project aims to reach five goals: producing more crops with less, using some of the produce and selling the remainder, promoting gender equality, encouraging and training families to create and manage their own agribusinesses, and using everything produced in an efficient way.

At this time, some regions of Columbia face a growing problem. The development of agriculture and livestock is very low, resulting in no profitability in fragile ecosystems that are highly affected by climate change. Many people do not know of low-cost technologies; this prevents small producers from finding alternative methods for sustainable agricultural production. Most of the energy produced by the communities in these regions is obtained through firewood from natural forests, leading to deforestation. Women are also not valued in agricultural activities.

Through Fundación Guayacanal’s Energetic Efficient Model for Arid Zones, the NGO hopes to achieve a higher production level by encouraging families to grow crops that are adapted to climate change. This will help communities in Chicamocha Canyon, a rural zone in Los Santos, overcome hydric limitations of their ecosystems and recuperate marginalized lands.

“We also want to achieve the empowerment of women in society, a new harmony in men/women-nature from actual conditions,” noted an article on the NGO’s Indiegogo page. The company added that it hopes the project will lead not only to stopping desertification, but also to the recuperation of zones that are unproductive.

“Eventually, Fundación Guayacanal wants the zones to enter and contribute to the development of these less favored communities.”

At this time, Fundación Guayacanal is accepting donations to help fund the Energetic Efficient Model for Arid Zones. The campaign will help construct a new lifestyle for 25 affected families—approximately 100 people. Fundación Guayacanal’s ultimate goal is to raise $345,000 (650 million Columbian pesos), enough to work with the 25 families, but through this campaign, they hope to earn $180,000—enough to implement the project with 12 families.

People who contribute to the project can receive several perks, such as t-shirts, hats, videos, and the opportunity to meet and talk to those in charge.

Individuals interested in learning more about Fundación Guayacanal and its services can visit the organization’s Indiegogo page for more information. Customers can also subscribe to Fundación Guayacanal’s Facebook accounts for frequent updates from the organization.

About Fundación Guayacanal
Fundación Guayacanal is an NGO from Colombia. The organization is comprised of a group of friends from different professions, dedicated with passion and enthusiasm to environmental and land management; united for the interest on giving Colombia an applied ecology and environmental management. Guayacanal has its coordinating office at Bogotá D.C., Colombia, and headquarters at the Departments of Santander in the towns of Los Santos and Barrancabermeja and Antioquia in Medellin City. The organization develops projects with their own resources with local urban, rural and fishermen communities, principally in the department of Santander, Magdalena River middle basin, Bogotá and Medellín. For more information, please visit http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/working-with-women-from-small-rural-communities-for-climate-change-mitigation