Posted on

Guatemalan athlete will run 5,300 km across Chile to support nutritional security

Cals 4 life will support nutrition in Guatemala

The Guatemalan athlete, Daniela Andrade, will begin the journey of running 5,300 kms in Chile in the first days of March. The calories that she burns will be converted into money to promote food and nutritional security through Fundazucar’s Better Families program.

Daniela Andrade will support the Better Families program of FundazúcarOn March 1st, Daniela will return to Chile with the purpose of raising money and awareness for nutrition in Guatemala. “I am very excited to be able to unite the two things that I like, sports and social help, and I am sure that this will be the first project of many,” said Andrade.

The project Cals 4 Life will consist of crossing the South American country running from North to South, from the Atacama Desert down to Punta Arenas. The journey will last five months, and Daniela will be accompanied by a person, who will oversee driving the van that will take everything from food to the recovery equipment.

You can also collaborate

During this time, all the calories that Daniela burns will be converted into money, that is, 1 calorie will be worth 1 quetzal (USD 0.13). This project will have an international impact and anyone who wants to join can also do so. Daniela explained that the project can be supported in two ways: donation of calories and/or purchase of calories.

Through the website www.lifethrusports.org, people will be able to enter their calories burned in their physical activity for the day and, to buy many calories as they like.

Better Families ProgramAll this help will go to the Better Families program of the Sugar Foundation -Fundazucar-, which promotes Food and Nutritional Security, self-esteem, self-management, and leadership in women, as agents of change for the development and well-being of their families and their communities.

Posted on

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry reuses waste as organic fertilizer to conserve soil

The Guatemala Sugar Industry has relied on research and science to be more environmentally sustainable for the planting and harvesting of sugarcane. An example of this is the development and implementation of practices for the conservation and sustainable use of soil.

practicas de conservacion de suelosSince 2012, the Sugar Industry has worked hand in hand with the Guatemalan Center for Research and Training of Sugar Cane -Cengicaña- and the Private Institute for Research on Climate Change -ICC- on practices to stop or prevent erosion, conserve soil, and improve their fertility and productivity.

Reuse of waste as organic fertilizer

During the production of sugar, significant amounts of organic waste are generated as byproducts that have a high agronomic value, including filter mud, ash, and vinasse. Cengicaña scientists discovered that applying these byproducts to the soil improves its physical, chemical, and biological properties.

For example, filter mud is a residue from the manufacture of sugar and provides phosphorus, calcium, and nitrogen, among others. It is estimated that each harvest produces more than 750,000 tons of this residue that is used to nourish fields.

Vinasse is a liquid residue from the distillation of alcohol and is mainly made up of water, organic matter and minerals that benefit the soil. Just as ash, mixed with filter mud, is beneficial for acidic soils, which favors greater availability of nutrients for plants and generally improves soil health.

Green fertilizer program

Crotalaria flowerJust as they use organic fertilizers, the Sugar Industry also uses green fertilizers, an ecological measure of planting legume plants that provide the soil with nitrogen for nutrition in an ecological and environmentally friendly way.

When legumes are mixed with the soil, they provide organic matter that improves the texture and structure of the soil and promotes the development of microorganisms that are beneficial to crops.

All these good practices are promoted by Cengicaña with the aim of comprehensively using biological and organic elements that are sustainable with the environment for the cultivation of sugarcane.