la maraña QUARTERLY REPORT
Convocatoria Abierta
We took off this quarter with the opening of our 3rd Open Call for the Participatory Design Lab. Through the [LAB] we seek to accompany social organizations and community groups in the co-creation of common spaces they need for their sustainability, permanence anddevelopment in Puerto Rico. For this year’s open call we received a total of 14 applications throughout eleven municipalities in Puerto Rico. Three community projects were selected for this cycle:
Arboleda del Lago in Toa Baja, Eugenio María de Hostos Frente al Mar in Yabucoa and La Tiendita in San Lorenzo, with a total community investment of $80,000.
Nueva
New Open Call [LAB] and leaders
Community projects applied 14
The Lagos de Plata community forest seeks to involve the community in conservation and sustainable management of a local forest area. This includes activities such as reforestation, biodiversity monitoring, environmental education and the development of sustainable forest-related economies, such as ecotourism or the production of timber and other forest-sourced materials.
1
Arboleda del Lago Levitown, Toa Baja
Selected community projects
Eugenio María de Hostos
Elementary was one of hundreds of schools closed down by the Department of Education after Hurricane Maria. In 2023 it was occupied by Guayanés al Rescate to fit a children’s library, a community kitchen and a garden that will house cultural and educational activities for the coastal community of Guayanés.
Eugenio María de Hostos Frente al Mar Guayanés, Yabucoa 2
Hours invested in visiting projects
A project by C.A.S.A. (Center for Sustainable Support and Self-management), La Tiendita seeks to enable a space for small agricultural producers to strengthen support networks between farmers, provide educational workshops, organize community markets and support organizational processes to strengthen communities.
3
La Tiendita
San Lorenzo
Brigades in urban gardens
In Ponce, Aldea Urbana managed to complete the construction of a vegetable nursery in Huerto Callejón Trujillo, one of several improvements planned for its community garden in the southern town’s historic center.
Inversión Comunitaria
Total community Investment
Pedro Flores La Cartuchera
In the Pedro Flores Community Garden, we accompanied the construction of two planting benches where all types of food will be grown in the urban area of Naguabo.
This past quarter we launched La Cartuchera, a support guide for leaders, groups and community organizations. This publication includes co-design and community planning tools developed by La Maraña and collaborating communities over the span of ten years. La Cartuchera will be the basis for our Certification in Community Project Management.
Official Release: La Cartuchera
Driving conversations forward...
This quarter we began a collaboration with the Community Land Trust for Sustainable Agriculture (FiTiCAS) for the development of a digital tool that will: [1] help visiblize Puerto Rico’s agroecological system, [2] provide information on support services for agricultural projects and, [3] connect agricultural projects with potential clients. Furthermore, as part of our participation campaign in the Government of Puerto Rico’s Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience Climate Change Plan (MARCC), we managed to get the Committee to incorporate our comments related to fishing as an axis of food sovereignty for the country. Stay tuned for more updates in our Q3 Quarterly Report!
Jardín