La tierra que nos sustenta

Coffee is the most important crop in the history of the
country. Since its introduction in the 19th century in
transformed the landscape, society, political culture, and
national economy. The land designated to its harvest
became the most developed agricultural area. Its exports
help to the economy and development of the country
until the second half of the 20th century. Nowadays, coffee
crops faces economic and environmental challenges but
it continues being an essential piece to think about the
future of the nation.
Although the industrial production of coffee was the first
perturbation of the Salvadorean natural environment, the
crop has been able to keep an exceptional forest of native
trees and bushes like “sincuyas, anonas, chirimoyas, amates,
caimitos, chicozapotes, palmas de sombrero, cerezos,
chilamates, guarumos, amates, pepetos, tamarindos,
caraos, robles, liquidambar, tecomasuches, aguacates,
cacao, ojushte, tigüilotes, tempisques, chichicaste, pepe
nance, capulines” and more than 200 species. Many of
these are deciduous, so they contribute to the constant
nutrition of the soil.
Biologists also state that coffee plantations are the areas
that contribute the most to aquifers. Its hermaphrodite
flowers, are pollinated by bees and have a great importance
in the conservation of the species. The coffee forest has
created its own ecosystem which contributes to sustain an
environmental balance. In recent years, efforts to generate
organic coffee production have increased.
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