Juan Sorto, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Bullard Center, was recently featured in the news in El Salvador

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Juan Sorto, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Bullard Center, was recently featured in the news in El Salvador

Recently, Dr. Juan Antonio Sorto was featured in Diario de El Salvador, one of El Salvador’s major newspapers. The article outlines his current research with the Bullard Center at Texas Southern University and the University of Gerardo Barrios in San Miguel, El Salvador. Dr. Sorto and a team at the University of Gerardo Barrios are conducting a yearlong ethnographic study in Canton Miraflores, San Miguel, where they are assessing the needs of the community and the role of public participation. Canton Miraflores, an area of 13 miles, is a community where most of the residents earn $2 per day, well below the poverty line.

The initial finding concludes that despite their current social challenges, most stakeholders have called Canton Miraflores home for generations. Initial findings have discovered that stakeholders value the rich history of the community, which mostly involves the farming industry. Yet, the farming industry is being threatened by the arrival of modern technology, as seen through the construction of new residential development, which is depleting several natural resources through deforestation. For example, a small river that intersects the community has been depleted of water and is now a hotspot for illegal dumping. The community believes the depletion of their natural resources is associated with climate change and a new generation that is foregoing traditions. An elder stated that growing up, the community held processions during droughts, and rain would appear the next day. Community members have expressed that the river’s current condition is a sign that the situation has gotten worse. Some participants remember the days when they used to catch shrimp and fish along the banks of the river.

The community does not have access to greenspace or playgrounds. Some community members expressed a need for youth development, and they view the lack of access to green space as dire. Along with access to greenspace, the community lacks grocery stores. The community is a food desert, where members must ride the bus for 45 minutes to the nearest grocery store. In addition, the community does not have access to clean water, due to all the chemicals that are produced due to the farming industry. Community members have stated that only one soil sample exam has been conducted, but they did not know the name of the agency in charge. The community knows water is contaminated by the yellow color that is produced from the wells.  

The article highlights how recently, stakeholders have started to engage the community by hosting monthly health and wellness initiatives that lead to a nearby lake, whose water source is being threatened by the environmental hazard of several concrete batch plants that surround it.

The article highlights how the health and wellness walks are a result of the ethnographic study that is currently underway. The study lead to the establishment of Friends of El Salvador, a nonprofit designed to sustain the community through advocacy and research. Friends of El Salvador

The University of Gerardo Barrios is not only committed to Dr. Sorto’s research but is also helping the community organize in a more sustainable way. Most members who have been interviews do not wish to leave the community even though they recognize the dire nature of their problems. Initial findings suggest that crime is no longer a major issue for the community desire to migrate to the United States, but climate and environmental justice continue to plague the community's from having access to economic development and educational opportunities.

The article draws on Dr. Sorto’s personal journey of growing up in El Salvador and his Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University as an inspiration for his current research. "We want the communities we are [studying] to be able to defend themselves for the future and for them to know that [we] are support a system. If they need expert help, we will respond," Sorto said.

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