The Government of El Salvador, together with the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, launched the implementation of the agricultural extension project “MERIAN”, an innovative model of technical and digital assistance, with a view to improving the productivity and sustainability of the sector.
In this sense, the initiative aims to strengthen and expand the coverage of technical assistance provided by the National Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA) and will also promote specialized training and the management of digital platforms and tools, as well as the application of new environmentally friendly technologies.
This project aims to benefit around 150,000 agricultural producers, with emphasis on young people and women in rural areas, so that they have a better quality of life and are part of the productive development of the country.
As part of the initiative, a Service Center will also be created that will allow producers to make inquiries about pests, fertilization and other productive topics of interest for daily work in the field. Likewise, the National School of Agriculture (ENA) will update its training offer with an innovative approach for more efficient and sustainable agriculture.
“With MERIAN we are moving towards a more robust system, which incorporates digital platforms and applications with technical information for the agricultural and livestock sector, expanding coverage and improving technical support,” said the Vice Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Óscar Domínguez.
While the FAO Representative, Jorge Samaniego, reaffirmed that agency’s commitment to “strengthen national capacities for a more modern, competitive and resilient agriculture, promoting digital literacy, the use of technological platforms and greater innovation in the field.”
The strategy, which also contributes to national efforts on food security, has an investment of more than $5.7 million, granted by the European Union; while the FAO collaborates with $230,000. For its implementation, it has the support of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is the specialized agency of the United Nations for digital technologies.
The director of the El Salvador Agency for International Cooperation (ESCO) of the Foreign Ministry, Karla de Palma, also participated in the launch event of the MERIAN Project; in addition to the EU ambassador in our country, Duccio Bandini.
date: 2026-02-12 17:10:00