In Keepers of the Future: La Coordinadora of El Salvadoras, journalist and filmmaker Avi Lewis profiles a community organization in El Salvador that demonstrates how deep local democracy can help even a poor population build environmental, economic and political resilience.

Recovering from the devastation of the Salvadoran Civil War, the Lower Lempa coordinadora, a farmers’ cooperative, works hard to raise awareness of climate change and promote sustainable agricultural and fishing practices.

The cooperative provides Bajo Lempa’s population with the means to live while guaranteeing the viability of local ecosystems. It has restored degraded ecosystems, diversified small-scale agriculture to build local self-sufficiency, and fostered political resistance against national initiatives to “develop” the region by establishing a wage-based economy of tourism and large-scale sugar and cotton farming.

Can this model succeed? Can it be replicated?

"Keepers of the Future is a wake-up call for anyone feeling overwhelmed about climate change. A marginalized peasant community challenges corporate power and takes climate resilience into their own hands. A bold, simple, yet powerful tale that gives hope to us all." Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director, Food First

24 minutes.

DVD includes both English subtitled and Spanish versions as well as scene selection.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGxnt0tK21w&feature=youtu.be