Vision & Mission

Campesino working on the shores of Lake Atitlan

Almost 70% of the rural population in Central America lives below the poverty line in subsistence agricultural communities. Their daily existence is closely tied to the land that they live on, and even the smallest changes in their environments and ecosystems can have widespread impacts. In addition, many of these communities are located in remote areas with little or no infrastructure and limited resources, resulting in two things: a high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, and a limited ability to recover from any ill-effects. There is a clear need for programs in this region to help these rural communities adapt and build resilience to climatic changes, and the mission of Seres is to meet this need. We work directly with this population to provide practical, affordable and sustainable solutions that give these communities not only the mechanisms to adapt, but also the opportunity to thrive.
Our mission is to help at-risk groups in developing countries build resistance to climate change threats using knowledge, tools and resources that are environmentally ethical, ecologically sustainable, and economically affordable.

In the words of Bill Mollison – co-founder of the world-wide permaculture movement – “ though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple”. We work with these simple solutions: from permaculture to appropriate technology, renewable energy systems to natural building methods –using any tools and methods that can help us to live healthy, prosperous lives without having a negative impact on our environment and eco-systems. We believe that with the aid of these tools, and the knowledge of regional ecosystem adjustments due to climate change, these communities can develop into resilient, thriving, sustainable communities that are empowered, educated and aware.

Our Vision to achieve this is to build the Seres Centre – a “Communiversity” designed to facilitate sustainable, grassroots community development and climate change adaption by offering a free educational centre that provides the tools, knowledge, resources, access to the latest social innovations, mentoring and capacity building for at-risk, low income subsistence communities in Central America.

Through engaged, consensus-based learning we will foster sustainable community development, building climate change resilience and helping communities change their stories from ones of vulnerability to one of thrivability