The key to cultivating loroco? According to one family of growers, it’s a woman’s touch
Guillermo Marroquín compares the loroco with a rose; it flourishes with a woman’s light touch versus that of a man.
- 1 year ago
April 18, 2022
EL ACHIOTAL, El Salvador— Under an intense sun, the extended Marroquin-Gavidida family—mothers, daughters, aunts, wives, and nieces—work the fields together. They dedicate their efforts to growing loroco cuttings in a special nursery built for their production, part of an effort to foster rural development and eradicate hunger locally.
Guillermo Marroquín compares the loroco with a rose; it flourishes with a woman’s light touch versus that of a man. He says the hands of the women in his family have a special touch to make the plant bigger and more robust, ensuring that its leaves are greener and that it develops faster.
About 32 people total work on the farm. The men carry out the heaviest labor-intensive tasks, while the women handle the production of cuttings and the care of the plants. They do most of their work at night, filling the days with cooking and family time.
All photos by Beatriz Rivas
