SONSONATE, El Salvador—Every May 1, El Salvador marks International Labor Day. This national holiday recognizes the work carried out by workers throughout the country as well as the poor conditions, human rights violations, low pay and other injustices many laborers still face.
In El Salvador, farming represents a critical function in staple food production, the well-being of rural areas, and the generation of income and jobs. It provides employment to 18.6% of the economically active population. However, worries exist that the farming population is growing increasingly older as younger people flock to urban areas for more opportunities.
The fertile hills of northern and western El Salvador produce most crops. In departments like Chalatenango, Sonsonate and Santa Ana, highways cut through miles of corn, coffee, rice, sugarcane, and vegetable fields. Coffee, “red gold,” is the country’s largest cash crop.
All photos by Beatriz Rivas
Beatriz Rivas studied photography at the Technological University of El Salvador and completed her studies in Marketing. She lives in El Salvador, where she develops her work as a photojournalist and videographer. Her work currently focuses on the world of communication and the creation of multimedia content, where she mainly offers her photography and video services to prestigious companies in El Salvador.
