Local Community Resources
History
San Juan de Peñas Blancas was founded in 1982 as a peasant settlement. Currently with a population of more than 379 permanent inhabitants, distributed among 164 households, mainly made up of families of origin and peasant traditions dedicated to subsistence agriculture and the provision of mixed labor services. In addition, it has been growing and developing more comprehensively, having since 1987 a primary or elementary school and since 2006 with a secondary or high school, giving access to diversified education and training together in both education centers around 70 high school students and 18 elementary students, from both San Juan and neighboring communities, such as Barrio Lourdes, San Rafael, San Isidro, INVU, La Cruz, among others. The Community has its own aqueduct, which even supplies part of other neighboring communities such as San Isidro de Peñas Blancas and Barrio Lourdes and the community of San Juan.Economic Activities
In the community of San Juan de Peñas Blancas there are no large concentrations of land, since this community is characterized as a peasant settlement, where the economic activities that are mainly carried out are tuber and agriculture, such as cassava, sweet potato, taro, plantain, beans, corn, among others. Dual-purpose livestock is also common among locals.Fish farming is also common around, mostly tilapias, which are sold in the local community and sometimes in some other areas of the country. There are poultry farms, for chickens, hens and egg production, both for family consumption and for marketing. On the other hand, tourism is one of the sectors that generates the most employment, both for people from the community and from other areas, where chefs, guides, workers, construction masons, bartenders, maids, among others, are hired. Unfortunately, there is a lot of unemployment, which is more frequent in the young population that must migrate to other places, which is more marked in the female gender and even more so if they are single mothers.
Inhabits of San Juan by Age Category, up to 2020
| Age Ranges (Years) | Total Individuals |
|---|---|
Less than 6 years old | 25 |
6-12 | 65 |
12-20 | 112 |
20-50 | 125 |
More than 50 Years Old | 25 |
Total: | 379 |
Soltis Engagement with the Local Community
The local communities are willing to participate more actively in the education or research activities facilitated at the Center, which represents a great opportunity for outreach programs, cross-cultural activities, and even research. Local farmers are eager about potential agricultural research that could eventually be carried out at their farms, or training programs for new or improved farming techniques, just to mention a few examples.
Emergency Resources
- Introduction to Risk Management in Costa Rica (Insert Link)
- Emergency Procedures for the Soltis Center (Insert Link)
- Guidelines for Managing Risk in the Field