Ecuador

The town of Zaruma is suffering from the creation of enormous sinkholes caused by 1000 years of gold mining, still often ‘artisanal’

Cacao growers will begin using drones to face labor shortage: drones will be used to spray pest and supply fertilisers

The government decided to intensify price controls in the midst of the protests that are taking place in the country: governors will have to carry out operations and price control mechanisms to prevent speculation

President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency in three provinces in response to the violent protests by Indigenous people demanding cuts in fuel prices

The Agriculture and Livestock Ministry has established an emergency plan for small banana producers to battle ongoing inflation, which consists in giving them a temporary subsidiary to restructure their debts

To boost shrimp productivity, the country has implemented new strategies to breed their shrimp in a way to make them resist disease and have the ability to thrive despite environmental challenges

The state has signed the Commitment to the Elimination of Malaria, establishing an official plan to eliminate the disease, a public health problem that affects the poorest and most vulnerable groups in the country

For the easter holidays, the government has deducted the VAT tax by 4% for all tourist activities, as a way to incentivise local tourism

The series of earthquake that struck the Esmeralda area, resulting in hundreds of people displaced and the temporary closing of myriads of local businesses, also ring a bell about the increase of seismic and volcanic activity in the Ring of Fire