Social development

Atacama Fertile Land | Programs | SQM Lithium

In 2008, the Atacama Tierra Fértil Program was born, through which SQM has promoted agro-productive initiatives in the driest desert in the world. The Fertile Land Program is present in the towns of: San Pedro de Atacama, Toconao, Talabre, Rio Grande and Hierbas Buenas, Soncor and Socaire. Its objective is to provide farmers with technical advice and collaboration, to develop their crops and production, through a team of multidisciplinary professionals, provide innovation tools to improve crops and the marketing of products with added value or high quality. . One of its hallmarks is respect for the cultural aspects of the ancestral agriculture of the Atacameño people.

Sport and Healthy Living

TOCONAO FAMILY RUN

The Family Run that takes place in the town of Toconao and that gives the possibility of enjoying beautiful natural landscapes, has the participation of a large number of runners who dared to be part of this circuit that is characterized by being a competition that It takes place at 2.400 meters above sea level, with a unique geography in Chile and temperatures that generally border 30°C. This initiative is financed through the SQM Sports Competitive Funds and nominated by the worker Marcelo Lobos and his team of Runners Salar de Atacama.

Education and culture

SUPPORT PROGRAM IN MATHEMATICS

For the eighth year, the collaborative work between SQM and the Crea + Corporation continues to bear fruit in qualitative and quantitative terms. The program, already consolidated, continues to obtain good results and is valued by the teachers and management teams of the institutions advised. 

During the 2019 financial year, the program taught in different establishments had a direct impact on 1.674 students and 49 teachers. The program generates internships in Finland, granting scholarships to professionals who stand out for their results and commitment to their students.

Education and culture

Apprentice Program | Programs | SQM Lithium

In recent years, the SQM Salar Apprentice Operators training program has prepared new professionals from the surrounding communities to perform a new job with high standards of management, efficiency and quality. The company has prepared a program backed with the know-how, knowledge, innovation and experience of SQM workers. The program considers four thematic axes: Awareness about safety regulations and organization of operational work; Understanding of the production stages and technical processes for the development of operational work; Knowledge in the field of the good practices of the operational or productive processes of Lithium; and Knowledge of the quality standards that allows working around the Continuous Improvement of the processes.

This program summons apprentices, men and women from the communities of Toconao, Calama, Peine, Socaire, Camar and San Pedro de Atacama. The participants have acquired soft skills and technical tools that were crowned with their permanent hiring and entry into different areas of SQM at their Salar de Atacama site.

Historical heritage

Loom House | Programs | SQM Lithium

Casa Telar is a project promoted by Fundación ONA and SQM, and its objective is to commemorate textile art and the ancestral knowledge of the Lickanantay culture. 2019 was marked by significant progress in the program, mainly in the work groups of the communities of Toconao, Socaire, Larache and Talabre, with the fundamental objective of enhancing the Lickanantay Atacameño textile industry. In San Pedro de Atacama, in the town of Toconao, the first Textile Art Documentation Center operates, a place that complements the work carried out by the women who participate in this initiative, which seeks to contribute to preserving the textile heritage of the inhabitants of the commune.