People in Cumaica Norte are Thriving Despite Record Drought and High Food Prices

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The price of beans in Nicaragua is triple what it was this time last year. For most of the people we work with at CEPAD, that means they and their children are eating more rice and fewer beans.

The causes include global market pressures that have increased exports and a year of devastatingly low rainfall because of the El Niño climate cycle and overall global climate change. Rainfall in Nicaragua has been up to 88 percent lower than normal. But in Cumaica Norte, a community in the San Jose de los Remates region, farmers are celebrating a beautiful bean harvest thanks to an irrigation system CEPAD installed and trained them to use.

 

Eduardo Orozco Rivas, one of the CEPAD community organizers in Cumaica Norte, couldn’t wait to show recent visitors from Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church his beautiful beans. He explained that they lost a pepper crop to a disease but knew from CEPAD trainings that they could reuse the rich soil to plant another crop on top of the failed peppers.

“With the irrigation and from the fertilizer made by the pepper plants, these beans were born,” he said. “Look at this crop, how beautiful they are! This is a blessing from God.”

Eduardo asked me to thank CEPAD’s partners and supporters for providing the funds that  brought the irrigation system to Cumaica Norte. Each system costs just over $2,000, and with the help of donors we have installed more than 20 of these systems. Thank you from Eduardo and all of us here at CEPAD! Your donation will make it possible for more of our farmers to grow the crops that sustain their families.

Improved Nutrition and Financial Security In Communities Wows Volunteer

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By Leala Rosen

Rachel and I visited Nicaragua in January and spent two weeks learning about CEPAD’s work empowering small farmers and improving food security through sustainable agriculture training. During our time with CEPAD, we stayed at homestays with farmers who have participated in CEPAD agricultural trainings. We stayed on two farms – one was with a family that had been the first Community Agricultural Promoters in the community, and the other was in the earlier stages of working with CEPAD to improve their food security and nutrition.Community Agricultural Promoters work with disciples in their communities in order to teach others about organic, sustainable agriculture techniques in order to improve crop yields and water efficiency as well as increase food security within the farmer’s homes.

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A Single Mom Gains Leadership and Farming Skills

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As the only breadwinner in her home Tita Rocha was delighted when she was chosen to be a Community  Agriculture Promoter to learn about conservation techniques as well how to diversify her crops and improve the type of food that her family can eat throughout the year.

“I am happy because I am changing the way I work the land. I am now planting different crops that will yield food for my children in different times of the year, making use of techniques of soil and water conservation to protect my land and my plants.”

Tita participated in three trainings provided by CEPAD and learned conservation techniques which included preventing soil erosion through the use of live and dead barriers, making natural pesticides and making organic fertilizer.

As a Community Agriculture Promoter Tita also has other farmers who she is sharing the information she learned with to help them also improve their crops and protect the environment.

For Tita the value of these trainings extends to her children as well. She is teaching them what she has learned which is helping them to be more involved in the work that she does.

In the future Tita hopes to plant all of her land to reap the benefits of her newly diversified crops. “In the future I hope to plant the rest of my land,  putting into practice what I have learned through the trainings.”

Thanks to your support of  CEPAD’s programs together we were able to train 516 farmers in 2012 in these farming techniques, improving their food security as well as their  treatment of the environment. This post originally appeared in the Fall 2013 CEPAD Report. Subscribe to the e-newsletter to receive the report and other news from CEPAD.

Irrigation Systems Mean Hope In Face of Drought

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The first half of 2013 left many Nicaraguan farmers in despair as crops and animals died. But Luis Robles has hope for the future after CEPAD installed an irrigation system to help farmers in his community.

Luis, 23, leads the Community Development Committee in Malacatoya, a rural community outside of San Jose de los Remates, some 96 kms from Managua, the capital city. This year, he and two other farmers were able to irrigate their crops thanks to a motorized irrigation system that pumps water to their farms. This system will allow them to harvest basic crops year round to provide food for their families and to increase their income.

“Because of climate change, the drought this year was long and hard,” Luis said. “We had enough clean water to drink, but we didn’t have enough water to cultivate. So, it was amazing when CEPAD brought us the irrigation system and trained us how to use it.”

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Plantain Cooperative Expands Economic Opportunities

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Farmers in Nueva Guinea this week signed an agreement with the San Antonio bank to create a new cooperative plantain business that leader Yalena Hernandez Serrano said will help producers earn an additional $2,500 per year.CEPAD helped the farmers organize and implement the new business plan with financial and planning support from Episcopal Relief and Development. So far, 13 farmers have signed up to participate in the Allianza Productiva de Platano, also called APROPLAT, and about 80 are interested.

“We’ll do training on how to grow the plantains, the responsibilities of the project, and how to sell commercially,” said Yalena. “I love farming life, and I’m excited to help lead this project. We’ll sell in Nicaragua to start, and we hope to be able to sell internationally as well.”

CEPAD will help provide that training. A cooperative model is a great fit for rural farmers, said CEPAD program director Evenor Jerez.

“The law permits them incentives when they participate in cooperatives like better prices on tools and fertilizer,” Evenor said.

The San Antonio bank is a cooperative bank that CEPAD started 18 years ago to promote fair commerce. They provide loans at manageable interest rates as well as infrastructural guidance.

We hope that with this great network of support – CEPAD, Episcopal Relief and Development, and the bank – the farmers can expand their businesses and learn new skills. An additional $2,500 per year in income would mean a drastic improvement in quality of life for many farmers in Nueva Guinea. Although the project is still in the early stages, the participating farmers are committed and motivated by a hope that radiates from the bright green plantain trees growing on their farms.