Erick has a small farm in the community Cuatro Esquinas, in the Pantasma region. He lives in the same community he grew up in, and can testify to the effects of climate change. 

“I grew up here in the Pantasma region. I remember when I planted corn with my dad, the rainy season started in May, on time and always regular. But it’s not like that anymore. We don’t know if we are to have two weeks of non-stop rain or three or four months of drought. The weather patterns have been changing since 1995, but since 2012, the drought is more prevalent. We have started to lose money without the crops we used to grow. We used to plant rice in this region, but we can’t anymore.”

“Climate change today is a result of what mankind is doing. There are greedy people that see untouched land and only see money, so they cut down all the trees. But we need to start thinking differently. I like working with CEPAD because I studied environmental science. I can see that CEPAD cares about the environment and food security along with other community needs. CEPAD doesn’t just think about social change, they think about how we can positively change our planet.”

As part of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Erick is trying to educate and help other farmers in his community to participate in CEPAD’s Sustainable Agriculture Program to aid them in fighting the affects of climate change. 

“We are mono-farmers, only planting corn or beans, because that’s what we’ve been planting for a while. We don’t think about what else we could plant or how we can care about the planet, we just plant because we’re trying to survive.”

Erick has been able to see what crop diversification can do and is trying to help change his community through helping other farmers plant fruits and vegetables, not only providing nutrients for their soil, but providing nutritious food for their families. 

There are many other farmers just like Erick across Nicaragua – those who have a small piece of land and who care about the environment, but don’t always have the knowledge or the resources to farm sustainably. To provide more farmers with the tools they need to improve their land and care for their families, partner with us today.