We have had a busy time sorting through all the options and issues this past month. Initially, our primary objective is to build relationships of trust. I think we are ahead of schedule on that one. In the past month, the following actions have been taken.
Experimental Plot
Community leaders are excited about my plans to set up an experimental plot that will provide the farmers with comparisons that help them improve their approach to farming. The Director of Agriculture of Cahabon will provide a two-acre plot for these demonstrations, and we will be looking at (1) seed variety testing, (2) fertilizer levels and (3) seed spacing.
Cacao Village Association
We are working closely with a village association of 140 cacao farmers (chocolate), with the intention of helping them with their organic certification. Cacao is a major crop in the region, but prices to these farmers have been very low because of their inability to provide organic certified cacao. They are already growing in an organic manner, so they wouldn't have to make any major changes, but they need the certification to gain the higher price and allow them to access sophisticated markets. I was very pleased with this organization because of their intensity and willingness to provide me with timely information. I first met this group three weeks ago when I was on a tour with the Cahabon Director of Agriculture, and there was something about these people that attracted me. A few days later I went out by myself, with my interpreter. They knew that I was coming so they had a white board ready and a PowerPoint presentation. After going over the numbers I asked them to put together a five-year plan and then compare it to their current marketing program. Within three days the whole board was in my home with a projector and Excel spreadsheets. I was confused about some of the numbers and within 5 hours they sent, by email, improved numbers that clarified their plan. To make a long story short, they have convinced me that a $22,000 contribution will allow them to move forward in a much improved way. Most of the funds will be involved in preparing them to move to the next level of marketing. This will help 140 families increase their income by about 20%. I can provide an itemized list of the things that would be covered by that contribution.
Village Associations
Tomorrow I will be traveling with the Cahabon Agriculture Director to visit additional village associations. (There are 202 villages in the Cahabon District.) One of the problems with many of these associations is that they tend to gradually exclude the small ineffective farmer. This is probably due to their inability to produce quality products. We feel that there needs to be a mechanism to provide the training and education that will help them provide a positive contribution to the association.
Marketing Program
They would like me to head up the marketing program for a Cahabon community-wide association. This would be similar to the Community Development Centers we had in Africa, where we marketed products to Europe and Dubai. I would prefer these associations be operated by each village, but it might be a way to get some of the weak villages involved to help them eventually see the way to do it on their own. This project could use some major funding. However, it may be unrealistic, so we will be studying it further. I'm opposed to government getting involved in private businesses, but this may lead to the formation of more private village associations.
Soil Building Presentation
I had the opportunity to share some of my philosophies on crop production to the Cahabon Agriculture Department, and one of the PowerPoint presentations was on Soil Building. They thought my approach may resonate with the peasant farmers and wanted me to do a Soil Building podcast that would be used on the Kekchi TV station. They have tried and tried to get them to stop burning the corn stalks, and other crop residue, and have failed. They were hopeful that this presentation might convince them.
Cahabon Corn Project
The Agriculture Department of Cahabon has historically provided small amounts of fertilizer to some of the more needy farmers. 5,000 farmers were included in the program last year, and they have a goal of including 10,000 farmers this year. Because of the hurricanes, their budgets have been stretched, and they are in need of additional donations. This fertilizer can be provided for $25 per family. This is very important to them, and they consider it a high priority. If we provided $25,000 it would help 1,000 families.
Polochic Corn Project
We are planning to support a number of farmers that are members of the Church in the Polochic area. We will be helping them with a complete corn production package. This will be a demonstration of what can be accomplished. This is done under the leadership of good farmers in the area, including the District President. We are planning to contribute $10,000 to this project.
Corn Production Information
The average corn production in Guatemala is 2 ton per hectare. The average US production is 11 tons per hectare. On the farms which I previously managed the average was 14 tons per hectare. There is clearly room for improvement.
Donations to our Agriculture Initiative in Guatemala can be made on our website at welcomehand.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment