Agros Blog

Back in February I visited Matagalpa region of Nicaragua to see a new piece of property that we were considering buying for a new group of families. Several of these family members came with us to see the land for the first time. We walked all over the property until the sun went down. Just a month later Agros did buy this land for the new Agros village of San José. This past month I went back to visit this new community to see how they are doing after 6 months on their land, and after the recent Hurricane Felix that affected them so significantly. It was an incredible visit, walking the land again with the same families, but now seeing their crops and hearing from them all the work they have done to establish their new community.

In just six short months they have planted over eight acres of malanga (a tuber crop) that will be harvested in March for international export, improved their coffee crops (which they have already begun harvesting), built temporary homes, and have a giant corn harvest to provide for their food security for their families.

The Matagalpa villages were negatively impacted by Hurricane Felix as we reported in our blog several months ago. However, through the generosity of so many we were able to hire a doctor to attend to the families to address illnesses brought on by the excessive rain and conditions. Two new composting latrines were also built for the families of San José to prevent further illnesses. And the families were given support to replant their bean crops, which they plan to do at the end of November.

I also visited the Agros village of El Edén, and was equally impressed with all the work these families have done over the past nearly two years. They are preparing for their third coffee harvest, as well as caring for their plantains, passion fruit, cacao, sheep, cattle, and cabbage. The families now have running water at their homes and wash basins to store water and use for their families’ needs. They have a preschool in the community, and eleven adults are participating in an adult education course. They are also participating in a reforestation project Agros is doing in the Matagalpa region (including and beyond current Agros villages) through generous funding from the Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation and the Atkinson Foundation.

Finally I visited with a new group of families, waiting to move forward as an Agros village and begin the process of becoming landowners themselves. They are anxious to have the land be purchased and begin planting as you can imagine. We spent time explaining the importance of the process Agros goes through to raise the necessary funding, as well as to select the right piece of land and the right families. We are nearing the end of these processes and once funding is complete, we will soon have a third Agros village in the Matagalpa region.

I’m not sure if it made the news in the States, but there has been a tropical depression over Central America for the past week, causing record amounts of rain. Many families and communities have been affected by flooding and their access getting cut off. No Agros villages have been flooded, but two here in Nicaragua are difficult to get into and out of now, due to the poor quality of their roads. This impacted my visit here over the past week, forcing us to hike in to both Norwich and Aduana Dos. In both cases we wondered if we could get in and back out, as the rivers crossing the roads continued to rise.  However, we persevered and it was well worth it as always.

In particular I’d like to focus on my visit to the village of Norwich, and the story of transformation that has taken place there.  The last time I was in Norwich was November 2006, at a time when the community was going through transition. The Agros staff had been working with the families for months to overcome a variety of social conflicts, as well as laying out a good production plan on their land in light of the challenges to get water to irrigate crops.  During my last visit we spent the time together talking through their doubts and frustrations, and seeking solutions of how they could successfully move forward with their community.

When we hiked into Norwich last Thursday, it was a different group of families waiting for us. Of course they were the same faces, but the attitudes and spirit of the community was completely different. They welcomed us with the banner their JWAV (Agros Journey With a Village) partners had brought them, and proceeded to spend their time talking to us about all their achievements over the past year and the ways God has been blessing their lives.

One of the men of the community, Carlos, sang us praise songs he had written himself, accompanied by youth from the community. Then they gave us tajadas for lunch, fried plantain chips made from the plantains they are growing on their land. They are now growing plantains, rice, sesame, and raising sheep and cattle. They have lots to do still to work towards paying their land and still face challenges of water for irrigation (which we hope drilling another well will solve). But they have made huge progress. And not only in their production, but in their spirits, their attitudes, and their willingness to work together and to see God’s blessing throughout it all. These families are a living example of the power of transformation that can take place through hard work, the love of God, and the constant, steady support Agros provides through a truly holistic development model.

It is an exciting time here at Agros — our Board of Directors just approved two new village projects! It is incredible to think of the opportunities that are now unfolding for these families!

Village #32 is “La Providencia” in the Barillas region of Guatemala.
This will be a village of 100 Kanjobal (a Mayan indigenous group) families that will be moving onto a 552 acre piece of land we will be purchasing in the next couple of weeks. The land already has coffee, cardamom and sugarcane crops on it, so the families will have the benefit of these already established sources of income. They will also begin working on building their homes and other infrastructure, and then other economic activities like growing tomatoes and sweet peppers and raising chickens to sell. These families come from the neighboring areas of this land we will buy, many of them living on land that isn’t theirs and forced to work for other farmers for a low daily wage. The adults have little education, but a great desire to work hard to provide opportunities for their children that they never had.

Village #33 is “Nueva Palestina” in Chiapas, Mexico.
This group of 39 Tsotsil (another Mayan indigenous group) families already lives on an ejido, which is land given to them by the Mexican government to live on through land reform years ago. Since the land isn’t the best quality though, and they lack sufficient water to farm it successfully, they are forced to go work on neighboring farms or even farther away to get a low daily wage. Agros Mexico will be focusing on helping them get water for irrigation to parts of their land, improve soil quality, and then begin production on their own land with black beans and sweet peppers among other crops. They will also be providing training for the families on their handicraft and embroidery projects they already do to improve quality and find access to sustainable markets.

Brisas del Volcán receives certification as a Farmer’s Business Association

On the second half of my visit to El Salvador and Honduras last September, I had the opportunity to attend a special ceremony in the Agros village of Brisas del Volcán in Honduras. Just as this village is completing its first year of working with Agros, they received a legal document from the Honduran government certifying that they are registered as an “Empresa Asociativa Campesina Agroforesteria”, or a Farmer’s Business Association. This means that the families of Brisas are now legally recognized as an association that can work together, sell their products, and do legal transactions to support their business. Working together in the production of their land enables them to increase their income generation to better provide for their families, all with the support of the government and other entities.

The highlights of the day -besides the delicious enchiladas they served for lunch- were the pride on the faces of the families of Brisas del Volcán, and the presence of all the other organizations that are supporting their work in this community. There were representatives from the Secretary of Agriculture, the local mayor, the national coffee association, and the local organic coffee growers association. The representative from the National Agricultural Institute also attended the ceremony to present them with their legal document as a Farmer’s Business Association.

Probably most importantly though, was the support of members from the other Agros village Nuevo Amanecer, as well as members of a new potential Agros community who attended the event to witness and to encourage themselves in their own work towards forming a legally recognized entity, that will empower them with their production and income generation to support their families.

Other updates from Honduras:

Brisas del Volcán -The families are busy preparing their coffee plants to harvest, as well as getting ready to transplant 15,000 new coffee plants to continue the regeneration of the coffee production. They are also working with 17 cattle, raising corn and beans for food security, and beginning a new plantain project. They also recently received training in raising fish, pigs, and hens.

Nuevo Amanecer-The families are busy harvesting a bumper corn crop, of which they will sell part and have plenty of food for their families. They also had a successful bean crop and are now raising certified bean seeds through a Honduran government program. They are experimenting with a local plant, Rosa de Jamaica, which is used for making a special drink and has a large demand in the market. They have planted 1,500 plants and are hoping for success with this new crop. They are also preparing for a cattle project and a plantain project.

Mario Gaitan, executive director of Agros Nicaragua, reports on the actions taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Felix:

“Because of the devastating consequences of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua, Agros created a special fund to meet the basic needs of the families impacted by the hurricane. Here is what is being done in each affected Agros Nicaragua village:

Norwich
We’ve been working hard to revitalize the production of sorghum that was affected by flooding. We’ve hired a doctor to provide health care to families in the village, giving special priority to children and women. We’ve also been able to acquire preventive medicines for the villagers to complete a community first aid post, which will be used to treat common illnesses such as flu, fever, and dengue.

Agros Nicaragua also purchased abate, a substance used to disinfect water by killing the parasites that later become mosquitoes that transmit dengue. The families are not only prepared to fight common illnesses during this season, but also are better prepared to prevent health problems in the future.

San José
In the Agros Village San José, we’ve purchased 20qq of bean seeds in order to replenish the food supplies for 28 families. The Nicaraguan team is also providing support with additional agricultural supplies and building materials for the construction of fertilizer latrines. A doctor was hired to provide post-hurricane health care for all 28 families.

El Edén
Agricultural supplies have been purchased to help replenish food supplies for all 27 families. Basic grains will be planted, with harvest targeted for the second crop of the year. 3.4 acres of Maracuya will also be replanted.

As a final note, I would personally like to thank all of the families in the US who have donated funds to support these families in Nicaragua. These resources are an abundant blessing in this difficult season.

The families in Agros Nicaragua villages are actually in good spirits, and are very hopeful in spite of the circumstances.

Greetings to all,
Mario Gaitán
Executive Director, Agros Nicaragua”

One of the greatest pleasures of my job is to take site visits to the countries where Agros works and see our field staff in action in the different villages we serve. Starting last Saturday I began my most recent site visit to El Salvador (and am continuing on in Honduras now) for four days. During my time there I was able to spend time with the Agros El Salvador staff, including our new Director Rafael Huezo.

Rafael has built a strong team to work with the four Agros villages in El Salvador. All of the villages are benefiting greatly from the work that is being done and the guidance they are receiving. Fernando and Miguel spend their days out in the fields with the farmers, showing new techniques and teaching about new crops, while Tania works with the women and the youth to set up their own productive activities and learn what it means to be organized and work together. Patty, and now Alvaro (the newest member of the El Salvador team) work with the families on their business plans and payment plans, to help ensure that they use their investments wisely and are able to make enough profits to support their families, improve their livelihoods, and pay their loans to become landowners. This team (as well as the ever diligent office staff of Tricia and Jimena) is extremely dedicated to the Agros villages and the families they serve… and the results are showing.

El Salvador Village Updates:

El Milagro – The first Agros village in El Salvador, this community is now well on their way in producing a variety of crops on their land. They are also beginning to work more in groups, and currently there are thirteen farmers working on a large pineapple project as well as beginning another round of tomato and green peppers in groups. They have a new community board of directors who are taking their new roles very seriously.

San Diego – To take advantage of the last months of the rainy season, the families in San Diego are preparing to plant a large area of vegetables, including green peppers, tomatoes, onions, cabbage and radishes. They plan to harvest them in December when there are good prices as people prepare to celebrate the Christmas season. La Esperanza – After a successful tomato crop, nine farmers from this community recently planted a large cucumber crop. They are working on plans to begin cultivating on 15 acres with a variety of crops and animals, and are working to finish the assessment process with the Agros staff to make the best decisions about this project.Nuevo Renacer – As the newest Agros village in El Salvador, each family in Nuevo Renacer recently planted 50 cashew trees as part of their long-term economic development plan. In three years these trees will start producing cashew fruit which can be processed and sold for both the fruit and the nut inside. During my visit they proudly showed off their tomato and green peppers plant seedlings that are nearly ready to be transplanted in the 1.5 acre plot they have prepared.

As with any community in any country, these four communities have challenges to face and barriers to overcome. Yet I know that the Agros El Salvador team will be right there to help them through it, and guide them towards the goal of sustainability and land ownership.

This following is an article written by Alfred Kaltschmitt and published yesterday in Prensa Libre, an independent newspaper in Guatemala.

Alfred Kaltschmitt was one of the founding members of Fundacion Agros Guatemala, serving as the first Chair of the Board of Directors. The spanish version of this article can be found by clicking here.

Between the Clouds of the Ixil

We left early on a Friday; we took the car because of copious rain and mist that surrounded the capital city since the night before. Since it was impossible to fly to the Ixil, plan B was to take a four-wheel drive in case we could not fly to the airstrip in Tumbal, in Nebaj.

We started driving and took the highway headed west going to Quiche, through Chichicastenango, then Sacapulas, crossing the bridge over Ri­o Negro, and then towards the top of the cordillera of Los Chutumatanes. Almost daily, in the afternoon, the clouds make a date to dance upon the backs of these impressive and enormous thousand-year-old mountains.

The paved highway has transformed the whole region of the Ixil, an area that has experienced significant isolation due to distance and difficult access. The inhabitants of the Ixil region, which is comprised of the Nebaj, Cotzal and Chajul municipalities, are now connected to the exterior world.

I was overwhelmed by many memories — memories stretching back almost a quarter of a century. I thought back to the time when we first started Agros–an NGO whose vision was, is, and will continue to be, to help create new ways of development for the indigenous communities that are in most need. In those days, I had to travel by a slim dirt road filled with holes and ponds. This adventure could last up to 14 hours, depending on the conditions of the road. Driving could be interrupted by a landslide or other obstacles. The whole region of Ixil was isolated, and the war kept it even more depressed.

This time, however, in less than four hours we arrived to the top of the beautiful valley that surrounds Nebaj. I remembered the first time that my beloved friend Mario Morales and I stopped to contemplate the scenic beauty of the Ixil. That was almost 25 years ago, when we were young and believed that it is not by sword or armies that poverty is conquered, but through love and solidarity for your neighbor, and the message found in the example of the greatest politician – Jesus Christ.

How can I describe in a few words the intensity of what my fellow Agros Guatemala Board members and I lived these past three days? I still feel a sense of pride over seeing the first class of carpenters graduate from the new Agros Training Center in Nebaj. I can already envision the future for the Training Center of Nebaj… of how advanced it will be in the construction of training workspaces, computer laboratories, staff and student housing, and in teaching intensive agriculture skills! This center will also provide training in agriculture, eco-tourism, and general contractor skills.

We visited seven of the 22 villages that Agros has developed in Guatemala over the past years: La Esperanza, Belen, Caxijay, Xeucalvitz, Trapichitos, Batzchacola, and Sumalito. We have also built dirt roads leading to three of these village –  an enormous achievement given their location, as there are steep drop-offs and deep valleys everywhere in this area.

Climbing and descending over four thousand feet of elevation, and crossing up to three different micro-climates, we finally got to visit the projects and talk to the grateful Agros villagers. Their lives and their children’s lives have been transformed by having access to the simple dignity of a home, potable water, schools, health, and professional training. We also attended a land title ceremony in the village of Belen. I can still see the face of Pedro Raymundo, bursting with happiness as he received his land property title.

As we were leaving a fellow Board member asked, “please pass me a tissue.” Tears had filled his eyes.

Brooke will join the Agros team in September 2007 as the Service and Education Manager. Before joining Agros, Brooke served as the Training and Resource Specialist at School’s Out Washington, a program of the YWCA of Seattle, King County & Snohomish County. In this position she provided technical assistance and training to afterschool programs in King County through the Washington Regional Afterschool Project (WRAP).

Prior to returning to Seattle in July 2006, Brooke and her husband James served for two years as Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic, where she worked in positive youth development and provided technical support and training to teachers. Brooke also served for two years in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in both East Los Angeles and Seattle. She has a Bachelors Degree in Spanish from Seattle University and a Masters Degree in Social Work with a macro concentration in Program Planning & Development, Management, and Community Organization from Boston University.

In her free-time, Brooke enjoys supporting Seattle’s current Jesuit Volunteer community, running, cheering for the Red Sox, and heading east over the mountains to hike and spend time with her family in Wenatchee. Brooke is beyond excited to join the Agros team and eager to reconnect with Latin America and support Agros’ service teams!

Just to let everyone know, I have checked with our Honduran and Guatemalan offices and it appears that there will be no major impact from Hurricane Dean passing close by. Both country offices have reported that it’s not yet raining, but it’s looking like it will start soon.

Let’s keep all of the affected countries in our prayers as the hurricane gets closer to landfall in the Yucatan.  We will definitely post an update if there are any impacts on our staff or the villages.

When I started working at Agros in 2003, Agros had just begun to support the 16th and 17th villages and was still only working in three countries (not having started any villages in Honduras or Mexico yet).  This year Agros has hit a milestone with the launching of the 30th Agros village – Espinal Buenavista in Chiapas, Mexico!

Espinal is the third community Agros supports in Chiapas, Mexico. The families of this community have been in the preparation process for over a year and a half, and have steadfastly waited to become an Agros community. We’ve all heard the phrase “patience is a virtue” – to me the families of Espinal Buenavista epitomize this saying. After much work, training, and preparation, so many dreams have come true with the commencement of our partnership with this community.

The families of Espinal will be focusing on animal husbandry projects (particularly cattle and pigs), as well as women’s handicrafts, reforestation, building efficient cook stoves, and a variety of trainings for the community leaders and members.

While Agros is not purchasing land for Espinal (they already own their land through a government program), the goal remains the same: to facilitate a holistic development process where the families create their own sustainable local economy, learn how to best use their land, develop and grow as a community, and realize the dreams they have for their children.

We welcome Espinal Buenavista to the Agros family!

I am writing to spread the good news that we have a new Executive Director in El Salvador. The hiring workshops in El Salvador were a huge success, which of course made our decision process that much more difficult due to the quality of all of the participants. We had several finalists for the position, and in the end Rafael Huezo accepted the invitation to serve as Executive Director for Agros El Salvador, starting March 15th.

Rafael is an Agricultural Engineer, with Masters degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Studies. He has over 20 years of experience in the rural sector working in agricultural projects of a wide variety. Recently we visited the community of El Milagro with the candidates and Rafael truly demonstrated his ability to “get his hands dirty” and work alongside the families of the communities with skill and a spirit of servant leadership. Raphael also identifies strongly with the core values of Agros. We feel he will be a blessing to the communities in El Salvador and to Agros as a whole.

Last Friday I had the absolute pleasure of visiting with Pedro Pablo Rodríguez, the first person to pay off his land in the Nicaraguan community of Futuro de Mañana. We almost missed seeing him, since he was out working with his cattle and we were about to leave as it was getting dark. I am so thankful that we were still there and were able to talk to him… to see the smile on his face, feel the firmness of his handshake, and see the pride in his eyes. In addition to paying off his land loan with the proceeds from his hard work, Pedro has also been paying for his daughter ’s education – she is now in her third year. Pedro has plans to obtain even more cattle and to expand his earning potential even more.

Our Regional Credit Fund Coordinator, Kira Lopez, has written the following piece on Pedro and how he paid off his land. The Agros Nicaragua staff has noted how this is causing a ripple effect among the other families in Futuro, and inspiring them to work harder to pay off their land too. We are all inspired by Pedro.

Don Pedro Rodríguez is a simple man of few words. He and his wife Guadalupe have been blessed with a beautiful family of five boys and three girls. In the past, Don Pedro did not have land to live on or a farm to work and faced many difficulties renting land from others. As a farmer, he only knew how to provide for his family through working the land.

Their lives changed however when five years ago, Don Pedro and his family were selected to become part of the Agros village Futuro del Mañana in Rivas, Nicaragua. Shortly, with help from Agros field staff and financing, Don Pedro set out to plant corn and beans for his family in the communal fields in Futuro.

God blessed Don Pedro and his family’s hard work with a successful harvest. Don Pedro was able to store 7,000 pounds of corn and 5,000 pounds of beans! At the time, he sold his crop and then opened a bank account to deposit his earnings. Soon he realized that the savings’ interest rate was too low and decided to invest the money in a livestock project, buying seven calves.

Meanwhile, the land of Futuro was being divided and distributed amongst the families and Don Pedro’s family received a plot that although was not well-suited for farming, was good for raising cattle. This could have caused Don Pedro discouragement, but with his new livestock project, he responded by making good use of the land that was assigned to him. He also continued to rent a small section outside of the community in order to continue growing corn and other vegetables that Agros technicians helped him to grow.

Don Pedro made two annual payments on his land loan and in January 2007 sold the cattle that he had been raising. With the cash in hand, Don Pedro called the Loan Officer in Agros Nicaragua, and what a surprise he had for her! Don Pedro was ready to repay his loan in full! Hardly able to contain himself with happiness, Don Pedro and his family celebrated together the pride of having achieved so great an accomplishment.

“I thank God and my children who helped me,” he says. “To stay in good standing with Agros, I’ve repaid my debt. The land belongs to my family and we are ready for our property title.”

Don Pedro is the first in Nicaragua to pay off his land loan. He continues to rent land to grow crops and has applied to be able to grow on the community’s communal land that is not in use. He has several other ideas for future projects, including another livestock project for which he is currently applying to receive another loan. In addition, Don Pedro also commits his time to the community by participating in community work, learning from Agros field staff about new crops and thanking God for everyday in Futuro del Mañana.

I wanted to say ‘Thank You’ to all of those who responded to the request we made for emergency funds for villagers in El Edén. We met the goal for $1000 and more in a very short time, thanks to your generosity.

Because of your quick response, our staff in Nicaragua has been able to purchase the needed roofing materials for the families to restore their homes. We will also be using part of the funds to help the families rehabilitate their crops from the damage done by the wind. The families continue to be very motivated and are currently working hard to harvest the remaining coffee crop. They aren’t letting the windstorm set them back and are determined more than ever to move forward for the good of their families.

Thank you for your fast and generous support in helping them achieve that dream.

We are seeking to raise $1,000 for the families of El Edén to help with their recovery from the massive wind storm. Our Nicaraguan Director sent me this update:

“There was a loss to the bean production, as part of the plants were still very young and therefore won’t fill with full grains as normal. The cacao lost its leaves – and for us this is the crop that was most affected, along with the plantains. There was also loss to the coffee harvest. The houses have been rebuilt, however we are missing roofs for several of the families.”

The families are continuing forward with their coffee harvest and to recuperate as much of their crops as they can. The Agros staff is walking right alongside them as they do so. They haven’t lost hope and they maintain their vision of a better future for their families.

The most urgent need is for the roofing of their homes. The roofs consist of zinc laminate sheets, which will cost approximately $1,000 total. This will buy 128 zinc laminate sheets to provide the families will new roofs to protect them from the elements.

We are seeking to raise this $1,000 as soon as possible. Would you consider making a donation towards the families in El Edén today? Just go to the Agros Give Now page and specify that this is for the families in El Edén.

Thanks for your generosity, and we’ll keep you posted.

Yesterday morning I received news from our Nicaraguan Director, Mario Gaitan, that on Tuesday there was a severe windstorm in the Agros community of El Edén in Nicaragua.  On Tuesday afternoon, while I had been writing my previous blog post about Olivia in El Edén, the thirty-two families of El Edén were taken by surprise by the massive winds (almost tornado-like) which caused significant damage in the community.

Thanks be to God that no one was injured, but there were heavy material damages.  The roofs of their temporary homes were damaged, as well as a large portion of their crops.  Their new plantain and cacao plants lost most of their leaves, they lost a significant portion of their coffee harvest, and the beans and vegetables were also impacted.  Plus, there were several downed trees.

Our staff in Nicaragua is working with the families now to rescue the cacao and plantain crops with extra irrigation, and the families are busy repairing their roofs of their homes.  Mario spoke with the community on Tuesday, motivating them to continue working hard despite the natural disasters that we cannot control.  It is hard to understand events like this, and I keep thinking of Olivia and her daughter and what they must be feeling.  My prayer is that Olivia and the other families don’t lose their incredible hope and energy.

Please keep the families of El Edén in your prayers.

The power of a mother committed to her child transcends national boundaries. On my recent trip I spent some time talking with Olivia in one of the newest Agros communities of El Edén in Nicaragua. Olivia is a single mom with a three-year old daughter. She proudly showed us her corn fields and her newly built temporary home, where she lives with one of her brothers who helps her work her land. She also has chickens that Agros has provided for her, and was proud to show them off.

In talking with Olivia, all I sensed was pride and hope. No desperation or anxiety at what she was going to do to make ends meet. This was not always the case… Olivia has known real struggle and hardship in the past. However now she has food to feed her daughter and dreams of the upcoming coffee harvest and making yet another payment on her land loan with the proceeds.

I was touched by how her brothers and other community members work alongside her to help make this new life a reality for her, and by her own determination and plans to provide a better life for her daughter. The community of El Edén has chosen a community hymn, with the words “unity” and “love” in the chorus as these are their main values as a community. In meeting Olivia and talking with her, the presence of unity and love and the hope this provides to her was evident to me.

As I sit here in Managua, Nicaragua after spending three days visiting Agros communities, I can’t help but have a smile on my face and feel joy in my spirit. In the past three days I have visited three of the current Agros Nicaragua communities and one of the new groups that we are working with to (hopefully) launch a new Agros community in the near future. What I saw in action and what I heard from the families is what gives me joy. The word that sticks in my mind is “unity”, since that is what was said by the families in each community.

“We have learned to work in unity…”

An age-old lesson – by working together we can accomplish so much more than when we do things individually. I was amazed at how the communities of El Eden and San Marcos are working on so many projects together, from coffee to cattle to plantains. By working together they will produce greater volumes, get a better price, and experience greater incomes from their work.

This is not to say that there aren’t challenges in the communities too, because there always are. Life brings challenges! In the Agros community of Norwich, a village that has experienced a variety of challenges over time, I heard the same message from the families – that by working together they are beginning to see greater results. They’ve planted plantains and are raising sheep together, of which they recently sold 60 and made a significant profit. What has been so consistently inspiring for me is to see all the families in all of these Agros communities (each at very different stages of development) learn the same lesson of unity. This is a lesson for all of us!

Nicaragua is now preparing for their presidential elections this Sunday where they will exercise their rights to choose who their leaders will be. Leadership is important to any community, large or small, and each leader is challenged with the question: will he or she promote unity or discord? In the Nicaraguan Agros communities this week I saw positive leadership in development and in action, promoting unity among the families and leading the way for these groups to achieve their dreams… and I am inspired!

Today the announcement was made that Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize:

“for their efforts to create economic and social development from below”

Agros International also believes in the importance of creating economic and social development from below and empowering people to …own agricultural land, attain economic self-sufficiency“, and to reach overall sustainability through a variety of community development processes and tools.

Credit is just one of the many tools that Agros uses in a holistic development model to help make this happen. While “micro credit organizations” focus solely on short-term small business loans, Agros has a unique approach with our use of long-term loans for land purchase, combined with our focus on training, economic development, infrastructure, human development and community organization.

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