Agros Blog

Her name is Juana…one of a tragically sizable number of widows in this formerly war ravaged region of Guatemala.
Juana is leaning against her humble home, and as the photo implies she’s reserved when being peered at through a camera lens, which was an uncommon experience for her when this photos was taken six years ago. But notice something else in the picture–a slight smile and grace that adorns her self-woven attire.

If you knew her story you’d have to ask, “why?” Why would a woman who has lived through a virtual genocide, extreme hunger, displacement and desperate poverty have such a sense of dignity and hope on her face?

I could explain why, in my own words, but instead… let me tell you about what she and 58 other families received two weeks ago at a truly historic event in Agros’ history.

My throat choked, my eyes pooled, and tears fell as she and the other families in the Agros village of Trapichitos, (Trapee-cheetos: “the little sugar mill”), received their land titles after ten years of toil and trust!

Agros exists to enable rural poor families–like those in Trapichitos–to work their way out of poverty as an entire community. Because the rural poor depend on land for their survival and livelihood, Agros works to provide rural villages with long-term credit for farmable land, and then works to train and support the families as they develop a thriving and economically sustainable village. The process takes approximately ten years, and when it’s done the families own it all; it’s theirs for generations to come!

The land title ceremony in Trapichitos was to celebrate the fact that a decade long journey, almost 60 families have made their best dreams come true. After so many decades of suffering, these families now have the knowledge, training, and assets to hand down to their future generations.

This title ceremony was also Agros’ largest land title ceremony to date and was an extraordinary experience for the 19 of us from North America who attended, as well as for several Agros Guatemala staff and board.

Agros has learned over the years that the journey out of poverty does not happen in isolation. Witnessed by representatives of the local Guatemalan human rights commission, the event was also evidence of consistent leadership from in-country Agros staff and villagers, as well as generous partnership from the likes of families, churches, businesses, and service organizations here in the United States (see list and links below).

I’ll never forget my first encounter with these families in February, 2000. There were no roads into the village, and in order to build their homes they had to traverse peaks and valleys, walking four miles each way in order to carry in the block, cement, sand, gravel and rebar for their first 25 homes, (750 cinder blocks per home), carrying it all on their backs and that of the ten mules they’d purchased on a loan from Agros.

I remember visiting each home on an emergency visit of concern and compassion, inquiring of each family following a tragic explosion and fire that killed a beloved young father in the village, causing fear reminiscent of the civil war years when bombs dropped from above and fire was commonplace.

I remember teams of volunteers from the U.S. who came to serve, value, learn, laugh, sing and weep… caring by coming, restoring dignity stolen:

But now, dignity is restored, hope realized, futures secured, dreams unfolding as 10 years later, families own their land, proudly holding their titles, with both husband and wife, or in Juana’s case, alone but in community.

Thanks to all our partners, individuals I cannot take space to name, as well as the following organizations & businesses:

• First Presbyterian Church Boulder, Colorado
• Richard & Joan Ringoen Family Foundation, Inc
• Atlas Coffee Importers www.atlascoffee.com
• Camano Island Coffee Roasters: www.camanoislandcoffee.com
• Caffé Lusso: www.caffélusso.com
• Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club: http://www.bbrc.net/
• Sun Microsystems Employees Matching Gift Program
• Ball Corporation Employees Matching Gift Program
• Global Giving: http://www.globalgiving.org/
• Jacobson, Lawrence & Associates, PLLC: http://cpajla.com/
• Mountain Bible Church, Los Gatos, CA
• Sammamish Presbyterian Church, Issaquah, WA
• The Dwelling Company: http://www.dwellingcompany.com/

(Photos courtesy of Hilario Pardo, Dan Ringoen and Steve Gnam)

Thanks to everyone for the many questions and concerns raised in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha.  We have been assessing the storm’s impact in all of our villages over the last week and here is an update by country:

GUATEMALA
No crop damages, all villages are fine.  There are, however, reports that two bridges into Nebaj have been washed out so staff and teams travelling to the Ixil will take alternate routes until the bridges are repaired.

EL SALVADOR & HONDURAS
Minor damages to recently planted crops in both countries.  Agros staff are working with the communities to replant and provide technical assistance to recoup the minor losses.

NICARAGUA AND CHIAPAS, MEXICO
No damages, all villages are fine.

In November I had the privilege to visit Agros’ 39^th village, Bella Vista, in Honduras.  The land had been purchased in September, and in just two short months so much had already been accomplished!  We drove up the dirt road from Santa Barbara (the nearest city) and entered into the fog over the mountains where Bella Vista is located.  After 30 minutes or so, we parked next to a huge pile of PVC pipe and I was informed that we had arrived.

As I got out of the truck, through the mist I could see the frames of six different houses going up, and could hear the pounding of the nails going into the wood.  The PVC was for their water system, to bring the critical water from a neighboring water source to irrigate their crops.  Almost all the families had planted their corn to feed their families, and several had already begun planting coffee plants.

Two families had transferred from Los Bordos, the poverty-stricken slum along the rivers outside of San Pedro Sula, to return to the rural farming life they used to live. We had a meeting with all of the families and the new secretary of the group diligently took notes throughout our time together.  The Agros model in action… so quickly seeing transformation take place before my eyes.

By the end of the visit the mist lifted and I could finally see what everyone had been so excited about and what they named their community after… the beautiful view.  La Bella Vista!

Today the families in Bella Vista have accomplished the following:

• Over 50 acres of corn planted and growing for the families’ food security
• 6,000 new coffee plants sown, and 12,000 more in the nursery
• Over 5 acres of land in preparation to plant more coffee plants
• 80% of the ditches have been dug to lay the pipe for the irrigation system
• The full property has been measured and subdivided among areas for crops, forest and housing
• Five homes have been built (three of which are currently inhabited), and three more are in process of construction
• Three latrines under construction
• Six of the homes have water connections already
• Families have received trainings in soil conservation, use of composting latrines, leadership, and how to create community bylaws
• Three community members have volunteered to lead small workshops on hygiene, nutrition and cooking cleanliness
• Community is working with other organizations to access seeds, market their goods, as well as receiving some technical assistance in health and education from them
• Community is partnering with a local church

On January 6^th the families completed the process of dividing the parcels of land among themselves.  Our Honduras staff wrote me that everyone in the community was anxious and excited to see which plot would be theirs…for their homes and for their crops…  For their children and for their future.

Bella Vista has taken off and they are not letting any time be wasted as they build and design their community.

What a beautiful thing to witness.

When Agros succeeds, it is usually because we have paid attention to three things: We need to have the right families, the right land, and the right staff. Last week’s approval of Bella Vista as the fourth Agros village in Honduras is a case in point. It’s a voyage that began in the spring of 2007 when Bruce Andrews, a member of a delegation visiting Agros villages outside of San Pedro Sula spoke these words:

“If we don’t help these people, we’ll be spitting in the face of God.”

Bruce’s words were the defining moment of reflection for the delegation from Lake Grove Presbyterian Church in Lake Oswego, OR after they had visited Los Bordos, one of the most impoverished slums in the Western Hemisphere. Their visit was guided by staff from Agros Honduras and CASM, the Honduran Mennonite agency that had been caring for the people of Los Bordos. CASM had asked Agros if together, they might be able to help people from Los Bordos move back to the rural area and form successful villages.

The people of Lake Grove were willing to help support the effort, but they were not to be the only ones. Two months later, a group from Bellevue, WA, who were for the most part veteran supporters of Agros, visited Honduras and spoke with the same group that CASM had selected. They also pledged their support. We were going to need more support before we were done, but we were already paying attention to those three things, and they weren’t all looking good.

First, the Bordos families, a group of people originally from a village called El Limonar, were not doing well with negotiations for the land to which they hoped to move. Then our staff leadership in Honduras went through a transition, and Joel Martinez, our new director, wanted to rethink a number of things, including how we went about the difficult process of assisting in the replanting of urban people in a rural entrepreneurship setting.

Urban migration is a worldwide, massive phenomenon for the landless, rural poor who find it difficult enough to feed themselves, let alone make a living in rural areas, and who are subsequently drawn to cities where they can earn cash by competing for menial jobs. The influx is so great that– even with cooperative municipal governments– the migrants end up living in poor shelter and overcrowded conditions, without water, sewer, or utilities and with disease and crime. I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures, if not the reality. In the gloom of these conditions a silver lining gleams: cash from the jobs, and the elusive urban temptation of possibility. By contrast, the rural areas seem hopeless.

This is the environment in which our Agros staff sought to find some of these urban poor who might be interested in returning to the country, taking on long-term debt in order to own land, and learn how to profit from its use. It’s like traveling upstream.

Joel began by finding a few families who might be interested in joining established Agros villages such as Nuevo Amanacer and Brisas del Volcan, working alongside campesinos, country-born and bred farmers who, thanks to their partnership with Agros, were well on their way to profiting from their agricultural enterprises. The experiment was only partially successful. A few families stayed, but others ended up returning to the city, citing the amount of hard work and the long wait for cash as reasons.

In time, Joel could see a way: It helped if Agros and CASM found people who had migrated to Bordos from the area where the new village was to be established. It also helped if the families had only recently arrived in the city, and had not become accustomed to the immediate reward of a cash environment.

He then found a group of campesinos in the La Montañita area of the Santa Barbara region who wanted to become an Agros village, and who were interested in the idea of welcoming back some families who had moved from there to Bordos. He brought the two sets of families– 29 from the country, and six from Bordos– together to talk. The families agreed to work together, and began looking for land. That proved to be a lengthy process as well, since the land required irrigation, and that in turn required obtaining water rights.

Meanwhile, we were still working on the necessary financial support. Two principals from Ludeman Capital Management, financial advisors based in Bellingham and Seattle, also visited Honduras, and provided that crucial final cap. A couple of graduate students from Harvard, moved by their visit to Honduras, joined the Bellevue group.

Finally, everything seemed solid: families, land and staff. The original support partners, who had been so eager to help two years previous, were thankfully still ready, so that when we went through the Agros International board’s due diligence process for approval, we obtained it. The land is situated high, and the villagers decided to call it Bella Vista. The resemblance to “Bellevue” (the French version of “Bella Vista”) may be unintentional, but was not lost on at least one person from the Bellevue group of supporters.

When people from the developed world are faced with the overwhelming plight of the urban poor in the developing world, we tend to have one of two extreme responses: We want to help immediately, or we despair of ever making a difference. If you think about it, both stances are self-centered. The former assuages our pain, that latter attempts to anesthetize it. Either way, the response is about us.

There is a third way: To gently and firmly decide to make a difference somewhere, go about it, and not tire of doing good. This is what the staff of CASM did, it’s what Joel Martinez and the Agros Honduras staff did, it’s what the families of Bella Vista did, and it’s what their supporters from Oregon, Massachusetts and Washington did. As Barry Rowan, one of the Bellevue group said during his visit, it’s what the Pilgrim immigrants to America did: They persevered, over the long haul, to a new beginning.

Bienvenidos, Bella Vista. You are worth the wait.

In five Agros villages in Nicaragua, 102 families have combined their efforts and produced nearly 50,000 pounds of Tabasco chili peppers for export. Through agricultural loans and technical training with Agros, these families from the El Edén, Nuevas Esperanzas, San José, and San Marcos villages have already generated $7,500 in profits. The farmers obtained a favorable market price by joining together and negotiating a contract with a Nicaraguan exporter.

The pepper project improves families’ year-round income, and is also an opportunity for families to apply the agricultural and business techniques they are learning. With the help of Agros staff, farmers are using a new drip irrigation system, testing new fertilizers, and exploring different methods to minimize and control insect infestations.  The success of this project is boosting farmer’s confidence and encouraging them to apply new skills to other crops and projects as well.

In San Marcos de Belen, Luis and his family are waiting to build their new house, and in the meantime, the family bikes three miles each day to arrive on time to help with the pepper project. Luis works hard at the project and appreciates the equal effort and responsibility from his neighbors.  He remarks proudly, “I am very happy with the work ethic of Agros; we have to work to gain results.  This gives me pride and dignity and the opportunity to leave something behind for my children.”

Here at Agros, we are committed to connecting our supporters with stories, information, and progress made by the inspiring individuals we work with. We do this through a variety of channels: this blog, enewsletters, Facebook, Twitter, our video gallery, and our quarterly village updates.

Every quarter we publish pdf updates on the work and progress of each of our active villages. These updates come directly from Agros’ program staff working in-country and contain the most up-to-date information about projects and programs currently underway in Agros villages along with quotes and profiles of individuals.

All village updates can all be found by mousing over the “Our Villages” tab on the Agros website and clicking on any village to then view and download a pdf.

Here are a few examples of what these updates contain:

• This spring, many Agros village members have made impressive progress starting new projects and expanding their existing ventures. For example, over the past three months, the women’s chicken project in El Milagro, El Salvador has sold a remarkable $1,800 worth of eggs! The group has used profits to pay loans, purchase supplies, put aside savings, and help their families. We invite you to read more about the women of El Milagro and find stories of other dedicated and successful village members by looking in the Spring 2009 Village Updates.

• This spring’s update on La Providencia, Guatemala, profiles Ramon, a community health worker. Each week, Ramon dedicates two days to provide health care for community members and he also administers the village’s supplies of medicine and first aid equipment. The success of the leadership in La Providencia is evident from their support for Ramon as well as the recently completed construction of a three-room school supplied with 200 desks and six teachers for 186 proud elementary students.

• In El Edén, Guatemala, five families recently completely paid their land loans, and many more families are quickly moving towards paying off their loans by investing in successful small business opportunities.

There are many more examples and stories of lives being changed. Enjoy exploring and reading.

After just 8 short months, Agros Mexico’s newest community Santa Fe Ajké has taken off, demonstrating a tremendous amount of work, energy and success. Nearly each family in the community is involved in a group project, using small loans and training provided by Agros to grow diverse crops or start a new business. This month, Agros Mexico staff reports the success of the first major agricultural project in Santa Fe Ajké — tomatoes!

Ten families are involved in the shared tomato project working together to produce as many crates as they can to sell in the local market. Starting from scratch on the new property, the families first cleared the land by hand using machetes, and then built an irrigation system. The group then planted the tomatoes, using techniques shared from both Agros staff and neighbors from nearby communities who have experience growing tomatoes as well.

Despite set backs in failed deliveries of seeds, strong winds and hiccups in the new irrigation system, the families are excited to see the first round produce 90 crates of tomatoes, equivalent to nearly 5,000 pounds!

Now the group is gearing up to finish up the tomato season, projecting to produce 150 more crates. With the sale of 13,320 pounds of tomatoes, the participants will earn approximately $1,240, providing their families with much needed income and seed money for their next economic adventure.

The families in Santa Fe Ajké are encouraged by the success of their first project and are looking forward to incorporating more income-generating activities in order to earn income year-round for their families. With the jalapeño harvest just around the corner, it looks like the enterprising families in Santa Fe Ajké are doing just that-well on their way towards crop diversification, year-round employment and economic self-sufficiency. Congratulations Santa Fe Ajké!

I was recently able to spend time in San Jose — one of our newest Agros villages located in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua. It was an incredible experience. The last time I was with these families (just over a year ago) they were landless and living on approx $2 per family per day. This averages out to about $.25 a day per person. They were growing single-season subsistence crops on unproductive, rented land. With no irrigation and poor housing structures they were at the mercy of unpredictable weather. They were struggling with hunger, health problems, lack of access to clean water, no work or food security, and a pervasive sense of despair.

Today — one year after starting this new Agros village — these same families invited us to a banquet… a feast of chicken, corn, and other food produced on their Agros farm. It was a feast!

Here is what they’ve accomplished over the last year:

• Temporary houses (with latrines) have been built
• An irrigation system with piped water has been established
• The families are planting 8 different crops year-round during three unique growing seasons
• Proceeds from a recent tomato harvest have been invested into cattle worth more than $6,000
• They are storing the surplus of recent corn production, waiting until the prices go up so that they can make additional profit
• 10,000 coffee plant seedlings will soon be planted in order to increase coffee production
• They took out an additional loan from Agros and built a coffee processing machine and a pump
• Everyone is involved in community development activities, the women are actively involved in leadership, and children now have access to both preschool and elementary school

WoW!!!! Talk about impressive! And they did all of this while also being impacted by Hurricane Felix, which hit in September of 2007. I was (and am) blown away. What a story!!!

These families are representative of hard-working Agros families across Central America and Mexico. They are a great example of how the Agros model enables the poor to develop assets, create security, and slowly but surely work their way out of poverty.

This is Land, Hope, and Life at work! Here are a few photos from this incredible Agros village:

The Agros Development Model enables entire communities to fundamentally break the cycle of poverty for generations to come. With the support of Agros, a group of families from Aduana Dos, Nicaragua, is writing a new chapter in a history previously marked by poverty and lack of opportunity. The following report was written by field staff in Nicaragua:

The families from Aduana Dos, Nicaragua, have displayed an impressive degree of leadership throughout their plantain project. Management skills, accountability, and decision-making have allowed them to grow higher quality crops. The success and growth is impressive.

During this project the families have demonstrated positivity and an entrepreneurial spirit. Seventy-five percent of the families are marketing their crops allowing them to generate more income than originally projected. The news about their success is spreading throughout the region and as a consequence, neighbor communities have started to grow plantains in their home gardens as well. In all of our countries the Agros model impacts not just the village where the model is implemented, but also in neighboring communities as well.

It is important to note how much the women in the community have been absolutely key in the success of this project. They leave their homes early in the morning to sell and market the products in neighboring villages.

“We are grateful to Agros for the opportunity of being part of this project. We have recovered our self-confidence. We can work our land, and most importantly have food to eat with our children.” – Audelys, Aduana Dos.

From my vantage point at 2400 feet, the cloud-shrouded Cordillera Dariense (Nicaragua’s main mountain range) loom verdant, inviting me to dream of times long past when these hills flourished without tracer bullets and land mines wreaking havoc on the hard-working Nicaraguense “cortadores” (coffee plantation harvesters) who’ve lived, worked and died here.

I dream all the more so today — with them — because I’m now looking at these storied hills through their eyes. Eyes of former cortadores-now-turned land-owners!

I’m here at our newest Agros’ village, San José, which in a short 9 months is a veritable paradise in the making. I pause in sheer wonder beneath the hand-hewn trusses of their newest addition, a “beneficio” or coffee processing station, made of 125 lb cut-stone blocks, cement & steel laminate roofing, all hauled up on willing backs from the road far below. The “beneficio” is complete with a large capacity depulper (used to take off the skin of the coffee) and large concrete wash basins in which the depulped-yet-fleshy beans soak for a day. From here the coffee beans “escape” the basins via 4″ pvc outlets into the rinsing trough, where they are paddled to knock off any remainder of the flesh before being put onto sorting/drying frames. The tiny beans are then laid out to sun-dry for a month.

Beaming with pride, bustling to show us their first fruits from this their first harvest from their own land, both Petronilio & Armando, San Jose’s President & Vice President, flashed their ear-to-ear grins, nodding their heads in agreement as we praised their accomplishment!

But that was only the beginning for me on this first visit to San Jose, our most remote community to date in Nicaragua. Inviting me and two potential Agros donors to clamber across flourishing fields of corn, viewing vistas of acre upon acres of beans, and then descending solo down steep & slippery slopes to see Armando’s charge: a first-ever-for-them dedicated plot (1.25mz or 2 acres) of tomatoes projected to yield over $9000 in only 4 months time. The proceeds will be divided among all 22 families.

This, coupled with their recent coffee harvest and the more than 100,000 lbs of corn they’ve harvested, bodes well for an altogether unprecedented first year’s income that will average close to $1500/family. This is more than 5 times their previous best annual incomes.

What does it take to turn disappointments into dreams? Disasters into “diamonds”?

It takes trust… humility… gratitude. It takes patience, and an ability to work hard. It also takes partnership. Transformation is a community process, where the strong help the weak and the weak become strong to help those who are next.

The next day we met the families of El Naranjo — families who are waiting for Agros to raise the needed funds to purchase the land and help them move forward. Many of the families forsook a days wages to meet with us for an update on when they might be able to be roll up their sleeves to begin to work their own land, joining the ranks of the like in San Jose.

We’re at 80% of the funding needed, missing now only $150,000 for the balance of the land. Let us know if you’d like to help us help them. They’re ready, eager, willing and waiting.

A group of us just returned from a deeply inspirational trip to Guatemala. The following is the first of several reports to come, and was written by Brooke Rufo Hill, the Agros Service & Education Manager.

The First Families Move to La Providencia, Guatemala.

I recently had the privilege to spend time alongside the staff of Agros Guatemala in the remote region of Barillas, visiting the Agros villages in that area. During this time we bumped along rugged roads to visit the established Agros villages of El Edén, Nueva Primavera, and Villa Linda, as well as the newest Agros community of La Providencia. It was an incredible privilege to witness the first families move onto this beautiful and productive piece of land.

The terrain is over 550 acres of lush fields with crops of coffee, cardamom, and sugar cane already growing; it has a rushing river and spilling waterfall to boot. La Providencia is truly a site to see — it exudes a sense of hope and prosperity.

The leaders of La Providencia greeted us when we arrived. Each of the men had smiles ear-to-ear — they were anxious to give us a tour of their new home and the fresh start of opportunity was in the air. We found ourselves crossing a rickety suspension bridge swaying over the river, bushwhacking our way through the coffee plants and overgrowth, and posing under the glorious waterfall for photos. During this two-hour tour, we were able to engage in valuable conversations with both the community leaders and the staff of Agros Guatemala.

One hundred families will make up this village located in the northwest of Guatemala. Almost a half of the families are now in the process of moving onto land; the rest of them will begin to move in early January. Agros Guatemala is working with a professional engineer and architect to help the community design their master plan for the village. In the meantime, the families are choosing temporary locations to place their homes. The day we visited, representatives of all the groups and families of La Providencia were there to receive their plot assignments so they can start planting corn now to have food for their families. Most families also already have members working on the coffee and cardamom harvests. For now the community’s focus is to harvest the crops, plant corn for their families’ food, and construct their temporary houses, as well as working toward overall community organization and integration of the families. The community has already formed their key committees and they are beginning to work on integrating the different groups into the one large community.

La Providencia — both the fertile land and the amazing people who will make up this new Agros community — is alive with a deep sense of hope and opportunity. After visiting La Providencia and spending time with the families and Agros Guatemala staff, I now have a clear understanding of why the Agros tagline is “Land. Hope. Life.”

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.

Mario Morales, the Executive Director for Agros Guatemala, has been working hard to demonstrate to the families of the existing Agros villages that they can pay off their land and provide for their children. Here’s a story direct from Guatemala demonstrating how the process can often take time. With the recent and extraordinary news that Pedro and Juana have paid off their land loans, the community now understands the importance and the possibilities for the future.

Here is Mario’s report:

Hello Everyone,

I’d like to share with you that on Thursday, May 25, 2007, I, along with Diego (Cotzal Coordinator), Job (Loan Officer), Jorge (Village Promoter), and families from neighboring and distant communities, met with all the families of Belen.

As a result from our gathering, many men and women realize they have lost a great deal of time and money to the committee that was misusing resources to pay land expenses. These families are now tired from the lack of results. The families also realize that Agros has been supporting their productive projects but due to their reluctance in seeking additional sources of income to repay their land, they realize that they are behind compared to other villages like La Esperanza, Cajixay and San Nicolas.

During the meeting, members of Agros recognized and affirmed the example of Pedro and Catarina, grandparents of Israel (a student at the Universidad del Valle) and parents of eight children, from both Pedro’s first and second marriages. Pedro and Catarina have paid off 50% of their land, and are an example worthy to imitate.

Further, Pedro Raymundo (46) and his wife Juana Sanchez (38), live in one of the houses furthest west of the village. Their house is plain and simple, but always clean. We can see their loving relation in how the speak to one another and their delight in their sons and daughters.

Pedro helps at the Word of Life Church, as an Elder and a servant in the prayer ministry, visiting communities and fasting for the sick and traumatized. His strong faith and wisdom have guided this important step for his family, and have served as a testimony for his community and committee leaders.

Pedro and Juana paid off 100% of their land at a total of Q 10,300.00 (US$1,373.33), and between June 20th and 30th will be receiving their land title. We will celebrate with joy and song, the first family from Belen to repay their land, as others will follow.

We give thanks to God for this journey and its progress — a steady raindrop making its mark on the land.

- Mario Morales, Director Fundación Agros, Guatemala

Many of you may have heard that there was a 6.8 earthquake off the coast of Guatemala.  We’ve been in touch with key staff in Guatemala & El Salvador and they assure us that everything is ok – none of the villages or villagers have suffered damage.  CNN has more on the earthquake itself.

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!