Agros Blog

Aduana Dos, Nicaragua, Plantain and Irrigation Project Story

“It is hard to believe that I was actually able to repay my loan,” says Don Agustín, 41-year old husband to Señora Rosa, 37, and father of five. He shakes his head in wonder as he recalls the results of his first plantain harvest from the parcel of land he received through Agros International Nicaragua.

Don Agustín is an inspiration to many in the village of Aduana Dos, an Agros village located 40 kilometers from the capital city of Managua. Hopeful to obtain a piece of his own land on which he could live and work, Don Agustín attended an Agros meeting in 2003 after friends encouraged him to begin a new phase in life. He heard from Agros that it was possible to leave poverty behind, and achieve the dream of land ownership.

After several meetings with the Agros staff, Don Agustín realized an important truth: Corn and beans are good for making tortillas and bean dishes on a daily basis, but are not sufficient to grow financially and move forward as a family.

The Agros team began working with Don Agustín and the other farmers of Aduana Dos, strategizing on planting new crops. They quickly decided that the plantain, a popular product in the local market, would be a great option. “But how will this work if we have no experience planting plantains? And the debt that goes along with all this? It’s impossible!” Don Agustín thought. Though the plantain had proved itself as a profitable crop in the markets and was shown to have several market advantages in recent agricultural studies, Don Agustín thought he should give the idea some thought, so he asked for some time before making his final decision to move forward.

The time came for Don Agustín to make his decision as to whether or not he would cultivate plantains on his parcel, or to just continue with the familiar crops of beans and corn. Though he had never felt as anxious about any other decision, he decided to move forward in faith. He assumed a loan of $547 to sow 750 seeds on an area of 0.6 acres. He and the rest of the villagers installed an irrigation system and acquired the necessary materials. The conditions on the loan stated that repayment was to be made within two years.

Despite being a new and experimental crop in the region, the farmers demonstrated dedication and care throughout the entire process of weeding, removing leaves, fertilizing, irrigating and facilitating the first production cycle. Sure enough, the plantains were an enormous success! The harvest was extremely well received in the market and provided a solid income for the participating families.

The first thing Juan Agustín did with his profits was to repay the debt of his loan — a year early! Don Agustín had not believed that he was capable of such an incredible accomplishment in his life! He always remembers the difficult times when the struggled with the production cycles of corn and beans.

Today, Don Agustín is emotional as he shares about the results of this project. He now plans to make more payments on his land loan and his house with the profits from the sale of the next harvest of plantains.

Don Agustín shares how the following elements are what have made this project successful:

• The acquisition of the necessary technical knowledge to operate cultivation and to obtain expected results,
• The acquisition of economic resources necessary for the purchase of material and equipment for irrigation systems,
• The development of training and ability to market his products, and
• The farmer’s marketing of 0.6 acres of plantains valued at $2,000, taking account for irrigation costs.

Don Agustín has a new optimism and confidence in life. He has a new faith in the future and is eager to listen to further proposals and recommendations from the Agros team. Today Don Agustín considers himself as having made a huge step closer toward the vision he and Agros share for the future of Aduana Dos. It is their dream to achieve lasting economic sustainability, and to truly harness and develop all of their God-given potential.

In the words of Don Agustín,

“I’ve now learned that nothing is impossible.”