Agros Blog

This is a time of great celebration here at Agros as we announce the beginning of two new villages, Villa Hortencia I in Guatemala, and Nuevas Esperanzas in Nicaragua. Over 150 families are now beginning a new life of hope and opportunity.

Agros Village #35 Nuevas Esperanzas, Nicaragua
This community, formerly known as El Naranjo, waited for years to have the opportunity to own  land.  Their primary sources of income and food came from growing basic grains on rented land and working as day laborers on sugarcane and coffee plantations.  Fathers and sons would leave their families behind for months to work in the plantations, struggling to provide enough income to survive.  After so many years of living in devastating poverty, these 36 families are now able to stay together throughout the year, learning new skills to develop agricultural business projects on land they will one day own.  Journeying through the Agros development process, these families will learn to diversify their crops and economic activities, building the necessary infrastructure to ensure growth.  In a way that just wasn’t possible before, they can now seize opportunities for literacy, healthcare, education, and economic sustainability.  You can read more about Nuevas Esperanzas here.

Agros Village #34 Villa Hortencia I, Guatemala
After decades of war, hunger, and profound struggle, one hundred and twenty Quiche families now have the opportunity to flourish.  The 36-year civil war in Guatemala was devastating for the villages in this region, leaving families marginalized, displaced, and forgotten. In 2006 the Guatemalan Land Fund gave these families rights to 688 acres of land in Villa Hortencia.  While this was a hopeful first step, the land they received was rocky, dry, and not very productive.  Lacking the necessary agricultural knowledge and support, the families continued to struggle.

Agros began working with the families in Villa Hortencia last June, exploring a variety of ways to provide assistance.  Last week the Agros Noemi committee approved the long-term support that will be used to provide agricultural training and community development, maximizing the potential of these families to work their way out of  poverty.  Click here to read more.