| La Providencia “Providence” Barillas, Huehuetenango, Guatemala Size: 552 acres |
 Download a Summer 2011 Village Update |
 Download a Fiscal Year 2012 Village Plan |
 Download a Fiscal Year 2011 Expenditure Summary |
In 2005, 4 different communities of Kanjobal families (a Mayan indigenous group) began organizing themselves to improve their lives. Most of the families had been living and farming on less than one acre of land in the Barillas region of Guatemala and were struggling to provide the basic needs for their families. Desiring land access, the separate groups began forming Land Committees and other leadership bodies to better represent and advocate for themselves. Families participated in various test loan projects with Agros, but lack of funding and a temporary moratorium on new Agros villages in Guatemala postponed the formal partnership with Agros. Finally, in October 2007, after passing through a lengthy family selection process, 100 families united to form what at the time was the largest Agros village.
The land purchased for this group is 5 miles away from the nearest Agros community and 13 miles away from the Barillas market, accessible through roads leading to the community. Crops planted by the previous owners such as cardamom, coffee, corn, beans, sugarcane, and plantains gave the newly-moved families a jumpstart on the growing season and the fertile soil and nearby water sources provides further opportunities for agricultural production. Families are eager to work and receive technical assistance from Agros.
Projects planned for 2011 – 2012 fiscal year include:
- Planting of fifty-four acres of coffee seedlings
- Starting a medical garden to treat common illnesses
- Families initiating a honey bee apiary
- Adult literacy programs and classes
- The raising and sale of tilapia for income generation
