The modernization of farming consists of bringing together the diversity that we find in the areas of cultivation maintained by farmers where we work. A rural farmer’s work ought to consist of maintaining an adequate planting of basic grains which already exist as part of his ancient culture, such as the association of beans and corn, maintaining and improving the fruit-bearing trees native to the region, the inclusion of family gardens and medicinal plants to improve the family diet and support immediate medical and nutritional needs and finally the care and maintenance of farm animals which provide resources for organic agricultural development and at the same time add an additional food source to the family diet. This integrated concept allows the families we work with to guarantee their own proper sustenance and to harvest excess production that they can commercialize in their local markets.
We promote organic agriculture emphasizing a return to ancient techniques of using natural materials to produce high quality fertilizers. The goal is to eradicate the use of chemical products which have caused a fierce economic dependence and tremendous degradation of Guatemalan soils.
The work of testing new techniques is initiated with small test areas that farmers replicate on a larger scale only after first obtaining results, putting into practice the experiences that they learn by trying out the idea on small scale first.
The majority of the farm land in Guatemala has been depleted by the use of chemicals, creating a pressing need to rejuvenate and strengthen our soils in order to guarantee enough food for today and tomorrow. We promote, at the household level, the use of organic waste for the production of compost and vermicompost.
The base of sustenance of the rural family is the two basic grains of Guatemala, corn and beans. The rural producer must guarantee that his annual production will be sufficient for his consumption and then can sell the excess production. We are helping farmers to apply both traditional and new techniques to help to improve their output. Also, within our communities we are rescuing Amaranth, a grain used by our Mayan ancestors and considered today to be the singular best vegetable protein.
As part of this project we hope that every family will have a vegetable garden of approximately 10 square yards where they organically cultivate vegetables and medicinal herbs. These gardens should favor the cultivation of native vegetables and naturally growing edible plants. Our beneficiaries also use the same gardens to cultivate a variety of medicinal plants which are used to both prevent and treat diseases. Almost all of the vegetable gardens are for family consumption, though if there is excess production it is normally sold to neighbors or in local markets.
In many areas in which we work, a large amount of seasonal fruit is produced by uncultivated trees. Generally, although part of this is consumed, the majority is sold. A better quality of fruit gives these harvests a higher value in the market and we engage in a variety of activities to improve the maintenance of these trees and the creation of orchards.
A significant part of the harvest is lost due to bad post-harvest management and a tendency to use chemicals to prevent insects. We promote post-harvest technologies that improve the quality of stored foods and help them to last longer.
In order to guarantee the production of food, it is important to guarantee that there are always quality seeds available. Presently, native seeds are in danger of both being contaminated by transgenic seeds and of being replaced by hybrid seeds. This is causing a tremendous dependency and is putting rural lives in danger. In all of our communities, we are promoting the creation of native seed banks, encouraging the communities to use the traditional methods of their ancestors.
We promote and teach the techniques necessary to raise and handle farm animals, especially hens which not only have a profound impact on family consumption but also provide an alternative source of family income and provide valuable organic fertilizer as a complement to the creation of compost piles. There is a challenge that animals can generate competition for food on very small farms; however, proper planning with a five stage training program can overcome this in almost all cases.
The majority of the communities where we work are located on mountainsides and many do not have nearby access to water. This problem is one of the most serious problems confronting the communities in which we work. As the responsibility to provide water is the municipal government’s, we have formed tripartite alliances, with the municipality and the community, to support the introduction of water wherever we can.
Systems of mini-irrigation have been important in changing the systems of production of our beneficiaries. After being implemented, irrigation systems have freed important parts of farmer’s harvests from dependency on the weather and allowed farmers different possible cycles of production. Technologies we have utilized include, the manual excavation of wells systems of drip irrigation and mini-irrigation using natural springs. We have seen the impact of these systems on health, hygiene and food production. Furthermore, the families themselves feel satisfied to have solved their own water problems. There is a powerful contrast between the families that have access to this vital liquid and those that do not and the lack of water is a powerful permanent limitation on the development of modern agriculture.
We work with our communities to teach them care and maintenance for the environments and woods surrounding their natural sources of water.
We have often partnered with other NGOs to help bring potable water to many of our communities.