Protection and Recovery of Our Forests and Water Sources — Protection and Recovery of our Natural Biodiversity and its Habitats — Management of the Natural Cloud Forest Reserve Datanli- El Diablo — Organic Agriculture, Integrated Pest Management,Soil and Water Conservation — Ceramic Filters process Potable Water for Consumption — Rural Mobile Clinics — Environmental Education

NATURAL RESOURCES PROGRAMS

Nicaragua’s traditional slash-burn agricultural practices have led to deforestation and soil nutrient depletion. As the land loses its fertility, farmers move to other areas, cut down more trees, and sell the wood, then repeat this devastating cycle. In turn, deforestation causes natural water springs to dry up. The coffee crisis has further aggravated this destructive tradition. As the farmers lose their main income source - coffee, they turn to raiding any natural resource to provide for their families.

Since 1992, Aldea Global has worked to change these traditional agricultural practices by increasing farmers’ awareness of the importance to preserve and manage their natural resources. Soil conservation techniques include plant barriers, small rock barriers, no-till planting, contour planting, and terracing to protect the soil from erosion. The use of green compost and legumes enrich the land. Leguminous trees used in live barriers and live fences provide wood and their leaves become feed for the families’ hens. Insect repelling plants used in wind barriers function as integrated pest management controls. Reforestation helps to recover some of the lost forests and protect water springs. To reduce the pressure on forests from families looking for firewood to cook their food, efficient wood burning stoves are built to reduce firewood consumption. Also fast growing firewood trees are planted to provide for the family’s cooking needs. These sustainable agricultural techniques maintain soil fertility and increase its productivity, while inducing the farmer to stay on their land - limiting migration to the cities.

If farmers do not receive a just price for their harvest, their income is drastically affected and they have no other choice than to exploit the natural resources from their lands or unprotected areas to survive. Just prices for specialty coffee produced in Jinotega will allow farmers to lead a dignified life in harmony with the environment. Aldea Global’s commercialization of gourmet coffee at just prices will improve coffee farm families’ quality of life, and protect Jinotega’s natural resources, while providing consumers and roasters with one of the world’s best tasting coffees.
To preserve and manage Jinotega’s natural resources, Aldea Global works in association with Nicaragua’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (POSAF/MARENA) to protect critical watersheds in Lake Apanas as well as the cloud forest Natural Reserve Datanlí-El Diablo.

FOOD SECURITY PROGRAMS

Aldea Global works with Spain’s Intermon-Oxfam development agency, Nicaragua’s Institute for Rural Development (IDR), and Nicaragua’s PL-480 Title III office to promote crop diversification, medicinal plants, organic food production practices, as well as small animal husbandry for rural farm families.

Our ambitious goal is to introduce organic home gardens to 1,500 more families. To date we have reached 600 families. On average the initial investment per gardens is US$166. Sales generated from garden produce enable women to maintain their gardens.

Aldea Global will primarily support women in promoting organic home gardens to decrease their families risk of food insecurity during the year. Family food insecurity occurs during draughts, summer dry spells, and in months before the first seasonal harvest. The typical organic garden promoted by Aldea Global includes vegetables: squash, onions, carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, cassava, chayote; fruits: lemon, orange, avocado, pineapple, kalala, mango; medicinal plants as well as chickens or rabbits. The excess production can be bartered with neighbors or sold in local markets. During this “Coffee Crisis”, these gardens provide families with a critical food safety net to meet their families dietary needs.

Food Security in Jinotega

According to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 1996), food security is achieved “when all people, at all times, have physical and economical access to enough safe and nutritive food to fulfill their dietary needs and alimentary preferences to lead an active and healthy life”. To provide food security, food availability and access must be guaranteed. Mothers play a key role as food providers to their children. The mother’s ability to guarantee food security for their families is limited by poverty, drought and insufficient food production with traditional agricultural practices. To improve food security, the mother must be central to any food security strategy. If the mother has greater access and control over food production, maternal and infant malnutrition will diminish over the long term. Aldea Global´s food security philosophy focuses on providing access to food generating alternatives and educating.

Food insecurity in Jinotega has increased since coffee prices collapsed in early 2000. These low coffee prices raised unemployment levels and brought farm credit to a halt, directly affecting low-income farm families. Before “La Crisis”, Jinotega had the nation’s highest diarrhea and mortality rates for children under five (INEC-DHS, 2000). This situation is worsening as the coffee crisis continues with no end in sight. According to the Ministry of Health, Jinotega’s infant mortality has doubled during the first nine months of 2001 compared to last year. The percent of malnourished children rose from 21% in the year 2000 to 34% in the year 2001.

During 2001, Aldea Global worked together to promote its members families’ food security:

64 training sessions and seven farmer to farmer field trips

Alternative credit to 1,250 producers

Technical assistance to 1,250 families

153 mz of corn and 131.5 mz of beans planted with improved seed varieties

69 silos for post-harvest grain management

Home Garden Production:

388 cubic meters of compost prepared by women for their gardens

328 vegetable gardens planted

2,900 medicinal plants grown

2,145 fruit trees planted

4,610 improved hens raised for egg production

188 kg of worms cultivated by 200 women for chicken feed & fertilizer

8 community managed vegetable seed banks

8 community veterinary medicine banks

259 firewood - efficient stoves built

Aldea Global’s food security program empowered small farmers by helping them discover the potential of home garden production to feed their families and generate income. To mitigate child malnutrition, Aldea Global will introduce goats for milk production as well as reinforce the family’s knowledge of child nutritional needs. Now, these families want to irrigate their gardens to insure vegetable production during the dry season and low rain fall. Women want to increase their egg production and plant larger areas of selected vegetables for commercialization. Women must organize to collectively sell their eggs, fruits and vegetables in Jinotega’s municipal market. Men require irrigation and production loans, technical assistance and commercialization contracts with guaranteed prices to generate income to meet their families’ needs.

Quotes

“Before, we never planted much of anything in our backyards. Now, I harvest from my garden: granadilla (tropical fruit), assorted squash, chayote, oranges, onions, sugar beets, peppers, and medicinal plants. I sell my granadilla and medicinal plants.” Adelina Aguilar Hernández, Los Robles, Jinotega, Nicaragua.

“The spraying of organic bio-fertilizers and mineral “soups” on my bean plants diminished our problems with insects and plant diseases. These organic treatments helped our bean plants produce more, even during short drought periods, plus our production costs dropped.” Pedro Blandino Contreras, 42 years old, Mancotal, Jinotega, Nicaragua

“Our vegetable gardens are very useful, because now I don’t need to take a long bus ride to town anymore to buy peppers, tomatoes and onions. Now we eat fresh vegetables without chemicals.” Maria Antonia Centeno, 39 years old, four children, from Paso Real, Jinotega, Nicaragua.

“Before, we worked the land a little and planted in rows. Now, we cultivate differently. We make terraces and drainage ditches; we rotate our crops; and we don’t use chemicals.” Teonila Centeno, 60 years old, Paso Real, Jinotega, Nicaragua.