Back to the Land and a Better Life
The COVID-19 pandemic found Eulogio and his family living and working in a city and caused them to have to return to the country, where he grew up. The move was initially a hardship, but turns out to have been a lucky break for them. Eulogio has participated in local partner PRODII’s agricultural training since 2020, and his farming operation has really taken off.
PRODII works in an area whose agriculture had suffered greatly due to the effects of climate change, scarcity of water resources, deteriorated traditional farming practices, and the degeneration of native seed quality. The government passed a law protecting “Mother Earth” and promoting the rights of vulnerable families to food and economic opportunities in order to live well.
In workshops, Eulogio learned about terracing to prevent erosion and take greater advantage of available land; Andean agroforestry to enrich the soil and diversify nutrition; making and using organic fertilizer; producing vegetable seeds; and planting techniques to help replenish groundwater.
He receives advice and monitoring from a technician who has helped him improve his farm operations and diversify his crops. He grows pumpkins, corn, potatoes and broad beans, though he focuses mainly on carrots, onions, parsley, chard and beets.
He built a greenhouse to grow vegetables that need more heat, such as tomatoes, spicy chili peppers, paprika, watermelon, and cucumbers. He says, “Not only does this greenhouse help us feed ourselves, it has the potential to generate much greater income for us.”
His biggest sellers at market currently are onions, pumpkins, tomatoes and achocha, or “Bolivian cucumber,” a small, green, spiky fruit that can be eaten raw when young or stuffed and cooked like a pepper when mature.
Eulogio’s dream is to produce more tomatoes, cucumbers and paprika in the greenhouse, earning enough to avoid ever having to return to the city to find work. He also hopes to build his own irrigation system, establish a 1,000-bee apiary to sell honey, and diversify his living in other ways.
Bolivia North Potosí Program
Led by Mennonite Central Committee and Local Partner Interdisciplinary Integral Development Program (PRODII)