Families Adapting Together
In the dry hills of Carazo, Nicaragua, families depend on the land for food and income. For many, frequent droughts and exhausted soils have made farming increasingly difficult year after year.
Through the program implemented by Church World Service and local partner Centro Inter Eclesial de Estudios Teológicos y Sociales (CIEETS), local families are finding ways to adapt to these realities.
For Omar, a farmer living in Carazo with his wife and two children, participating in the program has been life-changing. Before joining a local Farmer Field School, Omar relied on traditional methods to grow maize and sorghum, including burning his fields, which, he shares, did not give good results.
Today, Omar’s farming practices look different. He now protects the soil with crop residues, rotates crops, plants fruit trees, and uses ground cover to retain precious moisture in the soil. He shares that he has better results both in terms of production and soil health. He now feels more confident in his ability to produce, diversify crops, and improve his family’s diet.
“I now produce food all year round, save money because I grow much of what we eat, and have increased my income,” Omar shares. “Now I can say that I live better and am better prepared to deal with droughts.”
Omar also has a drip irrigation system, has made improvements to his well and latrine, and raises pigs. His family has better access to clean water and has seen a reduction in illnesses. Income from raising pigs allows Omar to expand his operation, while joining a community savings group gives his family access to loans when needed.
Omar emphasizes, “Most importantly, all of this has helped bring my family closer together, as we have achieved these improvements as a team.”
Nicaragua Carazo Diriamba is led by Church World Service (CWS) and local partner Centro Inter Eclesial de Estudios Teológicos y Sociales (CIEETS)