Huaca Planting Method Brings Transformation
My name is Douglas. Like my family before me, I’ve always worked in agriculture, but over the past few years the methods I use have changed and it has transformed my family and community.
I previously avoided using my own land for farming because everyone said it was bad—and I believed them. The soil would crack in the summer and flood in the winter, making it hard to grow anything. I had to rent land instead, which limited what I could plant and made it impossible to grow fruit trees or bananas, since I couldn’t guarantee I’d have the land again the next year.
That changed when Fundación San Lucas arrived in our community in 2019. I started as a veterinary promoter, then joined the Farmer Field School. What I liked most was the hands-on learning. I started practicing new techniques on my own land, including no-burn farming, mulching, crop diversification, organic pest control, and rainwater harvesting systems. Eventually, I was named an agricultural promoter and began managing my own demonstration plot.
Of all the techniques I learned, the “huaca” planting method—where we improve the soil by digging and layering organic material—was the most transformational. While I’ve experimented with many crops, bananas have become my main focus. Before, my banana plants would barely survive. Now, with huacas, yields are up between 15% and 100%. My wife Jessica and I currently have 120 plants, and our dream is to expand to 400, use the income to buy more land, and keep growing.
Our plot is now a model site for sharing experiences with other producers and new Farmer Field School groups in neighboring communities. We grow bananas, limes, tomatoes, cucumbers and more using sustainable techniques. I’ve also started teaching the use of organic pest control using natural solutions like neem. I’m proud to be part of this transformation. The journey from participant to community agricultural promoter has shown me that even in tough conditions, with the right tools and support, we can build something lasting.
Nicaragua Conquista Nandaime Program
Led by World Renew and local partner Fundación San Lucas Nicaragua