In northern Nicaragua, very many small coffee farmers and their families live in extreme poverty. They have land and natural resources, but often insufficient knowledge. Without help, they have few chances to improve their production and income. Our partner PAC helps these farmers. They receive three years of training and mentoring so they can grow their coffee more sustainably, increase quality and build a better income. Pedro is one of the farmers who thus gained the prospect of a more hopeful future.
Before joining the project, I worked as a farm labourer on private farms. I had to rent land to grow maize and beans. There was no other option. The yield was just enough to feed my family, but hardly anything was left over. It's fair to say that I barely made ends meet, with no hope of improvement.
Things started to change when I joined PAC's project. I was hired for the post-harvest coffee processing team. I was able to develop and was invited to join the network. Now I have a small business supplying biomaterials and eco-friendly fertilisers to more than two hundred farming families.
At PAC, I feel valued. My level of education is not high, but the training I have received allows me to help other producers. On a technical level and also by making them aware of our Christian duty to be stewards of creation.
I really enjoy this work. I was able to revive a bean crop that was in danger of collapsing. It gave me great joy when I saw that other coffee farmers also managed to save their crops.
With the support of PAC and its partners, such as the CGK, I have achieved a lot. On the piece of land I now have, I grow my food and can build a house. I have become a different person. I look hopefully to the future for my family. Above all, I am grateful to God for everything.
