Home Cultivating Hope: Bio-intensive Family Gardens for Food Security in Yalaguina

Cultivating Hope: Bio-intensive Family Gardens for Food Security in Yalaguina

Published on

8 April 2024

The municipality of Yalaguina, Nicaragua, is nestled in the heart of the Central America’s Dry Corridor, a region characterized by an extended dry season and a short rainy season. This climatic reality makes the residents of this area particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. With over 11,000 people, of which 81% live in rural areas, the majority of the population relies on subsistence agriculture for survival, making food security a critical issue. The increasingly prolonged periods of drought significantly impact these traditional agricultural practices.

In response to this critical situation, the Instituto de promoción humana (Institute for Human Promotion) in Somoto, in collaboration with the organization Carrefour de solidarité internationale, has developed a program of bio-intensive family gardens. This innovative cultivation method is based on environmentally friendly practices aimed at maximizing food production on small surfaces.

Instituto de promoción humana

This organization located in Somoto, Nicaragua, was founded in 1990. It is committed to promoting the human development of families and communities, making them the main actors in improving their living conditions. Their approach is based on educational processes that ensure human rights, thus strengthening the foundations of a more equitable and inclusive society.

Family gardens, some exceeding 30 square meters in certain cases, are arranged around participants’ residences. This innovative cultivation method is based on environmentally friendly practices aimed at maximizing food production on small surfaces. These gardens serve as a vital addition to the daily diet of families, enhancing their health and well-being while reinforcing long-term food security.

Thanks to funding of $22,091 from the Roncalli Foundation, this innovative program was expanded and offered to 100 families in 7 communities.

In addition to providing the necessary gardening equipment, such as pitchforks, shovels and packets of seeds appropriate to biointensive gardening (crops like corn, chia, carrots, yucca, etc.), the project funded a series of training sessions, including workshops on healthy nutrition and diet. These workshops used herbs and vegetables that had been grown in the gardens. Participants were accompanied by the institute’s technical team, which ensured the proper application of biointensive agricultural methods, and the optimisation of results.

This project is a concrete example of how local initiatives can offer effective solutions to environmental and social challenges. Bio-intensive farming practices provide a glimmer of hope for the vulnerable communities of Yalaguina, helping them cope with the consequences of climate change while enhancing their quality of life.

Participants will soon taste the fruits of their harvests, which will continue to bear fruit in the years to come.

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