Thanks to many generous donors, we exceeded our 2010 year-end goal for online fundraising!  These funds will directly guarantee that 168 families are able to successfully complete our five-phase program. Nicaraguan farmer Mario Hurtado Méndez and his family will now be able to move onto Phase 3: Advanced Crop Diversification & Introduction to Business.  He was eager to share with you his heartfelt gratitude for this support.

Mario Hurtado Méndez has lived in the isolated community of La Fonseca, Nicaragua for the last 35 years.  He is married to Doña Azucena Aragón and together they have raised seven children.  In Mario’s own words:

“Our life here has not been easy, because we have suffered from everything: wars, abandonment by the authorities, and severe hurricane damage.  It is a very vulnerable region to flooding, which has caused the loss of my domestic animals: chickens, pigs, and cattle that were dragged away by the river.  Our crops before working with SHI were only rice, corn, and beans, which is what we inherited from our parents with slash and burn techniques.

I began to work with SHI two years ago, and you can observe changes in my farm… Now we work in an integral way, trying to have some of everything in one same area.  I began with crop diversification and I already have results. I am beginning to produce cacao, achiote, watermelon and coconut.

Commercialization has been one of the most difficult tasks, because we were timid about selling our products, since we preferred to share with our neighbors; but starting this year, we began to sell watermelons - 50 total, along with 10 pounds of achiote and 30 pounds of cacao.  It isn't much, but these are the first steps… I am sure that we are going to have more income, because now we have a little bit of everything on the farm.

We are completely grateful for the support that you give us... Now I know the importance that each plant completes in the soil and for our nutrition. I hope that one day you come to my farm and see my work.  We aren't going to be rich in money, but we are going to live a dignified life with good nutrition and protect our environment. Many thanks to all, and may SHI increase every day the number of participant families in our country.”