Project Description
Small-scale farmers in southwestern Nicaragua struggle to sustain agricultural production and maintain their livelihoods due to water shortages caused by prolonged droughts and an upsurge in extreme weather events in the region. At the IAF, we support community-led solutions that improve food security, promote sustainable agriculture, and expand economic opportunity in Nicaragua. Our grantee partner, Asociación Nochari (Nochari), works with producers to train them in organic production techniques, improve their access to native seeds like yucca and guineo (bananas), and sell their crops collectively in local and regional markets. Nochari is also collaborating closely with communities to address water shortages by building and repairing wells and evaluating low-cost irrigation systems.
| Project: | Location: | Years active: | IAF grant funding: | Counterpart commitment: | Direct beneficiaries: | Indirect beneficiaries: | Program areas: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improvement in standard of living for campesino families in the department of Granada, Nicaragua | Nicaragua | 2019 – 2022 | $225,270 | $204,570 | 300 individuals | 1500 individuals | agriculture and food security natural resource management alternatives to migration inclusion |
Recent News and Stories
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With funds from the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), grantees Ñepi Behña and Ya Montsi Behña have developed Corazon Verde, a jointly-owned enterprise that markets products both domestically and internationally, such as bath sponges, jams, jellies and soaps, all derived from the maguey cactus, which is native to the Valle de Mezquital region of Hidalgo state in Mexico. While she waits to deliver her finished bath sponges, a coop member winds amorphous treated fibers of the maguey cactus into a single thread using a hand spindle. The thread will later be used to knit products for the cooperative Ya Montsi Behña.
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