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Martha & Manuel with CEPRODEL/León Loan Official, Gerardo
Meléndez (center)
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Martha Elena Rivera Carillo
and her husband, Manuel Gonzales are one of the first farm
families to particiapte in the Sustainable Rural Development
Program. They farm 17 manzanas (about 30 acres) in Amatitan.
They raise primarily vegetables and irrigate using water from
an 80 year old well. They also have 9 head of cattle, 2 for
milk and 7 for meat.
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For a printable pdf version of
the most recent Program Highlights please click: HERE
Sustainable Rural Development Program
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We received our last report on participation in this program
in March of 2007.
| Cummulative as of: |
Dec 31, 06 |
Dec 31, 05 |
Jan 31, 05 |
Mar 31, 04 |
| Number of communities |
36 |
36 |
27 |
25 |
| Number of families |
829 |
666 |
306 |
182 |
| Number
of family members |
2,118 |
(est)
1624 |
1,577 |
806 |
| Amount of Credit Approved |
$2,264,542 |
$1,254,168 |
$1,000,890 |
$649,444 |
| Number of permanent jobs created |
1,159 |
476 |
461 |
305 |
| Number of temporary jobs created |
1,912 |
1,045 |
702 |
401 |
| Income generated |
$3,890,713 |
$2,010,726 |
$438,233 |
$210,172 |
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| When José Ramón
Silva and his wife Julia first met SOSTENICA representatives,
they and their three children lived on a small farm in the Nicaraguan
town of El Jicarito (the little Jicaro). They grew corn and
beans and had a total net worth of less than $5,000. The CEPRODEL/
SOSTENICA staff showed them how, with credit and training, they
could diversify their farm, improve the land, and increase their
income. They received their first SOSTENICA rural development
loan early in 2002 -- a loan of $1,062 to improve 1.7 acres
of pasture area and for the purchase of two pregnant dairy cows.
They were among the first in their village to experiment with
a method of livestock farming known as silvopastoral agriculture.
In addition to grasses, they planted their pastures with leguminous
trees throughout the fields. |
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The trees fix nitrogen in the soil, provide shade for the
livestock, protect animals from Nicaragua's hot tropical sun,
and drop edible bean pods rich in protein for the cows to
munch. In 2004 José and Julia took out a second loan, this
time for $980 for the purchase of two more pregnant cows.
Last year, having repaid both of their earlier loans, they
borrowed $1,500 for reforestation and for the construction
of a pond to retain water through the dry season. In the past
five years, José and Julia's herd has grown from 4 to 18 cows.
Their estimated net worth has grown to $12,527 (from $4,902)
and their two daughters have begun university studies while
their son has become a farm machinery mechanic. Neither José
nor Julia ever made it to high school.
Nicaragua's economy is agricultural. 82%
of all Nicaraguan exports came from agriculture. The most
extreme poverty is in the rural sector, causing many people
to migrate to cities and to other countries. José and Julia
are typical of the 938 Nicaraguan families currently served
by SOSTENICA's sustainable rural development program - making
it work.
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% Value of Loans by Sector |
Credit
for Small Business Program
Between January 2001, when the current format of the partnership
began, and December 2006 the León office of CEPRODEL has made
12,139 loans totaling $4,516,416 US dollars in non-agricultural
business sectors.
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Juana De Los Angeles Romero Jarquin
Juana operates a small sewing
shop behind her home in the Rió Chiquito in León. When she
began borrowing from SosteNica, her sales and cash flow were
very small. She qualified for a $100 micro-loan, equivalent
to her shops net worth. Today, Juana employs 3 of her neighbors
to help produce, among other things, school uniforms for the
local children. Over the past two years she has been able
to purchase four sewing machines and has seen her business'
total net worth grow to more than $3,000. Juana's most recent
loan from SosteNica was for $700.
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