SosteNica - Small Farmer - Sustainable Development

CLIMATE | LAND | PEOPLE

There are approximately 1.6 million smallholder farm family members in Nicaragua and nearly 70% live in poverty. These families are responsible for 80% of Nicaragua’s food production but have little access to the resources needed to sustainably increase their production and income.

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CLIMATE | LAND | PEOPLE

There are approximately 1.6 million smallholder farm family members in Nicaragua and nearly 70% live in poverty. These families are responsible for 80% of Nicaragua’s food production but have little access to the resources needed to sustainably increase their production and income.

DONATE

CLIMATE | LAND | PEOPLE

There are approximately 1.6 million smallholder farm family members in Nicaragua and nearly 70% live in poverty. These families are responsible for 80% of Nicaragua’s food production but have little access to the resources needed to sustainably increase their production and income.

DONATE

Our Mission

SosteNica works with Nicaraguan smallholder farmers and their communities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. We deploy a development model that addresses the evolving requirements of these farmers as they move from subsistence farming to farms that generate a virtuous cycle of rising standards of wealth and income in a manner that is ecologically sustainable.

Smallholder farmers often live in poverty with poor housing and significant food insecurity, producing just enough to survive. With initial training and some financing from SosteNica, these farm families are able to increase and stabilize their income while reducing environmental impacts. Reaching “sustainability” allows each farm family to plan their future. A plan and a modest additional farm investment from SosteNica enable these farm families to produce a diverse crop year-round despite the seasonally dry climate. And with access to markets facilitated by SosteNica, the transformation from subsistence to agro-entrepreneurial business is complete.

Why Nicaragua

A very large number of Nicaragua’s population of six million suffer the physical and mental deprivations of poverty: hunger, illness, and hopelessness. Nicaragua remains the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, while suffering the growing impacts of climate change. The necessary tools for the people of Nicaragua to improve these conditions, capital and education, are in short supply and unavailable to those most in need.

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Why Smallholder Farm Families

There are approximately 1.6 million smallholder farm family members in Nicaragua and nearly 70% live in poverty. These families are responsible for 80% of Nicaragua’s food production but have little access to the resources needed to sustainably increase their production and income. As these smallholder farm families become agro-entrepreneurs, they have the potential to transform the local economy.

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SosteNica’s Work

SosteNica addresses the central challenges of smallholder farm families and their communities to improve their lives and their environment. Our staff work together in the fields, homes, schools, and communities of rural Nicaragua employing a model designed to provide long-term, sustainable economic, environmental, and health benefits. These benefits are derived through agricultural technical assistance, a school garden program, installation of clean cookstoves, business training for young entrepreneurs and the provision of capital.

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There were things that we did not produce and through training SosteNica has taught us how grow them and have a better production.

Before, we used to harvest 20 quintals (2000lbs) and now, with SosteNica’s support, we have harvested 50 to 60 quintals (5,000 – 6,000lbs) per manzana (1.7 acres). This is a great achievement.

— DANIEL ROCHA

Community Programming

In the Field

Our recipe for smallholder farm success...restore soil health, add water, diversify to manage risk, work with natural systems, and gain access to markets.

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In the Home

The health and safety of the family is paramount so we focus on clean cookstoves and access to water.

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In the Community

The community is where all of SosteNica’s efforts come together…educating and training young people, building connections, demonstrating sustainable technologies, and linking agro-entreprenuers to markets.

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