Before partnering with Amigos for Christ, Manuel grew a variety of traditional crops such as corn, rice, and sesame seeds on his farm. For years he was barely breaking even. Every harvest was a gamble, without commercialization he relied on unsteady market prices. One year he lost everything on his rice harvest, “After months of hard work, when it came time to sell, I didn’t even earn one dollar. It was devastating.”
Challenging climate conditions also affected his work, allowing him to only work half of the year on his farm. Without access to a steady water supply for their crops, rural farmers in Nicaragua are often faced with unstable work and economic conditions. Even after Manuel constructed a shallow well on his property, the water source would often dry up within the first few months of an intense six-month dry season, producing unsuccessful harvests.
Manuel’s experience reflects a reality that many rural Nicaraguan farmers face. The grit, hard work, and talent is all there, there’s just a lack of access to opportunity.