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Overview La Semilla Ministries Casa de Mi Papito El Dulce Refugio

La Semilla Ministries

Sustainable Agriculture Development in Nicaragua

Develoment Strategies For Long Term Poverty Alleviation

Because of our belief in God and His goodness, His creativeness, we want you to understand the potential of long-term strategies to help eliminate, that's right - ELIMINATE - poverty.
 To properly engage small farmers in Nicaragua, each year, in the early weeks of March, we host a series of seminars at La Semilla which encourage participants to consider God's purpose for their lives and the role of agriculture in meeting the financial needs of their families. Once farmers attend the series of 3 seminars and understand how we operate as an organization, they are welcome to participate in the various programs where we teach and unlock potential through modern, technical agriculture. 
In our work in agriculture development in Nicaragua is practical, but we're not focused only on helping to boost yields. YES, it's part of what we do, but ours is an integrated strategy for holistic development.  We teach in ways that encourage the rural families that we work with to implement changes in many areas of their lives – personal, family, faith, and community. That leads to a fulfilled life, a dignified existence. Producers earning more, living lives of integrity, caring for their families and their communities, and encouraging their children to expect a better future. Do development strategies work? You bet they do!

La Semilla exists to improve the economic incomes of rural Nicaraguans and their families so that agriculture can be a stable and secure source of income for the entire year, and for the next generation.
Are there opportunities in Nicaragua?  YES! The climate is right. There is plenty of productive and underutilized land. A ready market. Farmers with local knowledge. We lead where there is no government vision for establishing strategies that would lead to a more stable and robust agricultural economy.  
We have been established for 10 years in agriculture initiatives in Nicaragua. Many hours of planning, and many dollars of investment in agriculture development are already at work. Our next growing season is always just around the corner. Typically, we see our first rains of the year in the first week of May and soon after growers are ready to put some seed in the ground. Our second growing season each year runs from September to January.  We’re always investing time and resources in improving agriculture: 

  • workshops and courses are offered on pertinent topics like finances, application methods, personal protection equipment
  • field days are offered so that producers see and can learn about the latest crop protection products, seed varieties, and growing techniques that could benefit their farms
  • certified bean and sorghum seed are produced and maintained in our cold storage facility
  • corn seed, herbicides and sacks of fertilizer are sourced at fair prices and awaiting pickup
  • our agronomists have researched and published a current “best practices manual” for beans, corn and sorghum and rice production
  • numerous farmers have graduated from our prerequisite seminar. Currently 390 producers have received training and are eligible to participate in our ag programs. That’s 390 Nicaraguan farmers that now have full access to the services we provide, including credit for farm inputs and a more secure future of providing the funds their families need for daily existence!

LA SEMILLA is making a difference in Carazo, Nicaragua. Yields achieved by the growers benefitting from our technical production programs is now at 150% of Nicaraguan national average for beans; and 170% of the national average in sorghum. As growers adopt corn into their rotations yields have been tremendous - more than doubling the national average. DEVELOPMENT is a long-term strategy to help alleviate the effects of poverty.  Many growers are shifting their thinking and embracing a brighter future.

Will you consider being generous towards these hard working farmers!  It costs us about $700/family to provide the type of support we offer. We couldn’t do it without YOU! Explore giving options at:
www.lasemillaministries.com