Tacaná 2/23 - Three surprises
On the drive to Tacaná, we passed by some fields laid out in a perfect grid, each planted with a different grain or vegetable. All appeared to be thriving, and though it was Sunday, there were people tending the plants, adjusting irrigation sprinklers and hoeing weeds. Luis explained that this is a USAID project where they are growing a wide variety of plants to see what grows well in various soil conditions. In March, ten representatives from ten poor municipalities, including Tacaná will be coming to learn about the plants and will take back information to their communities. Although this was not one of the official three surprises Luis had promised for the day, it was immensely exciting for me. I had been talking to Bette about the possibility of building one garden in San Marcos as a demonstration garden where Luis’s crew would plant potatoes, larger beans and other vegetables that might provide more protein. Produce from this garden could then be transported to the villages for the people to try. This USAID project is much more far-reaching and will educate many more people.
At the lunch break in San Antonio, the village in Tacaná where we were holding the clinic, Luis drove us to a large greenhouse that is being watered by hoses coming from a new well dug by the community. The plants are huge. Next to the greenhouse is a garden that relies on the rain, and the plants are much smaller and less developed. It pointed out vividly one of the big obstacles for the indigenous poor in the mountainous regions. Even where land is available, it is nearly impossible to grow anything other than corn because of the lack of water. Although this well is providing water for the greenhouse and a few family gardens, most of the available land is at too high an elevation for wells to be practical. The cost of digging to the depth required to find water is prohibitive.
Next we drove to the second surprise, a large greenhouse that contained at least 50 pine tree seedlings and 50 fruit tree seedlings. There were apple, pear, peach and avocado trees. This tree project belongs to a collective of 80 women directed by a woman named Mary whom I met. The women have been interested in the environment for a few years but until now have not had the resources to act. Money from the Hunger project allowed them to buy the seedlings and build the greenhouse. Some of the evergreen trees will be planted at the “Nacimiento.” (see below,) and some will be planted in areas that need environmental stabilization. The fruit trees will feed the village and in the future provide fruit for sale, generating income.
The final surprise was the “Nacimiento Project.” I began the Greenhouse Hunger Project after my last visit to Tacaná where I saw so many malnourished and stunted children and realized that they needed food much more than they needed me. My plan was to raise money for community gardens and greenhouses so that the people could grow vegetables to supplement their meager diets. My dream was that eventually they would add potatoes and quinoa, and perhaps grow enough that they could sell some of their produce for some income to buy seeds to replenish the gardens. I also dreamed of later additions of chickens and goats and other protein-source animals. What has actually occurred under the guidance of Luis and Marcos, a village leader in Tacaná is way beyond my dreams.
It turns out that there are a couple of families in Tacaná who own fairly large plots of land that have lain fallow for years except for occasional corn crops. Nothing else will grow due to the dry conditions. There is a large spring two miles away called “The Nacimiento” – the birthplace or source. There are several large holding tanks, built many years ago for a failed irrigation project after which the site was abandoned. For a cost of around $5000-$7000, mainly for pipes, water can be brought to the fields in Tacaná. With irrigation, all manner of crops can be planted in huge abundance. Not only will the people be fed, they will be able to sell the excess and raise their standard of living. When Luis showed me the spring and told me his vision of Tacaná as a center of fruit and vegetable farming with the people becoming educated, thinking about their future and that of their children, I was overwhelmed. The people here had big ideas of their own all along. They just didn’t have any resources and just needed a little bit to get started. Everywhere we went there were groups of young and old men and women waiting for us, proudly showing the results of their labor and ready to discuss the next phase once the irrigation project is complete.
I can’t wait to go back and talk to the people from foundations that expressed some interest if there was a good sustainability plan in place. I’ve been thinking it would be my job to come up with one, and all the while the people of Guatemala had it all worked out. Tomorrow we’re in Sibinal, another high village where we’ll be fore two days. There are more gardens there – the most recent. Luis promises more surprises.
On the drive to Tacaná, we passed by some fields laid out in a perfect grid, each planted with a different grain or vegetable. All appeared to be thriving, and though it was Sunday, there were people tending the plants, adjusting irrigation sprinklers and hoeing weeds. Luis explained that this is a USAID project where they are growing a wide variety of plants to see what grows well in various soil conditions. In March, ten representatives from ten poor municipalities, including Tacaná will be coming to learn about the plants and will take back information to their communities. Although this was not one of the official three surprises Luis had promised for the day, it was immensely exciting for me. I had been talking to Bette about the possibility of building one garden in San Marcos as a demonstration garden where Luis’s crew would plant potatoes, larger beans and other vegetables that might provide more protein. Produce from this garden could then be transported to the villages for the people to try. This USAID project is much more far-reaching and will educate many more people.
At the lunch break in San Antonio, the village in Tacaná where we were holding the clinic, Luis drove us to a large greenhouse that is being watered by hoses coming from a new well dug by the community. The plants are huge. Next to the greenhouse is a garden that relies on the rain, and the plants are much smaller and less developed. It pointed out vividly one of the big obstacles for the indigenous poor in the mountainous regions. Even where land is available, it is nearly impossible to grow anything other than corn because of the lack of water. Although this well is providing water for the greenhouse and a few family gardens, most of the available land is at too high an elevation for wells to be practical. The cost of digging to the depth required to find water is prohibitive.
Next we drove to the second surprise, a large greenhouse that contained at least 50 pine tree seedlings and 50 fruit tree seedlings. There were apple, pear, peach and avocado trees. This tree project belongs to a collective of 80 women directed by a woman named Mary whom I met. The women have been interested in the environment for a few years but until now have not had the resources to act. Money from the Hunger project allowed them to buy the seedlings and build the greenhouse. Some of the evergreen trees will be planted at the “Nacimiento.” (see below,) and some will be planted in areas that need environmental stabilization. The fruit trees will feed the village and in the future provide fruit for sale, generating income.
The final surprise was the “Nacimiento Project.” I began the Greenhouse Hunger Project after my last visit to Tacaná where I saw so many malnourished and stunted children and realized that they needed food much more than they needed me. My plan was to raise money for community gardens and greenhouses so that the people could grow vegetables to supplement their meager diets. My dream was that eventually they would add potatoes and quinoa, and perhaps grow enough that they could sell some of their produce for some income to buy seeds to replenish the gardens. I also dreamed of later additions of chickens and goats and other protein-source animals. What has actually occurred under the guidance of Luis and Marcos, a village leader in Tacaná is way beyond my dreams.
It turns out that there are a couple of families in Tacaná who own fairly large plots of land that have lain fallow for years except for occasional corn crops. Nothing else will grow due to the dry conditions. There is a large spring two miles away called “The Nacimiento” – the birthplace or source. There are several large holding tanks, built many years ago for a failed irrigation project after which the site was abandoned. For a cost of around $5000-$7000, mainly for pipes, water can be brought to the fields in Tacaná. With irrigation, all manner of crops can be planted in huge abundance. Not only will the people be fed, they will be able to sell the excess and raise their standard of living. When Luis showed me the spring and told me his vision of Tacaná as a center of fruit and vegetable farming with the people becoming educated, thinking about their future and that of their children, I was overwhelmed. The people here had big ideas of their own all along. They just didn’t have any resources and just needed a little bit to get started. Everywhere we went there were groups of young and old men and women waiting for us, proudly showing the results of their labor and ready to discuss the next phase once the irrigation project is complete.
I can’t wait to go back and talk to the people from foundations that expressed some interest if there was a good sustainability plan in place. I’ve been thinking it would be my job to come up with one, and all the while the people of Guatemala had it all worked out. Tomorrow we’re in Sibinal, another high village where we’ll be fore two days. There are more gardens there – the most recent. Luis promises more surprises.
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