* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
A bit of advice has made a big difference for one strawberry farmer
When I was a boy, and my father worked the land, we didn’t earn enough money for me to stay in school. I never imagined that my own children could dream of becoming doctors and engineers, and that it would be thanks to my strawberry farm.
In my father’s time we didn’t have the know-how and money that farmers needed to get the most from their land. We were poor, and could only afford to eat the same food. Just eating tortillas alone is not a nutritious diet and times were hard.
When the farm passed to me, I also found it difficult to make money. Around six years ago, an attack of aphids destroyed my plot and I lost everything I had invested. The damaged fruit and vegetables could not be sold and I lost around 50,000 lempira ($2,000) that could have bought a small, but good house. I wondered if I should carry on.
But when the USAID-ACCESO programme arrived my life really changed.
Before today we used traditional farming methods that our ancestors used. But now we have improved our soil preparation, planting techniques, irrigation and fertilisation to make sure we cultivate strong crops.
I have learned how to select a plant, what is good for seeds and the number of leaves that a plant should have to be productive. But having a good crop is half of the battle – we also need to protect it from pests and diseases. For me the most important job is to prevent diseases because it’s very difficult to save a plant that is dying.
David is the ACCESO trainer assigned to our area. He comes once a week, to inspect our plots and give us advice, and we can call him with questions when he is not around. The main problem for us is that new pests and diseases keep on coming. David helps us monitor our crops and identify the pest, and decide the best way to defeat it.
Now I know how to recognise pests and diseases, and if we need to use crop protection products we know the correct doses and how to use the products responsibly. Access to crop protection products is important to maintain our productivity. Without these we wouldn’t have anything.
David has also given us a lot of advice on how to protect the environment. We have learned how to safely dispose of the empty containers by triple washing them and perforating the container before it is taken away for collection. We have also learned how to protect our water sources, which is vital for my family, our animals and the crops.
Nature is very important to us and it’s important our farming is sustainable, to maintain the environment for my children. For instance we diversify the crops we grow in order to give the land the nutrients it needs to keep healthy.
Because of all of these new approaches, my strawberry business is very strong. The fruits are bigger, and in high demand in the market. Also because strawberries require a lot of attention, to irrigate the fields, and harvest the crop, I am generating a lot of jobs.
Through the project I have also developed better market skills and I now have direct buyers who give me a good price and sell my strawberries in the capital city. This has been great for business.
We used to live in a small wooden house with my three children and it was uncomfortable. But in the first two years with the project, I was able to build my own brick house. Now we even have a truck, which can transport the strawberry crop to market and we are able to afford better food for a more nutritious diet.
I am happy, because I look at my children, and see the opportunities they have today. It is much more than I had. I couldn’t even ride a bicycle until I was 15. Now my children are just learning to walk and they are already almost riding a bicycle. They can also play with a good quality football.
And most importantly, they can stay in school. Maybe one can become an agricultural trainer like David. Then he would be able to work the land in an excellent manner, with all the knowledge you need to have a healthy crop.
Everyone in Honduras wants a better future. Through my strawberry farm, and the help I have received, I have found mine.
This blog was compiled from video interviews with Emiliano Dominguez. USAID-ACCESO was a 49-month project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with CropLife Latin America and Fintrac Inc., to move rural Honduran households out of extreme poverty and under-nutrition by improving their incomes. More farmer stories are here.
