In Nicaragua's Las Palmeras community, Darling Esposito Ramirez and his wife, Francisca, are dreaming again.
The source of their newfound optimism comes from the sky, as local partners, with help from ONE DROP's Water, Culture and Agriculture Project (or PECAN, the project's French acronym), worked alongside them to build reservoirs and irrigation systems to collect precious rainwater. This collective effort has allowed the Ramirez family, and many others, to farm like never before. In some cases, farms have tripled their annual output—and that achievement is only the beginning.
In a country where rainfall is unevenly distributed, harnessing water, and learning to manage it, has helped local farmers sow new lives for themselves. By getting rainwater to their seeded fields, farmers have increased crop yields and seen their revenue grow. As PECAN technicians tutor the region's farmers in fundamental farming techniques, vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes now sprout from fields, earning more profit than Nicaragua's staple crops of corn and black beans.
With each passing day the Ramirez family's hopes of repairing the leaky roof of their home and replacing their wood-burning stove with a cleaner, more energy-efficient one are one drop closer to reality.
Learn more about the Water, Culture and Agriculture Project in Nicaragua.
Published on October 16, 2007