World Relief - Nicaragua

In the western hemisphere, Nicaragua is at the bottom of the poverty ladder, second only to Haiti.  Many Nicaraguans eke out a living on small, family-run farms.  These households are utterly dependent on their annual crop, and hunger is common when harvests are poor.

Arm in arm with indigenous churches, World Relief helps farming families through innovative agricultural services, showing the local people how to boost their crop yields and increase their incomes.

In the wake of political turmoil, war and natural disasters, many Nicaraguans in rural areas struggle to make a living. 

Dependent on their homegrown crops for survival, many hardworking households lack the knowledge and the resources to better their situation.

Growing crops
Often practicing poor techniques, farmers struggle to irrigate and grow their crops, and strip the soil of nutrients.  Others face obstacles in processing and transporting their produce to market – two vital steps towards generating a viable income.

In response to a request from local churches, World Relief launched a sustainable agriculture program in 1994 with the goal of permanently raising the incomes of 8,000 farming families.

Since then, thousands of families have been equipped and trained to improve their farms and conservation practices.  Pastor Uriel Tercero says the agriculture program has brought new life to the land – and new life to his church.

Key interventions include: crop diversification, access to low-cost quality seeds and equipment, watershed management, post-harvest management, marketing assistance, and training in agribusiness and environmentally sound practices.

Growing partners
Major developing markets include specialty coffees, cocoa, tropical fruits, honey and spices – crops with higher market values.

World Relief’s indigenous partner Pueblos en Accion Comunitaria (PAC), formed by the local farmers, provides credit to 3,000 farmers and rural businesses, empowering them to diversify their crops and expand sustainably to meet market needs. 

World Relief has strengthened PAC through training and funding assistance.  We began transitioning the sustainable agriculture program to PAC in 2001 – completing the hand-over in 2004.  Today, PAC is self-sustaining.  World Relief continues to provide support in an advisory role and explores new opportunities.