June 26 - PGL Initiates New Agricultural Project
In collaboration with the Penn State Extension Young Grower Alliance (YGA) PGL has entered into a two-year program of agricultural extension support for the rural community of Talolinga in the district of León. The project, to be implemented through four specific phases, is budgeted at $15,000, and will begin within a matter of weeks.
The critical need addressed by the program is training and outreach to improve agricultural practices through the guidance of an in-country extensionist who, as a part of the program, will receive six-month's of training in sustainable practices. Some of the knowledge and skills to be disseminated have to do with Integrated Pest Management, the basic chemical processes necessary for sufficient crop yield, and the use of non-chemically based processes for pest control and fertilizers.
Under the new program the extensionist will, for example, introduce family gardens, hold workshops for the rural residents, train in crop diversification and pest control, network with agricultural researchers, and assist with improved marketing and sales of the community's agricultural products.
Tara Baugher, Tree Fruit Extension Educator, represented the YGA at the PGL Executive Committee meeting on Friday, June 24, when the decision was made to take up the initiative. Tara has written, "University research on new agricultural technologies and sustainable practices benefits U.S. farmers who are focused on increasing economic and environmental sustainability and also farmers in developing countries who strive to produce increased yields for food-insecure communities. . . .Our team of university faculty and growers has an opportunity beginning this year to apply what we are learning to a new outreach program in Talolinga."
The approach of training local people has proven successful in Central America and in other regions of the world. Two organizations taking this approach in Nicaragua, and potential resources for networking, are Nuevas Esperanzas and Sustainable Harvest International.