Tours like these should be of interest to our local NGO's, agricultural and extension officers, researchers/teachers and agricultural policy makers. Thanks to Nicaragua's involvement in the production of some of the agricultural commodities which are now fetching high prices on the world market, they should be enjoying a windfall even if you factor in the increase in the price of their own food imports.
Nicaragua: Sustainable Agriculture and the Campesino Movement, March 25 – April 4, 2012
For thirty years, the Campesino a Campesino (Farmer to Farmer) movement, now with several hundred thousand farmer-promoters, has helped farming families in the rural villages of Latin America improve their livelihoods and conserve their natural resources. Nicaraguan farmers are at the heart of this movement, which has contributed greatly to the global food sovereignty movement. Coordinated and co-sponsored by NICCA – the Nicaragua Center for Community Action, this delegation will allow you to forge solidarity with Nicaraguan farmers and learn from the experiences of the Campesino a Campesino Movement.
Since 1989 NICCA has enthusiastically supported the Campesino a Campesino Program (PCaC), a project of Nicaragua’s National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG). PCaC is a comprehensive attempt to promote agricultural sustainability and enhance biodiversity by giving technical help to small farmers who learn and then teach others. The program has many emphases, including organic agriculture; soil conservation; crop diversification; the use of natural fertilizers and insecticides that can be produced at home; and the empowerment of women through kitchen gardens and animal husbandry. Most importantly, it is a program led by farmers, for farmers. In Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, PCaC has helped eliminate hunger in many rural communities where it once loomed over daily life.
On this delegation, you will meet with leaders of UNAG to discuss its national programs. You will visit a number of small communities and organic farms in the beautiful Matagalpa region, where NICCA’s partner, UNAG-Matagalpa, has been working for many years. Our visits will include small, diversified farms and places where the PCaC is just beginning; coffee farms and processing plants; and community-based sustainable tourism initiatives. You will also meet with the National Agriculture and Forestry Ministry (MAGFOR) to find out about Nicaragua’s Zero Hunger program, which has significantly reduced hunger since 2006. Throughout the trip, you will see and discuss sustainable agriculture techniques, local seed banks, environmental threats, and problems of agricultural commercialization. Community members will share meals and entertainment with the delegation.
To learn more about the Campesino a Campesino movement, see Campesino a Campesino: Voices from Latin America’s Farmer to Farmer Movement for Sustainable Agriculture by Food First Executive Director Eric Holt-Giménez.
Tour Cost: $1250
Price includes:
- All in-country transportation during the tour, beginning and ending in Managua
- Simple/basic hotel accommodations (double occupancy; single rooms available for an additional fee)
- All meals (vegetarian options may be limited; flexibility is recommended)
- NICCA trip leader, local guides, guest speakers and translators
- Preparatory reading materials
- All scheduled program activities
- Food First membership
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION
For more information, please contact Suzanne at nicca@igc.org or by phone at (510) 654-8635
Submit your application to:
NICCA
P.O. Box 1004
Berkeley, CA 94701
nicca@igc.org
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"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare
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