Borlaug Institute helping Guatemalan forestry and agriculture
CHIMALTENANGO, GUATEMALA â€" For the past year, farmers in and around the city of Chimaltenango have been benefiting from a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Guatemalan Food for Progress project spearheaded by the Texas A&M System’s Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, said project administrators.
(Media-Newswire.com) - CHIMALTENANGO, GUATEMALA – For the past year, farmers in and around the city of Chimaltenango have been benefiting from a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Guatemalan Food for Progress project spearheaded by the Texas A&M System’s Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, said project administrators. The institute, named after Dr. Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution and distinguished professor at Texas A&M from 1984 until his death last year at 95, participates in and provides leadership for numerous agriculture and agribusiness improvement projects worldwide.
“The Agriculture in Guatemala: Technology Transfer, Education and Commercialization project, known as AGTEC, is helping Guatemalan farmers improve their lives by using new agricultural technology and practices taught through hands-on demonstrations and technical assistance,” said Johanna Roman, the institute’s coordinator for Latin American programs.
Since 2003, the Borlaug Institute has been active in Food for Progress efforts to benefit the farmers and people of Guatemala, Roman said. Previous efforts have included assistance with the production and marketing of traditional and non-traditional agricultural goods, establishing facilities for food processing and biodiesel production, producing and marketing organically grown products, and providing agricultural education and training.
The institute's most recent activities include giving Guatemalan farmers expertise and technical assistance in agroforestry and providing them with practical, hands-on instruction in improved methods of agricultural production. It also has been instrumental in helping develop “human capital” to ensure Guatemala’s agricultural future, Roman added.
In agroforestry, project beneficiaries from the San Jose El Asintal agricultural cooperative have been brought together with Guatemala’s national agroforestry cluster, which has been purchasing and using wood provided by the co-op, said Jose Furlan, the project’s agroforestry specialist.
“We were able to train tree farmers in forest management techniques, so they will be able to increase tree growth and get products with better quality,” said Furlan, who worked with co-op members.
The project is also providing a teaching environment where farmers can see practical technology in action and get instruction on how they can use it to improve their own operations.
One of the ways this is being accomplished is through a new training facility, including a greenhouse and crop demonstration garden established in Chimaltenango for the purpose of practical training workshops and demonstrating new approaches and techniques for improving agricultural production and quality, Roman said.
The Carlos E. Blanco Memorial Demonstration Garden was named in honor of a deceased Texas A&M graduate who was instrumental in supporting institute activities in Guatemala and helping secure funding for its first Guatemalan Food for Progress project.
“The demonstration garden and fields were established to test and optimize existing agricultural techniques and develop new ones for cultivating vegetables, fruits and flowers,” said Sergio Ivan Noriega, the project technician in charge of the greenhouse facility.
The facility includes a more than 400-square-yard greenhouse, as well as agricultural test fields for the production of vegetables and fruits, specifically tomatoes of various varieties, chili peppers and peaches. There are also horticultural fields for the production of flowers, especially irises and geraniums. A completely automated drip system irrigates the fields, and an area of the greenhouse is dedicated to hydroponic cultivation.
Noriega said the training garden and greenhouse is being used to introduce groups of farmers to more efficient ways to use water and fertilizer, as well as show them how they might grow other horticultural or agricultural products to help make their farms more commercially successful.
Project administrators estimate that so far more than 50 Guatemalan farmers have received training or have been introduced to new agricultural practices at the facility. They anticipate as many as 250 farmers and others involved in agriculture will benefit from the facility and other program activities annually.
“Like other Central American countries, Guatemala also has an aging farmer community and is concerned about having more young people become involved in agriculture and horticulture to ensure these sectors remain healthy,” Roman said.
To address this issue, she said, recent project efforts have included introducing Guatemalan youth to the Junior Master Gardener Program of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, an educational agency of the Texas A&M System.
The Junior Master Gardener Program, a horticultural education program designed to help teach young people life skills and an appreciation for nature through gardening, has already been presented at community centers and orphanages in Guatemala by Texas A&M student interns and others working in cooperation with the Borlaug Institute. So far, more than 400 Guatemalan youth have participated in the program, according to coordinators.
“This program has already done a lot to get community leaders, teachers and kids involved in agriculture and shown them about composting and other aspects of organic farming,” Roman said. “Many of the kids we work with are already involved in agriculture, but sadly do not have the resources to receive an agricultural education. The JMG program helps kids increase their knowledge about food production, while also helping them develop leadership and life skills.”
Roman said this latest Guatemalan Food for Progress program will continue to bring practical, hands-on agriculture-related training and education to Guatemalan farmers, helping that country build a more stable and secure agricultural future.
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