Guatemala's Healthy "Underground"

By -
Update from the Field by the Orners

This week the Orner Family (Rusty, Claire, Walker and Ashton) dove full force into sharing their sustainable farming passion with new friends from Guatemala.  The first audience included Agros school students.

By creating hands-on activities for forty-eight students total (21 ninth and 27 eighth/seventh graders on two different days), soil health became the core of the excitement. The Orner Family handed out placards for each student who acted out their scientific roles.  These theatrical roles included the following:  plant, sun, soil, water, sugar, extra sugar, beneficial bacteria and fungi, non-beneficial bacteria/fungi, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, trace minerals, compost, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizer.  The interactive activity engaged students to be and to see how their role was influenced by conventional and sustainable farming methods.  For example, in a sustainable farming scenario, the extra sugar created during the plant’s photosynthesis was fed to the beneficial bacteria and fungi which in turn opened up a conduit for the plant’s root hair to receive their nutrients and water.  In comparison, during conventional practices, the plant depended on the “fast food” of synthetic fertilizer to receive its nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and trace minerals.


José Cano, the Farmer-to-Farmer Country Director in Guatemala (pictured above), has been very helpful translating the soil food web lessons from English to Spanish.  Walker Orner is responsible for this amazing photography.

 

Note from Partners: Claire and Rusty Orner (accompanied by their two children, Walker and Ashton) arrived to Guatemala on February 9 to begin their 2.5-week assignment to work with host organization, Agros Ixil. Rusty's assignment focuses on reducing farmers' reliance on conventional agricultural by training producers in organic farming techniques and methods while Claire's assignment focuses on assisting producers identify and strengthen opportunities to gain greater access to adequate amounts of nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate foods. Check back for more updates!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better Marketing and Communications to Showcase the Work of our Hosts in Colombia

By -
Image
Salva Terra Foundation has focused on supporting vulnerable communities through sustainable agriculture. They work with impoverished populations and victims of violence in Medellin and aim to promote farming and develop local skills to work in the agricultural industry in an ecological manner. This process of bringing together concepts such as social impact, sustainable development, environmental protection, and food security requires excellent outreach and promotion. Therefore, they requested a F2F volunteer to help them develop a communication and marketing plan. The chosen volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Sindy Chapa. She has a B.A. in Mass Media Communications, with a Minor in Television and Art Design, an MBA, and Ph.D. in International Business/Marketing. She is the Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and has won several communications awards. Dr. Chapa decided to use Salva Terra as one of the case ...
Read more

Digital Marketing in Colombia

By -
Image
Digital Marketing is one way that entrepreneurs and producers across the globe can reach new markets and increase sales. But what is digital marketing and how can a small Colombian business use it to maximize the number of people who come across its brand? These are the questions that Zen Naturals was asking itself. Zen Naturals is a natural cosmetic manufacturing company based in Cali, Colombia. Zen Naturals develops natural cosmetics made from exotic ingredients from Colombia’s outstanding biodiversity. Through ethical manufacturing and fair trade practices, they are also taking a leadership role in re-investing in the communities that grow the ingredients used in their products. Currently, Zen Naturals supports more than 95 Colombian quinoa farming communities through Fair-Trade Practices and technical assistance on their production. Zen Naturals is preparing to launch their quinoa facial care products in Whole Foods Markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in 2017....
Read more

Supporting Anti-Child Labor Projects in Ecuador and Panama

By -
Image
EducaFuturo is a program currently being implemented by Partners of the Americas in Ecuador and Panama. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), EducaFuturo seeks to combat child labor in both countries through educational programs, vocational training, and livelihood services. F2F has partnered with EducaFuturo on numerous occasions over the past 5 years, sending 7 volunteers to support their efforts in improving the educational outcomes of youth involved in child labor, while also increasing the income opportunities of households to reduce reliance on child labor. Volunteers have provided training on a range of topics, including sustainable production practices, processing, business management, and marketing. In January 2016, F2F volunteer Carmen Pacheco-Borden traveled to Panama to work with native Ngabe-Bugle women’s groups in the tomato farming communities of Hato Chami and Boca de Monte to make value-added products from their harvests and consequently increase their hous...
Read more