Soil Conservation in Rural Cibao

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Mision Illac (ILAC) is a non-profit organization that operates in the rural communities of the Central Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic. Its mission is to provide agricultural education and training to local community members in order to improve their overall financial well-being, health, and quality of life, and discourage migration to the city. Specifically, ILAC promotes nutrition and environmental conservation through its focus on the production of organic vegetables using sustainable agricultural practices.

F2F volunteer Charles Mitchell with ILAC members
Partners’ Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program has been working with ILAC since the start of this year, during which it has sent several volunteers to provide assistance and contribute to the organization’s mission. Recently, F2F volunteer, Charles Mitchell traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide training and workshops on best practices for soil conservation. An organic farm inspector and former member of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Charles was able to train the technical staff and members of ILAC in improved methods to reduce soil erosion on slopes, increase fertility, and improve soil cover. During the beginning of his assignment, Charles was able to assess the soil conditions of the farms, as well as the current management practices being used. 

Following these visits and meetings, he tailored his workshops to suit the needs of the farmers and provided them with recommendations on ways that they can strengthen their soil management and conservation systems. In particular, he proposed further training in the production of organic inputs to control pests and increase soil nutrition, such as through composting. It is expected that with the implementation of these recommendations, the associated farmers of ILAC will be able to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events on their soils, adopt more sustainable practices, and ultimately increase their overall production. 

In this upcoming year, Partners F2F program will continue to work with ILAC through similar volunteer assignments to help them meet their goals. In particular, Partners F2F will send volunteers to conduct training sessions and workshops in organic coffee production, beekeeping and honey production, as well as on climate-smart agricultural practices to follow up on the work of Charles. 

F2F volunteer Charles Mitchell (top) and ILAC member

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