Growing My Skills With Self-Help International

By Ing. Nelson Martínez, Self-Help International Agricultural Program Officer

Noel lives on 5.19 acres of land in San Pedro de los Arenales, in the northern part of Nicaragua, with his wife and three grown children.

In previous years, Noel didn’t even dare to plant crops on his land, because every time he tried, the seed he managed to get was of poor quality and, even worse, extremely expensive. For a long time, he decided it was better to rent his land to the tobacco industry, which paid him around $400 per 1.7 acres to use the land during the tobacco planting season. The payments were hardly enough to buy food and other necessities for the family.

Self-Help International brought its Agriculture Program to Noel’s community in 2024. Program Officer Nelson encouraged local farmers to adapt new techniques and technologies offered by Self-Help. With Nelson’s encouragement, Noel reconsidered growing his own food.

From Self-Help International, Noel received six pounds of high-protein INTA-Nutrader Quality Protein Maize (QPM) corn seed, which he planted with the double-row technique he learned. He  yielded 17.86 bushels of corn, more than enough to meet his family’s needs.

“The corn promoted by Self-Help International is high quality,” says Noel. “It has a sweet and pleasant flavor and gives a reasonable yield even without much water. Furthermore, its germination rate is 100%.”

After this first harvest, Noel rushed to buy a 22-pound bag of certified seed produced by Self-Help International certified seed producers to plant a larger plot in the next season. 

He still rented his plot of land to the tobacco industry, but once the tobacco was harvested, he immediately used the same land to plant corn, beans, and vegetables, taking advantage of the nutrients left over from the tobacco fertilizer residue and, at the same time, protecting his land by rotating crops—a win-win.

“What a joy it was for me,” Noel says, “when in this second year of participating in the agriculture program I harvested 96.43 bushels of corn. The rains were scarcer than in previous years, but even so, the corn gave me a good yield even though I only gave it one day of irrigation.”

The bumper crop allowed Noel to reinvest and expand his operations. 

“I personally committed myself to sell the corn I produced at a reasonable price, because I wanted to help people who, like me, struggle to make a living day by day,” says Noel. “To achieve this, I went to the nearest town and offered my corn to ten women whose business is making tortillas, and whose raw material is corn. I explained the importance of the INTA-Nutrader corn’s nutrients and its delicious, sweet flavor. Now I am these entrepreneurial women’s only supplier.”

Noel sold a total of 60.71 bushels of corn this way and bought ten hens and two roosters. He also bought a corn sheller to make work easier for his family. 

“Having this new machinery, I saw an opportunity to generate income,” says Noel. “I started shelling corn for other small farmers like me. I’m proud to say that this past harvest season I earned US$325 providing shelling services to other farmers. With that money, I was able to purchase a water pump, which I now also use to make my work in the fields less strenuous.”

“Four years ago, I didn’t have an irrigation system,” Noel says, “but now I’ve taken the initiative because I want to grow, and to do that, I have to invest to achieve my goals.”

Noel continues: “Everything is achieved by setting your mind to it and working hard to reach each goal, and I’m taking it one step at a time. I’ve noticed the difference since joining the program, and my dream is to save up to gradually buy more land because I want to keep expanding my crops, and I want to buy cows so I can grow even more in the future. Another dream is to build a large warehouse to store my harvests and to rent to others who don’t have space on their own land. I’m already generating income, even if it’s just a little, and I’m gradually investing to achieve all my dreams.”

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