Reflections from Northern Nicaragua: Martina

Martina has been part of the Self-Help International agriculture program since 2024, when she received a loan of $270. With this money she bought 12 pounds of INTA-Nutrader seed corn and harvested 1,600 pounds of shelled corn, using only organic products her family had on their own land, trusting in the training and advice provided by Nelson Martinez, the SHI agronomist. She and her family like the idea of ​​​​eating healthier food without having to use so many synthetic products. Out of those 1,600 pounds she saved 800 pounds for family consumption and for the chickens and a pig that she bought with the sale of the other 800 pounds. Once the pig grew, they were able to sell it and pay off the debt to SHI plus have funds to buy a mini-motor pump. She also has cattle and uses the cow manure to fertilize her plants, vegetables, and crops.

After the corn crop is harvested the corn stover is used as fodder for her cattle. SHI also gave her 10 pounds of biofortified beans, from which she harvested enough to feed her family the whole year and use for seed in the following planting season. She and her family received 10 pounds of wheat from SHI and harvested 1,100 pounds from it, which they are using to feed their family and animals. With the money from selling the animals they are repairing their roof that was in poor condition and starting a small grocery store for their community.

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