Agricultural Program
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Life and Hope seeks donations to help cover the Health Program in Northwest Guatemala
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This program organize and diversify productive activities of women in rural areas.
The Rural Agricultural Program is intended to encourage, support and promote the
competitiveness in agro-forestry and livestock, technological transfer, sustainability of
natural resources existing in communities. The program also promotes the productive
development training and incorporates technologies designed to collect and modernize
production processes.
GENERAL GOALS
The overall objectives of the program are to interact with Agricultural Extension of
Coverage Program and the Growing Well Program through the implementation of
productive
projects and Agricultural Training Techniques in rural communities and to help increase the
real incomes of poor farmers in rural areas.
SPECIFIC GOALS
- Execution of productive projects that promote and strengthen the participation of the
population in rural areas.
- Teach Agricultural Training Techniques to farming families in the reluctant communities to
serve as a motivation for the community to be integrated into the programs offered by
LIFE AND HOPE INTERNATIONAL /ADIVES.
- To increase productivity and production of basic grains.
- To increase the production of commercial crops and improve production systems.
- To increase levels of nutrition through the promotion of agricultural development efforts on a small scale.
- To improve, organize and diversify productive activities of women in rural areas.
- To improve land usage in order to minimize the risk of erosion, without damaging the actual income of the family of communities.
AGRONOMIC FACTORS
Farming systems with a sufficient diversity of cultures offer a balanced diet and meet the nutritional needs for a group of people. The
systems are comprised of small, resource-poor farmers and communities in order to take into account the development of the
agricultural program.
Different strategies can be used to enhance the basic food commodities and food supplements. Some of those methods are to:
diversify food crops, cultivate native plants, and establish gardens to produce vegetables and fruit. At this point it is essential that
farmers have access to coordinated advice on issues related to nutrition and production.
It is necessary to take into account many things when developing systems for production and technology for rural farmers. Some such
considerations would be the nutritional needs of the rural populations, the seasonal availability of the different crops, the level of
development, the costs of agricultural inputs and labor demands, and the environment.
The level of technology is a large factor in determining the amount of food that a farmer can produce at a certain cost. Also, the
application of advanced technologies for food production can reduce fluctuations in the seasonal availability of crops, food prices
and incomes.
GENDER CONSIDERATIONS
The contributions of women in this field are most clearly seen in the labor they provide, which can include sowing the seeds, weeding
and pruning, and post-harvest activities such as processing, storing and selling the produce.
Women’s work is, at times, marginalized due to the focus on production processes in commercialized crops and the male-dominated
work field. It is necessary to promote some crops such as fruits and vegetables commonly produced by women. These foods, especially
vegetables, are intended for domestic consumption and therefore should be considered first as important sources of food and
valuable nutrients, and secondly as a source of income.
WORK METHODOLOGY
The Agricultural Program will be developed over a period of 12 months in reluctant communities that don’t widely accept or
participate in Health Programs or the Growing Well Program. The first phase will be to include an analysis on agricultural weather
factors and current productive situations; it will be the basis for implementing the plan with different Productive Projects and the
Component of Technical Productive Training.
We will provide monitoring and technical assistance along with agricultural technicians and farmers to cultivate the production
cycles of different species which depend on the interest and skills of farmers. At the same time we are looking for the increased
acceptance of and participation of communities in the Extension Coverage Programs of Health and Growing Well, both of the
Guatemalan Government.

Life and Hope International