Improving food security for rural families in Nicaragua

Pablo Padilla, a farmer from Lomas de Abajo, harvesting plantains that he grew with CWS support. Photo: CIEETS

Some 170 rural families in six vulnerable communities in Mateare municipality, Nicaragua, are working to improve their food security while using sustainable practices that will not harm the already threatened natural resources of the region thanks in part to Church World Service.

The municipality of Mateare is one of the least-developed in Nicaragua, a country already afflicted with widespread food insecurity. Working in needy rural communities, local partner The Center of Inter-Ecclesial Theological and Social Studies (CIEETS) is helping program participants learn how to use more efficient food production methods by raising local capacities in various skills – skills needed to help families put food on the table year-round.

stove
The new stoves are more efficient and safer for families to use in their homes.
Photo: CIEETS

Participants are learning planting order and crop diversification methods; constructing rain collection systems, storage, and distribution networks to both help irrigate their crops and provide safe water for home use; improving the health conditions of rural homes and conserving local forests by building new and improved stoves; training families in exchange programs to help build bridges of knowledge between different communities; and working to develop the skills and abilities of community leaders.

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