Empower Guatemalan Families With Food & Nutrition

13-year old Basilio, one of Jacinto and Remigia’s 4 children, loves nature, animals and plants. His family is about to complete the 12-month “Casa-Granja” Backyard Farm program with Seeds for a Future. Congratulations!!!

When they started back in February 2019 they had the dream to make more out of their available spaces & resources, and to grow nutritious vegetables and small food animals. They had heard about Seeds for a Future's self-help program and asked to join.

Now, both parents say that they feel happier and healthier working in the nutrition garden, raising ducks and eating better food. They spend less of their scarce cash in the market because they have learned to raise nutritious vegetables and protein foods at home, and they even sell some of their harvest or share it with friends and neighbors. 

Basilio’s interest in plants and animals led him to participate as often as he could in the weekly coaching visits of the Seeds Team to his family's home. After finishing fifth grade in November, he eagerly asked his parents if he could spend his school vacation weeks in a “Casa-Granja” internship with Seeds for a Future and they were pleased to agree.

Basilio spent his holiday vacation happily learning skills he can use and share throughout his life. He accompanied the Seeds Team on coaching visits at many participant households and learned to observe the spaces and resources in and around the homes which could be used to produce nutritious food. At the same time, he learned important and practical information about soil composition, planting distance, identifying and controlling pests, and, of course, nutrition facts for different herbs, vegetables and animals. 

Visiting various families of the community with the Seeds Team allowed Basilio to see a range of different experiences in growing food, and learn how the basic skills and information supplied by our team of Extensionists are customized to maximize success for each family. These “intellectual inputs” were combined with learn-by-doing activities, at both his family's home and Seeds' Demonstration sites, for a complete internship experience.

Seeds for the Future thanks Jacinto and Remigia for giving their son this learning opportunity -- to be part of our Team and to use the holidays for something so important, both for his personal development and the development of his family and community.  Perhaps in the future, Basilio will be one of our expert Agricultural Extensionists! 

Links:

• Become a rural family sponsor