Help Rural Communities in their access to food

Let us introduce you to Cristina, a user of the free application created by ACDI for monitoring gardens. The tool has changed her life and the lives of many families in rural areas of northern Argentina.

Cristina, originally from the Los Pérez area in Taco Ralo, Graneros Department of the Province of Tucumán—where ACDI has been implementing development projects since 2017—is a living testament to work and community commitment. She is 52 years old, and her family consists of 6 members: her husband, her two sons, and her two granddaughters. Her sons have already completed high school, and her two granddaughters (Luna, 10 years old, and Milagro, 9) attend El Palancho Primary School in fourth and fifth grades, respectively. At this school, ACDI promotes food sovereignty and strengthens the capacities of its teachers and the community in general by providing workshops on agroecological gardens and financial education.

Cristina works as a domestic employee, doing cleaning work in the mornings, and in the afternoons, she enjoys getting together with friends and neighbors to share and socialize. Cristina participated in ACDI's training workshops on agroecology and the use of the Kokue application, ACDI's technological tool that assists families in the process of monitoring and managing their crops. It was in 2021 when Cristina decided to install her own garden at home. In the afternoons, she dedicates herself to taking care of her crops, following the recommendations and instructions of the Kokue App.

She mentions that she uses Kokue to improve the garden soil through bio-preparations recommended in the app, as well as various recipes for controlling unwanted insects. She also mentions that she had no knowledge of the importance of leaving some weeds. She explains that Kokue facilitated the monitoring of her crops and describes that, at times, due to her work, she did not take into account the transplanting time for seedlings, and the application notifies her when it should be done. Kokue assists her in her production and also provides information about the recommended plants for each season.

Cristina says that her family's diet has changed since she started her garden; they have increased their consumption of vegetables, and she feels very satisfied because it is a healthier diet. She is very enthusiastic about her production.

When we talk to Cristina about her aspirations, she highlights that she would like to continue working in the garden and make her production able to supply the local area. ACDI supports people and their life projects; we are witnesses to stories of resilience.