Central America

Farmer Cooperative Promotes Education, Nutrition and Prosperity

On a farm in the northern Nicaraguan town of Chagüite Grande, Melvin Estrada tends to his cabbage crop. He and his hired workers pick the plants, inspect them for quality and load them into a truck bound for a local collection center – and eventually a major supermarket. Melvin used…

A New Methodology for Teaching Finance

In Nicaragua, Iveth Juárez, a small business owner who processes and sells cereal to the local market, had attended seminars, workshops, courses and training sessions on accounting and finance. But at the end of each session, she always felt the same sense of confusion.

Honduran Farmers Find Success Through Quality Coffee and Cocoa

Sons and daughters of landless farm workers, these producers gained ownership of land in the village of Gualtaya through 1970s agrarian reforms. Their plots have the combination of altitude and shade needed to produce some of the country’s best coffee. But for years, these farmers sold their coffee through local…

Turning Palm Oil to Profits in Honduras

Oil palm farmers in Honduras more than doubled the amount of oil they can collect thanks to a partnership between TechnoServe and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food for Progress program. These small-scale farmers now own an oil processing plant, enabling them to generate income and jobs for their…