“When my father inherited this plot of land there was nothing. With my family we decided to plant trees until we obtained what we have now. I feel proud because we have protected the environment and we have benefited economically and our food is healthy.”
– Juan Antonio
It has been a long road for Juan Antonio Maldonado Somoza who is a member of the UCA San Ramon Cooperative (UCA), a CAN partner and producer of AgroEco Coffee.
When Juan Antonio’s father received this land through Nicaragua’s Agrarian Reform, it had been completely deforested by large landowners that planted pasture for raising cattle. Now, Juan Antonio shares his excitement with us about the citrus, banana and avocado trees that shade his coffee. He and his family have grown a forest on the land he inherited which he now calls Finca la Esperanza (Land of Hope).
As a cooperative member, Juan Antonio shares skills and learns new practices for climate resilience through workshops facilitated by the UCA. As a result, Juan Antonio and his family use agroecological practices to mitigate the impact of hurricanes on their land. They plant windbreaks and live fences (bushes with roots that help retain soil and capture the soil if it starts to run off from the coffee forest), dig water ditches that control water flow and prevent soil erosion during heavy storms, and nourish the soil with fruit pulps.
Last year alone, two hurricanes impacted the communities where Juan Antonio’s land is located amid the effects of the pandemic. Currently, the communities are in the process of implementing an action plan to recuperate their coffee forests and re-activate the local economy. Four hundred and seventy-nine families strong, the UCA coordinated a well-organized response, established mutual support networks among communities, and reached out to allies and partners for support.
CAN’s 15 year partnership with the UCA continues to support agroecological food systems, gender equity, and purchasing of fairly traded coffee through AgroEco Coffee’s solidarity supply network. Juan Antonio’s Land of Hope is a testament to the UCA San Ramon’s collective power. Together, their recovery from last year’s hurricane continues to fortify the overall goal of agroecology and food sovereignty.
