We reach the first field of beans of Juan Fransisco, one of the producers in the Demitierra bean project that the Council of Protestant Churches in Nicaragua (CEPAD) has recently implemented. The hope is that Demitierra will develop into a profitable business selling quality red bean seed in order to provide CEPAD with a more sustainable income with which to help fund their social development projects in rural communities. CEPAD has felt the pinch of funding cuts throughout the last decade as foreign donors have re – evaluated their priorities and directed funding elsewhere. This has consequently shrunk the size of the projects that CEPAD is capable of carrying out and they have begun the process of creating their own income – generating projects. The bean project would join a loan program, a farm, a visitors’ centre, and bottled water plant in this respect.
We are out in the campo (rural area) today in order to inspect the progress of Demitierra’s first crop of beans. Juan Fransisco seems to have one of the better crops of the eight small producers who CEPAD is using for the project. He takes Juan Carlos and me through one of his fields to get a closer look. They talk to each other about the plants’ development, disease, insects, applying this or that chemical at this or that time and what kind of yield might be expected come harvest time in mid – March, only a month and a half away.
The crops were planted at the beginning of December, marking the beginning of the apante cycle of beans (there are three cycles of bean crops per year, the apante, the primera and the postrera). This cycle was chosen because it has historically produced excellent yields in this particular zone; however, this year there has been almost zero rain for the past three months and it shows. Even to me, someone with no experience growing beans, it is obvious that the plants are suffering.
On our walk through the field we have been following a black hose and now arrive at a sprinkler standing in the middle of the dry field. The men inspect the sprinkler and Juan Carlos makes a few minor adjustments to get it working better. Whether the last – ditch irrigation effort will make up for the missing rains is yet to be seen.
Having seen what there is to see in the field we make our way to Juan Fransisco’s house where we are offered a cup of coffee and, like always, I decline saying I don’t drink coffee. This sparks a number of questions directed my way about why I don’t like it, and a discussion between the two Juans about the tastes of foreigners. I get a stick of sugar cane to chew on which keeps me happy.
As it is with farmers everywhere, conversation focuses on weather, crop yields and prices. There is a subtle pessimism due to the lack of rain and the likelihood of a smaller harvest than was hoped for. There is no sense of giving up though; they are farmers, and whatever the result of the first phase of the project is, they will take it in stride and be ready to plant the next crop when the time is ready.
Now that I am back in Canada and looking forward to new challenges in life, I often find myself thinking of Nicaragua and the people I met there. I am very thankful to the Presbyterian Church in Canada, particularly International Ministries and Presbyterian World Service and Development, for giving me this opportunity to witness some of the life – changing work that they are involved with in Nicaragua. My internship with CEPAD had its ups and downs as it was bound to and now, looking back, I see that I learned far more than I was aware of while I was there. It was amazing to see so many of the theories and practices that I had studied in university brought to life in the field and to see firsthand what it takes to put words into actions.
Driving through the Departamentos (Provinces) of Jinotega and Matagalpa is something that will stay with me forever. The scenery there is beautiful, especially in the rainy season, from June until November, when the clouds creep down the sides of the mountains and into the valleys. At first glance many of the communities that I visited, or just drove past, looked very poor, and certainly many of the people there do live in poverty. However, my supervisor never missed an opportunity to point out that many families have their own land, a cow or a pig, a motorcycle, and always, that the campesinos have a great wealth of knowledge concerning farming and life in the campo. There are resources there, human and physical, and it is so important to not ignore them because all one sees is poverty. These resources are capable of doing wonderful things. One only needs to look at the dedication of the community members who volunteer so much of themselves to the work that CEPAD does with them. One of the community banks, formed by the communities of El Matazano and El Castillo, chose to name their bank Trabajando para un Futuro Mejor (Working for a Better Future) which, to me, embodies their hope and spirit of determination.
There is a Bible passage that came up during the Youth in Mission trip I led while in Nicaragua but which I feel could be extended to cover my entire experience there. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about how God made the different parts of the body and that they should all work in unity, a metaphor for many things. Even though it may not be easy to see, we are all connected and we are all able to impact other people’s lives for better or for worse. This part may seem somewhat obvious for people in Canada who give money to help others in need, but verse 26 also states, “when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” Throughout my time in Nicaragua I saw how we are connected to the people benefiting from these projects. But what about all those people who are not so lucky? How does the suffering of the people who don’t enjoy these kinds of projects affect my own suffering and what is my response? What about famine in Somalia, the effects of war in Afghanistan or the myriad of issues affecting people here in Canada? These are the questions that have stayed with me now that my trip is over and I am back at home.
If you would like to read more about my time in Nicaragua as a Young Adult Intern with the PCC please visit my blog at pccweb.ca/mikebirks.
