Sustainable farms
promoted as educational
tools
(Infocom) With the goal
of offering farmers a
permanent educational
tool regarding
agricultural practices
to produce in harmony
with nature, the
Ministry of Agriculture
and Livestock Production
(MAG) has trained more
than 100 growers from
around the country
through a workshop held
at the Inter-American
Institute for
Cooperation in
Agriculture (IICA).
According to Nils
Solorzano Villarreal,
lead director of
operations for MAG, the
installation of more
than 101 sustainable
farms throughout the
country will be
accomplished thanks to
the Program for
Fomenting Sustainable
Agricultural Production
(PFPAS) and the National
Seeds Plan. The idea is
that producers, with
participation of their
families, grow and
consume food on their
farms and that they also
show other farmers what
they have learned — in
an active learning
process by seeing,
listening and doing.
These sustainable farms
constitute a production
system, that is, they
are not dedicated to
monoculture, but to
several crops. They will
be distributed in
different growing
regions of the country.
Generally, a sustainable
farm focuses on both
crops and livestock,
which allows it to link
processes between both
production systems.
These farms are
educational because they
become permanent
learning centers, in a
natural way, for other
growers. The network
includes farms as small
as one hectare and as
big as seven hectares.
The MAG, through PFPAS,
encourages sustainable
farmers by giving them
economic incentives of
up to $10,000, in
addition to permanent
technical assistance.
The MAG, also, commits
to creating awareness
among farmers that
things should be done
differently in
agricultural systems,
turning these small
sustainable growers in
examples to follow.
“Good agricultural
practices are the skills
that growers apply on
the farm to produce in a
way that doesn’t deplete
natural resources,
especially soil and
water,” Solorzano
Villarreal explained.
“Additionally, though
the sustainable farms,
farmers obtain various
crops for
self-consumption and
another part to sell.”
During the workshop,
participants received a
good agricultural
practices manual that
seeks to be a roadmap of
knowledge for many
growers, business
people, technicians and
institutions — basic
orientation on ways to
produce in an
Earth-friendly manner
and carry out actions in
favor of the
environment.
The manual includes
general aspects related
to reducing the risks of
natural resource
degradation and
contamination of crops
and livestock products;
hygiene and security of
workers; and necessary
elements for
traceability of
production processes.
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