Welcoming New Farmers in Nicaragua By David Van Klinken, Farmer to Farmer Partnership Manager Yesterday was a day long awaited for!   After a four hour drive, we forded the final river with our trusty Toyota, and arrived at the new farm, Santa Isabel.  Patiently waiting, and very shy, were 14 new farmers recently selected to be on this third land bank.    That precise moment has been two years in the making and you could call it "the beginning of a new beginning."  This process was obviously led by God Himself-from the first time we heard of the possibility of a new farm, to negotiating a price with the land owner, to the long and careful selection of new farmers, to that very moment we crossed the river to meet the new farm partners. There is no other way to explain how all the obstacles were overcome! Many Nicaraguans are not privileged to own their own land, so they are forced to rent land or work for larger farms. Farmers in Iowa understand the importance of owning land and the stability that comes with it. As a result, they started a Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) partnership in Nicaragua. These once-landless farmers were able to acquire tracts of land to generate food for their family and crops, like coffee, to sell to make a living. Now, F2F partners with 56 farmers on 6 land banks in Nicaragua. North American partners train the Nicaraguan farmers on essential farming and sustainable agriculture techniques. The key to the success of this partnership is the strong relationship these two groups have formed. Neither Wendy nor I were present when the original F2F group from Iowa first met the farmers at San Benito 6 years ago. However, sitting with these new farmers reminded me of that very moment.  Terry, a member of the original group from Iowa, reflected from his experiences over the past several years. "When I first met the farmers of San Benito, their eyes said ‘help me.’  Three years later, those same eyes said ‘come see what I have accomplished!’”   Wendy said to me after the meeting, "I can't wait to see the difference in these new farmers in one or two years.”  God willing, many of us will get to see these changes.   Please pray for these 14 new farmers, soon to be 20 by the end of the selection process.  They do not have an easy task ahead of them since the land has not been farmed for many years and needs much cleaning work.  Eventually, there will be 25 farmers on this land-25 new "faces in the family." The new farm partners in Santa Isabella are a testimony of this collaboration between Partners Worldwide, Farmer-to-Farmer Nicaragua, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, and Foods Resource Bank is moving forward and expanding.  God is good, all the time, God is good!   David and Wendy  Click here to continue to support farmers in Nicaragua. Write "Farmer to Farmer Nicaragua" in the special instructions line.   Back to www.partnersworldwide.org