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Tons of tomatoes

Opinion is divided on whether people are born with ‘green fingers’, that innate ability to make things grow, or whether gardening is a skill which can be learned.  For the women from El Ojochal del Listón who have been participating in Nuevas Esperanzas’ family gardens project since it began late in 2009, there has never been any doubt.  Despite setbacks along the way and many new challenges, these women have been determined to learn a new skill which will help them to provide a better diet for their families and perhaps over time a little extra income too.  This week, the women of El Ojochal, and their tomatoes, have made us proud.

It has been about a year since Nuevas Esperanzas began working with the women on a family gardens project, and for some of them this is the second time they have tried to harvest tomatoes.  The first time did not go well, at least as far as the tomatoes were concerned.  The women attended training sessions every month.  They carried water to their gardens every day.  Our agro-ecologist hiked up and down the hillsides, from one garden plot to the next, peering under leaves.  But the harvest was very disappointing.

Tomatoes are not so easily grown in a place like El Ojochal.  They demand a lot of water and up in the hills, the only source of water is from the rainwater harvesting tanks Nuevas Esperanzas recently helped to build.  But it is not only the lack of water which put the tomatoes at risk; during the dry season white fly and aphids are particularly prevalent and many of the tomatoes succumbed to these pests.

But we’re proud of the women today because, rather than giving up in disgust, they had confidence in their ability to do better.  Not only did the eight who participated first time around ask for the project to continue, but eleven more women asked to join.  After the first harvest, we talked to the women about what went wrong, and what went right.  We reviewed some of the social and technical challenges.  Our agro-ecologist made some changes to the techniques used and we began all over again.  This time round, the hard work has paid off.  The women attended weekly training sessions and faithfully watered the young plants.  Hopeful signs gradually appeared as the small green tomatoes appeared on the plants.  Organic pest control techniques were used to fight off the white fly and the aphids.  Soon the tomatoes began to ripen in the warm Nicaraguan sunshine, one thing which is never in short supply.  And now the patience and perseverance of the women have been rewarded with a bumper harvest!

We started small and knew we wouldn’t get it all right the first time, but we tried to learn as much as we could from our mistakes.  Through the long-term relationship we have built with the community we have been able to earn their trust.  The project has been sustained by their patience, self-confidence and hard work, and now the women of El Ojochal are harvesting tons of tomatoes.  We are very proud of them.

20/01/11