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Nicaragua:             Sustainable Agriculture and the Campesino Movement

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March 25 – April 4, 2012

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For thirty years, the Campesino a Campesino (Farmer to Farmer) movement, now with several hundred thousand farmer-promoters, has helped farming families in the rural villages of Latin America improve their livelihoods and conserve their natural resources. Nicaraguan farmers are at the heart of this movement, which has contributed greatly to the global food sovereignty movement. Coordinated and co-sponsored by NICCA – the Nicaragua Center for Community Action, this delegation will allow you to forge solidarity with Nicaraguan farmers and learn from the experiences of the Campesino a Campesino Movement.

Since 1989 NICCA has enthusiastically supported the Campesino a Campesino Program (PCaC), a project of Nicaragua’s National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG). PCaC is a comprehensive attempt to promote agricultural sustainability and enhance biodiversity by giving technical help to small farmers who learn and then teach others. The program has many emphases, including organic agriculture; soil conservation; crop diversification; the use of natural fertilizers and insecticides that can be produced at home; and the empowerment of women through kitchen gardens and animal husbandry. Most importantly, it is a program led by farmers, for farmers. In Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, PCaC has helped eliminate hunger in many rural communities where it once loomed over daily life.

On this delegation, you will meet with leaders of UNAG to discuss its national programs. You will visit a number of small communities and organic farms in the beautiful Matagalpa region, where NICCA’s partner, UNAG-Matagalpa, has been working for many years. Our visits will include small, diversified farms and places where the PCaC is just beginning; coffee farms and processing plants; and community-based sustainable tourism initiatives. You will also meet with the National Agriculture and Forestry Ministry (MAGFOR) to find out about Nicaragua’s Zero Hunger program, which has significantly reduced hunger since 2006. Throughout the trip, you will see and discuss sustainable agriculture techniques, local seed banks, environmental threats, and problems of agricultural commercialization.  Community members will share meals and entertainment with the delegation.

To learn more about the Campesino a Campesino movement, see Campesino a Campesino: Voices from Latin America’s Farmer to Farmer Movement for Sustainable Agriculture by Food First Executive Director Eric Holt-Giménez.

Click here to download a sample itinerary.

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Tour Cost: $1250

Price includes:

• All in-country transportation during the tour, beginning and ending in Managua
  
• Simple/basic hotel accommodations (double occupancy; single rooms available for an additional fee)
  
• All meals (vegetarian options may be limited; flexibility is recommended)
  
• NICCA trip leader, local guides, guest speakers and translators
• Preparatory reading materials
• All scheduled program activities
  
• Food First membership
  
• NOT INCLUDED: International airfare, most beverages, tips and personal expenses

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

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For more information, please contact Suzanne at nicca@igc.org or by phone at (510) 654-8635

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Submit your application to:

NICCA

P.O. Box 1004

Berkeley, CA 94701

nicca@igc.org