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Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/71652
ROCKED BY MOTHER NATURE: Grapefruit-sized hail wreaked havoc on the villages near La Unión, poking holes in roofs and injuring bystanders. medics treated people hit by hailstones, lists were made of dam- aged houses and the rebuilding process of farms began quickly. Engineers from IHCAFE (Honduran Coffee Institute) came into the affected villages to do a damage assessment of coffee fields. Their findings were bittersweet—most coffee plants were still alive, but many of them would not be able to produce a harvest for two years. If plants had died, it would have meant ripping up entire fields to start over, so the news that root systems were still functioning was welcome. However, the idea of going 24 months or more before another harvest is a scary one for farmers who need to be investing in their land. The lack of money to recuperate farms will affect entire villages of people who depend on day labor. Owners were forced to lower the amount of work they put forth on damaged fields, and the need for workers dropped overnight, leaving many hundreds of people jobless. Only days after the storm, Paz offered his farm as a model recovery field, and IHCAFE engineers led a training session for almost 100 farmers on the options for recovery. For Paz's field, the only option was to stump the entire farm—cut plants down to just 12 inches tall and nurse new offshoots to form a new, pro- ductive plant structure. Five minutes after the training ended, Paz and two of his brothers were tearing through the field, chopping unproductive plants left and right. Hundreds of farmers have fol- lowed his example. In 24 months, the new growth will begin to harvest, and many farmers will see an increase in production from previous years—that is, as long as they are able to invest in the plants over that period. Despite the setback the hailstorm created, farmers are hopeful about the new growth and recuperation that has started on their land. A NEW YEAR BEGINS At first glance, we find ourselves in the same place we were a year ago. The homes of San Carlos still sit tranquilly carved into a mountainside, and plants have started to flower. The harvest is over, new growth has begun and life moves forward. However, as Toñito reflects on the past year, he says he isn't at all where he was a year ago. A small portion of his coffee is on its way to the United States, making him the first person ever in San Carlos to sell to the specialty coffee market. He is preparing to fer- tilize his field based on a soil analysis, which is another first. And he is caring for newly pruned plants that are going to be models for improving production for other farmers in San Carlos. Most significantly, perhaps, is the effort he is leading to install a clean-water well with UMF and another U.S.-based nonprofit, METAD. "A big difference is that we have almost completed the water project," says Toñito. That endeavor includes the drilling of a well and an associated water system that will ensure San Carlos residents consistent access to clean water for the first time since the village was founded by Toñito's grandfather. HOME IMPROVEMENT: San Carlos residents drill as part of the process of building a clean-water well for the town. So maybe we aren't in the same place we were a year ago. Changes in San Carlos are slow, but they are happening. Despite problems with weather, transportation and unusual harvests, Toñito has still managed to move forward. He hopes to continue this momentum: He aims to export more coffee next year, finish the water project, come a few steps closer to managing his model farm and continue serving as an example for the rest of San Carlos. And just maybe, one day, Toñito will be able to sit down and tell his grandchildren about the great changes that began in San Carlos this year. As Toñito would say, there is nothing to do but seguir adelante. freshcup.com July 2012 49