(Written by Kent Gussiaas, March 13, 2006)
The main project is setting up a drip irrigation farm on the piece of ground donated to the church by a North Dakota individual. We have just completed a 25 meter hand-dug well to provide water for the farm. It was not dug by N.Dak. people; we hired friends from the El Convento community near Leon to dit it. They dug a magnificent well. Our idea is to first provide food/income to the people of the small church and community. It also will provide a diversion from the day to day existence in poverty, a reason to look forward to today and tomorrow.
The farm, as envisioned, will use a low-pressure drip irrigation system, utilizing lines with small holes to “spoon-feed” water to the individual plants. We hope that melons and other fruit, as well as higher value vegetable crops, can be grown year-round for food or for profit. Nicaragua has a sharply defined wet season and dry season. Irrigation ensures that crops can be grown even during the dry season.
The major challenge has been the great distance between N.Dak. and Nicaragua. Realizing that this is yet a N.Dak. project, there is no progress on setting up the farm when N. Dak. people are not on site. We depend on finding a Nicaraguan who understands the concepts we are implementing and can help facilitate when we are not there. As of yet, we have not found the right person. We are confident that God will provide that man when we are ready. He never sent manna before the Israelites needed it.
We also distributed some simple bucket irrigation systems for individual families to set up in their backyards. These have been only marginally successful in their use. Some had trouble with the system, some had buckets stolen, others didn’t keep the weeds out. However, we did see some yards turned to gardens that were producing melons, peppers, beans, etc. The gratifying part was that some without buckets saw that food can be grown in small plots and began using their own means for providing water, soon growing gardens. The bucket irrigation may not have done everything we wanted, but it still provided an impetus for those who were motivated. That is a measured success.
