Enhancing the facilities at San Fernando, Honduras to increase its profitability of quality cocoa as well as the livelihood of local farmers.

Light a Single Candle partnered with Food for the Poor on this project, providing processing stations to allow the Cooperative de Cacaeros San Fernando to produce a better-quality cocoa that will be more marketable. The addition of the production areas is improving the livelihoods of 170 cocoa farming families, and is helping meet the increasing international demand for fine cocoa. The San Fernando Cocoa Project has more than tripled their earnings! Prior to this project, the cooperative would sell approximately 26 tons of Quality A in an entire year; however, now, they are producing that in three months.

• Honduras Cocoa Project 4

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• Honduras Cocoa Project 2

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• Honduras Cocoa Project 1

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• Honduras Cocoa Project 5

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• Honduras Cocoa Project 3

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Providing Beekeeping materials, equipment, and training to 30 beekeeping families in Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.

Light a Single Candle partnered with Food for the Poor to increase the income of 30 beekeeping families in a 12-month period by strengthening the farmers’ capacities, providing them with beekeeping materials and equipment, a mobile extraction room, replacement of old queen bees, and specialized training to enhance the production of honey and improve its quality. These materials and training have increased the production and quality of the honey. Equipment for harvesting and processing honey and its byproducts have also been delivered and are being used so that the honey and byproducts can be sold at market.

• Nueva Segovia Beekeeping 5

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• Nueva Segovia Beekeeping 4

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• Nueva Segovia Beekeeping 3

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• Nueva Segovia Beekeeping 2

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• Nueva Segovia Beekeeping 1

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Empowering the Poor to Succeed Through Agriculture

Cross Catholic Outreach and Light a Single Candle have partnered together to empower poor families to succeed by helping them to learn and implement practical skills to provide a sustainable source of food, that they will pass on to their children, neighbors and friends. The community garden provides additional nutrition to daily school lunches, while training local farmers to implement improved farming techniques to villagers will be able to produce a flourishing crop and feed their families. Community members are taught lessons in permaculture, erosion prevention, the importance of preparing the soil, and the value of diversifying their crops to reap a better harvest.

• Kobonal Haiti Community Gardens 1

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• Kobonal Haiti Community Gardens 2

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• Kobonal Haiti Community Gardens 4

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• Kobonal Haiti Community Gardens 5

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• Kobonal Haiti Community Gardens 6

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• specialized consulting on queen bees reproduction

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• delivery and placing of queen bees

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• delivery of queen bees

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• honey storage tanks delivered

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• participation in national fair

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• queen bees delivery

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• practical training on health care of bees

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• practical demonstration on field

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This hardworking community has made great gains in capacity, production, and income!

• The average number of honeycombs the beneficiaries had before the project began was 4.4. Today, the average number of honeycombs has more than doubled to 10.2 honeycombs!
• Before the project, every honeycomb was producing 20.05 liters of honey on average. Since the beneficiaries have been trained, the honeycombs are now producing 27.03 liters of honey –an increase of 34%.
• Prior to the project, the average annual production of honey was 92.2 liters. Now, production averages 281.4 liters, more than triple the original amount.

Beneficiary Testimony: “I have been able to support my home through the sale of honey, and my community sees me as an example. Now, there are many young people interested in beekeeping. I am very satisfied with the project, I feel very well trained and capable to handle my honeycombs and with expertise to share and multiply my knowledge with others.”

• using materials for field work

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• building the greenhouses

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• farmers are preparing the land for sowing

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• plants in the greenhouse

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• plants in the greenhouse

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• plants in the greenhouse

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• metallic structure for greenhouse

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These farmers have made gains in income and yield, and have reduced their costs and the amount of time required of them to farm the crops!

Before the project, farmers applied agricultural inputs every two days. Now, farmers only need to apply them twice a week. The frequency of inputs application has been reduced by 43%. This not only translates into lower production expenses, but also to a higher-quality product.

Before the project, each plant produced 5 pounds of tomato. In the first cycle of the project, their average was 13 pounds per plant. This means that the productivity per plant had increased in 260%.

On the open field, farmers dedicated approximately 10 hours per day to their tomato plantations. With the greenhouse, farmers spend an average of 1.8 hours each day taking care of their crop, which allows them to have other crops and generate additional income.

Before the project, each plant generated $0.65 dollars. With the project, each plant generated $3.38 dollars at March 2015. This represented 5.2 times more income per plant.

“This cycle of tomato plantations was really good. We saved money to buy agricultural inputs so we did not had to ask for credit in the store. With the income obtained from this cycle we bought 7 hens and 1 quintal of beans. I could install two doors in my house and I am saving money to install 2 windows and another door. I am faithful that next cycle will be as good as this one to be able to complete the improvements in my house and provide my family what they need.”