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 Johanna Roman, Latin American programs coordinator at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, speaks with a vegetable and flower producer in Chimaltenango in the central highlands of Guatemala, which will serve as the base of operations for the institute's new Food for Progress project. (Photo courtesy of the Borlaug Institute.) Borlaug Institute awarded second Guatemala Food for Progress ProjectTexas The Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture has been awarded a second Food for Progress project in Guatemala to help that country further develop its agricultural capacity and improve the income and quality of life for its farmers. The new project, awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will provide increased access to agricultural markets, improve technology and promote development opportunities for high-value agricultural crops in Guatemala, said Johanna Roman, Latin American programs coordinator at the institute. These will include bioenergy crops, as well as "non-traditional" fruits, vegetables and flowers. The project will last three years and address three general areas of agriculture, she said. "The primary focus will be on agricultural systems and management techniques, education and training, and marketing and business development," Roman said. The project will use technology to help identify or improve sound, environmentally responsible agricultural practices which allow Guatemalan farmers increase their yields and incomes, she said. Training activities will provide on-site instruction to help build agricultural capacity at a grass-roots level and improve farmers' knowledge of food production, safety, processing, and marketing. The commercial component will address improving sanitary standards for agricultural markets, enhancing agribusiness market systems and promoting sustainable business opportunities for farmers. Roman said Borlaug Institute project activities to improve agricultural systems and management will include a water conservation program, crop rotation and diversification program, harvesting program for small-scale vegetable and flower growers, and a bioenergy crop program. Agricultural training will include a series of hands-on farmer education and train-the-trainer programs on topics including food safety, meat quality, sanitary standards for agricultural products, leadership development for female farmers, efficient harvesting and post-harvesting methods food processing, and plant and animal health. "Training courses will be designed and developed for farmers based on their educational level, and some will rely more heavily on graphics and visual aids where farmers are less literate," Roman said. "Other educational programs will be carried out in indigenous Mayan languages with the help of translators, and many of the programs literally will be delivered in the field." A marketing and business development program will assist farmers in selling their products in local and foreign markets, she said. This will include promoting a fair trade certification program, introducing sanitation measures for agricultural markets, and providing technical assistance with food safety and hazard assessment for meats and vegetables. "We will also link farmers to existing micro-credit programs to help them develop their businesses through loans and grants, as well as encourage the adoption of new agricultural methods," she said. Project operations will be based in Chimaltenango to better serve farmers in the central highlands, but efforts will reach across Guatemala, including the livestock sectors of Izabal, Peten and the southern coastal region. "We will address technical issues and help find technological solutions at every point in the agricultural value chain, from production and processing to storage, packaging, marketing and transporting," Roman said. The project also will help build agricultural and agribusiness trade capacity by developing strategic partnerships with academic, public and private organizations, she added. "We want to help spur economic development in Guatemala and open new markets while supporting free trade and sound environmental practices," Roman said. The Borlaug Institute plans to work with some of the leading Guatemalan institutions for agriculture and trade, including the Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Educational Center for Cooperatives, Non-Traditional Products Exporters Association, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Economics and National Training Institute. The institute also will work with local universities such as Universidad Rafael Landivar and Universidad de San Carlos. Funding for the project will be provided by proceeds from the sale of 15,000 metric tons of soybean meal given by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service to be sold through the Borlaug Institute's contracting agency, Texas AgriLife Research. The new project will complement the efforts of the institute's first Food for Progress project in Guatemala, which began in January 2006, Roman said. Since then, the institute has been working with Guatemalan farmers and cooperatives on increasing yields, enhancing rural enterprises, developing new products promoting agribusiness, and improving food processing standards and procedures. "Among other activities, we have been working with indigenous farmers in Escuintla and Solola to expand food processing, improve agricultural techniques, provide on-site agricultural training and education, and promote the development of agriculture-related businesses," she said. "Our successful activities are being conducted by our efficient in-country project staff. Texas A&M scientists provide valuable technical advice, and the Borlaug Institute provides leadership." Roman noted that Texas A&M experts in phytosanitary standards and other food safety and cleanliness standards and procedures already have provided technical assistance to several Central American countries. The institute has recently completed two projects to expand the food processing sector and new product development in El Salvador, she said. "We at the Borlaug Institute are highly pleased that through Ms. Roman's leadership, Texas A&M's partnership with USDA will expand and continue to help secure economic growth and political stability in the Western Hemisphere," said Dr. Edwin Price, director of the institute. Texas A&M's international agriculture activities are led by the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture of Texas AgriLife Research, part of the Texas A&M System. The institute is named for Dr. Norman Borlaug, a distinguished professor at Texas A&M who has won the Nobel Peace Prize and Medal of Freedom. Texas A&M Agriculture has conducted hundreds of agricultural development programs worldwide. Current international agriculture programs and projects include those in Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Indonesia. For more information on the Borlaug Institute and its projects, go to http://borlaug.tamu.edu. 5/19/08 Date: 5/9/08
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