Ramiro Silva has grown strawberries in central Mexico for over 20 years. But despite his many years of experience, he often struggled to control plant diseases and pests around the farm. He also sold through intermediaries, earning limited money from his crops. After joining a TechnoServe program, Ramiro gained the skills and connections he needed to improve his production and increase his income.
In Uttar Pradesh, India, wheat farmers like Manoj Kumar are working to achieve better lives for their families but face countless obstacles. TechnoServe is helping local farmer organizations strengthen business operations, enabling thousands of their members to access better markets and earn higher incomes.
When Juliana Solís Barón first opened her coffee shop in Peru’s San Martín region, she had no idea what to expect. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, running a coffee shop for the first time presented many challenges. But building a stable, prosperous coffee sector in this once-dangerous area is helping farmers and entrepreneurs like Juliana to improve their incomes and lives.
In Benin, the cashew industry has the potential to help hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers lift themselves out of poverty. However, poor agricultural practices often limit their productivity and incomes. TechnoServe is using remote sensing and machine learning to map cashew production and target agricultural training to farmers who need it most.
In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants who were previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. María Castillo is a farmer and the president of the Mujeres Valientes association, which sells drought-resistant beans and other agricultural supplies to farmers in southern Honduras.
Cashew has the potential to transform Benin’s economy – and the lives of the smallholder farmers who grow it. However, many farmers lack the technical knowledge they need to get the best harvest from their cashew orchards. TechnoServe is developing a digital chatbot to help farmer trainers quickly access the information they need, allowing them to effectively support more farmers.
For farming families in central Peru, coca production brought income but also a constant threat of violence. Back then, these regions were dominated by the drug trade. Today, families in former coca-growing areas are learning how to improve their livelihoods through an alternative crop: coffee.
When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in September 2017, many coffee farmers saw their life’s work disappear overnight. The storm destroyed over 80% of the island’s coffee trees, leaving farmers with little income and the daunting task of rebuilding. Since then, TechnoServe and its partners have teamed up to help restore the island’s coffee industry and support thousands of farmers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for fruit farmers in Mexico as they try to find markets for their produce amidst shutdowns and shifts in consumer behavior. TechnoServe is helping farmers like Eloy Castañón connect to formal buyers and earn better prices for their produce, ensuring resilience during an uncertain time.
In India, TechnoServe is working to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers like Mottadam Jogiraju by strengthening farmer producer organizations and transforming them into sustainable enterprises that link producers to stable, profitable markets for their crops.
