Farmer-to-Farmer Program: Day 3 - 4 Managua and Nandasmo (Nicaragua)

Heading out to Nandasmo, about an hour's drive outside of Managua to the southeast, I was impressed by the quality of roads in Nicaragua. I came expecting pockmarked death traps, and instead, found smoothly paved motorways and working roundabouts. Granted, there is still a bright assortment of frequently stopping chicken buses and the occasional horse cart slowing down traffic... but these just add to the local color, like the guys who rush the car at the stoplight, offering to wash your windscreen or sell you cashews and coconuts. Taxis seem to be a tad unlucky though, as we saw loose parts work themselves free of two cabs in as many days.

We were meeting with a community organization of women growers, but upon arrival, found the eager crowd to be closer to fifty-fifty. A brief tour allowed the leaders of the group to showcase the work they have been doing to promote home gardens (an asset in the face of rising food prices), composting, and new products like nursery plants and different vegetables (Yankees out there: Nicaraguans are also not sure what to make about okra either!). After the welcome speech, a local girl gave us a folk dance - not on the agenda, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

Our program offered slightly less opportunities for creative expression... although it did involve an arts and crafts project: Make-Your-Own Yellow Sticky Traps. Think flypaper, except it's for things that will eat your crops. I also preached about that cornerstone of my undergraduate program (Can I get a "Boiler Up"?) : Integrated Pest Management - a strategy of combining physical, cultural, biological, and chemical control methods to reduce pest and disease problems when they have reached an economic level of damage. I say "preach" because these folks made quite a good "choir." They were happy to learn new methods and chime in with their experiences and ideas. Scouting (regular, systematic monitoring of your crop) and encouraging beneficial insects ("good" bugs that like to kill the "bad" bugs) were also big topics. The group went back out to the field for hands-on I Spy. Seriously though, their good observations and samples they collected opened up on-the-fly discussions about insects and diseases and how to manage them. Finally, we ended with the cooking show portion of the program - recipes for quick and easy insecticidal sprays. Take that, Rachel Ray!