It’s Monday, and the farm truck rumbles up to Vida Mocohán School. The weekly groceries for the kitchen have arrived – much of the produce grown in Impact’s own fields.
“There are currently just over 46,000 plants in the field, distributed in 15 horticultural species,” explains Elmer Felipe Sierra. “Approximately 60% of the crops are in the process of being harvested.”
Felipe is the Business Manager for Impact’s Agriculture & Sustainability projects, and a graduate of Vida Chijacorral School. His fascination with plants extends to agricultural processes. “Seeing God’s work so clearly in the perfection of His creation is inspiring,” he says, “and it’s amazing how humans can influence biological processes for good and increase productivity and growth.”
Felipe and his team are working hard to increase productivity in the gardens and greenhouses, and they’ve implemented planting cycles so that there’s a continuous supply of fresh vegetables ripe and available for school meals. Today’s order contains a colourful combination of carrots, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and leeks that the Vida Mocohán cooks will transform into delicious, nutritious meals for Vida students.
The fact that our schools can source these vegetables from our own fields rather than the market means that we can ensure quality and save money. It also means that we’re building into the sustainability of the ministry. Did you know that the agriculture project funds some of the operating costs of the Vida Schools?
Excess produce is sold in the local market. Seedlings grown in our greenhouse are used in our own fields, and extras are sold to local growers. Felipe is even working on monetizing the knowledge and experience the agriculture team has acquired by providing educational student tours for regional agronomy programs.
Impact coffee beans are also sold on the local market. If you’ve come on an Impact Trip, you may remember the coffee tours that we used to do in Santa Cruz. Now teams tour our own coffee plantation at the Chisac property.
We’ve found a local coffee roaster in Tactic to roast small batches for us, so team members get a chance to try a specialty coffee made from our own beans. And they can purchase Vida Guatemala Fine Coffee in a variety of roasts to take home as souvenirs – all while supporting education in Guatemala. (Nope, Vida Coffee isn’t available in Canada yet – you need to come on a trip!)
The profits from these initiatives are funnelled back into providing education for kids in Guatemala – paying for things like electricity, water and maintenance costs at our schools.
Faithful supporters like you continue to allow our agriculture and sustainability projects to grow and flourish. And with entrepreneurial leaders like Felipe at the helm, we are reaping the benefits.
As Felipe reminds us: “The impact of these projects is greater than it might seem. It’s not just about growing crops.”
Thank you for growing the sustainability of our ministry!