March 1st 2010 – Farming, Fertilizer and Debt
Monday, March 1, 2010 at 12:43PM I can’t believe it is March already.
People here are beginning to think about sowing. The rainy season comes about mid May and that is when they begin to plant their corn crops. And those with experience are thinking ahead. There are several church partners who support their community with the purchase of a sack or two of fertilizer for each family. And communities that are really organized brought a ‘solicitude’ to the Pastoral House last November in hopes of fertilizer so their church partners could have time to fund-raise.
And now I want to tell you why a gift of fertilizer is so important.
Jobs are scarce. 60% of the folks in and around Berlín are unemployed or underemployed. $3 per day is the minimum wage declared by the government – but in reality, there is no minimum wage – a typical income is $1 per day – IF one is lucky enough to even have a job. And there is no minimum wage for agricultural workers. Farmers might make $25 - $125 per year!
And pretty much the ONLY work in the cantons is agricultural.
Soil is almost totally depleted because of generations of abuse of the land: first by the Spaniards who stripped the land to grow indigo and cotton. Then when that was no longer a viable crop, more deforestation and slash/burn techniques so the land could support the coffee crops. That really took its toll. Now it is corn and beans. Farmers alternate these two crops on their little plots of land as the seasons change.
And it is subsistence farming in the rural areas of Berlin. People use their harvest to feed their families all year long. And if they have a little corn or beans left over, it is sold for things like school supplies, food items they cannot grow themselves, their medical needs, etc.
Without fertilizer, the harvest is less than half. And that is NOT enough to even feed their family let alone have any left over to sell.
Now here is another problem for farmers:
Most farmers are not the recipients of the gift of fertilizer so have to buy it. They have to… otherwise there is hardly a crop to be had when all is said and done.
So they either sell a few chickens if they have any… or sell a cow or a pig (or 4) if they are lucky enough to have one.
But if they have a cow, that provides the family’s milk … so they really don’t want to sell that.
So the majority of people take out a loan.
No big deal you say. EVERYONE has credit card debt!
Let me tell you about debt here in this country - at least from the perspective of the small and poor farmer in our cantons – which would be the vast majority of people. First I will give you my opinion (my humble opinion): debt and credit companies are like a curse here.
Let me tell you how I really feel and why: the credit companies take advantage of the desperate needs of the very poor farmers by giving them ‘easy’ loans to buy their fertilizer (we’re talking maybe a $60 or $100 loan). They dispense those loans like candy. “Sign here my friend” …
It is too easy. You put your cow up for collateral…your house... your first born (I wouldn’t be surprised – but probably not). If you own your little piece of land you might have to put that up for collateral.
So the season passes, your crop is growing well and all seems good. Then a hurricane hits the coast and the heavy and constant rains here in the mountain destroy the crop.
Or early in the growing season, really heavy winds come and the budding bean plants lose their flowers and therefore their potential for fruit.
So you end up with a meager harvest. Now you cannot feed your family nor sell a little for your other needs … and now you also have a $60 debt that you cannot pay. Oh… I almost forgot to say: this loan will have about a 25 - 45% interest rate.
And you had put your land up for collateral – or your cow. So now you are in danger of losing that.
And it is inevitable. Without a crop, you cannot pay your loan. So you’ve lost what little you had.
It’s another manner of manipulating and taking advantage of the poor.
And like I said… without a generous partner church helping out with fertilizer, the majority of farmers here are in this sinking boat.
Reader Comments (2)
You forgot to mention how much a bag of fertilizer costs??
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