Agriculture Workshops in Intibuca

Agriculture workshop, Intibuca

Parts of this story appear in our July 2012 E-Newsletter

In the Western region of Honduras known as the Lenca Corridor, extreme poverty is widespread.  As part of Adelante’s Education Program, women from this area are being offered the opportunity to participate in Product Innovation Workshops  thanks to funding from Women’s Empowerment International. The goal is to provide women with practical knowledge that enables them to develop new sources of income and/or make their small businesses more competitive.  Topics range from crafts to food preparation, but one of the most critical themes among the women of Western Honduras is agricultural production.

The cool climate in the Western highlands allows for the cultivation of a great variety of crops, such as berries, fruit trees, grains, and vegetables.   Even still, producers often lack knowledge on how to maximize the productivity of their land.  Part of the problem is the lack of training opportunities for local producers in the area.  By offering workshops on agriculture, Adelante is trying to bridge this gap and help clients who are already involved in agriculture to improve their production.

So far in 2012, Adelante has hosted two agriculture workshops.  The first workshop was held in April and focused on soil conversation.  Women learned about the importance of using organic methods to preserve soil fertility for future generations. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the second workshop which dealt with cultivation methods for local crops.  The women spent the first day in the classroom where they were taught about how to cultivate different plant species and control pests and disease.  The following day, the women visited a farming cooperative where they could learn from producers and analyze their methods.  This learning methodology is called ¨campesino a campesino¨ or farmer to farmer.  Danilo Mejía, the agricultural engineer responsible for leading the workshop, asked the women to discuss the positive and negative aspects of the cooperative’s farming activities. The most significant criticism to emerge from the ¨campesino a campesino¨ exercise was the overuse of chemicals in the cooperative’s fields.  Danilo affirmed that organic substitutes could provide the same benefits to production that chemicals do, while preserving the soil’s fertility for future generations.

Treatment for diseased plants

The final and most popular part of the workshop was practicing how to make organic products so as to diminish the use of chemicals and improve production.  Women learned how to make three different organic products: fertilizer, a treatment for diseased plants and another for fungus growth.

Treatment for fungus

The women found this knowledge extremely practical since the products were very simple and inexpensive, also making them a viable option for a business venture.  For example, the organic fertilizer was composed of cow manure, unpurified water, fresh milk, molasses, and hydrogen peroxide, and the cost of producing 15 liters of fertilizer was only L. 70 or $3.50.

Organic fertilizer

Feedback from clients indicates that the knowledge acquired was very useful and the women intend to put their new skills into practice. Victoria is a long-standing client who normally uses her microloans to invest in her of business preparing and selling food from her home.  However, she and her family also cultivate coffee, and are interested in growing vegetables too. Victoria especially enjoyed learning about the different natural products she could use to boost her coffee crop, she confirms, ¨We have 250 coffee trees we are ready to plant, and we are going to make this fertilizer instead of buying chemical-based products as we normally would.¨

The idea of substituting chemical products with organic ones resonated with another client, Paula, she comments, ¨We use far too many chemicals on the land, we don’t take care of it very well.¨  Paula is currently paying off her second Individual Loan for L. 16,000 or $842.  Over her many loan cycles with Adelante, Paula has developed a small convenience store and has used the profits to invest in growing more crops.  Today, Paula and her family cultivate potatoes, vegetables, corn and beans, and she plans to use the new farming methods she has learned to further improve her land’s productivity.

Paula recieves diploma from Adelante Education staff member

Having attended this most recent workshop, I know that the topic of agriculture is needed and wanted by Adelante’s clientele in the Lenca Corridor.   Not only will these women enjoy an improved quality of life due to better farming practices, but they also will contribute to the environmental sustainability of their local communities. We would like to thank Women’s Empowerment International for its continued support of Adelante’s operations in Intibucá.  At Adelante we can always use donations from our generous supporters to bolster the activities of our Education Department.  Please consider making a donation and help thousands of women become successful micro entrepreneurs!

Business Education in Olanchito

Olanchito Clock Tower, the siren sounds three times daily

At bi-monthly assembly meetings, Adelante clients receive the support they need to succeed in their micro businesses.  A fundamental part of Adelante’s microfinance model is providing borrowers with small business education.  Since Adelante works primarily in rural areas, it is not surprising that many clients have never completed primary school.  Business education ensures borrowers have the knowledge to grow their ventures into profitable micro enterprises, which improves their overall standard of living.

On a recent field trip, I joined a Credit Officer to visit assemblies in and around the town of Olanchito, which is a two hour bus ride east of La Ceiba, Atlantida, in the department of Yoro.  Adelante has been offering the women of Olanchito microcredit since 2004 after opening the Tocoa branch office. Olanchito is part of the Aguan Valley, a region where bananas and African palms thrive.  The Standard Fruit Company (Dole) has a long history of operations in the area, and some communities are dependent on its banana plantations for employment.  Until discovering Adelante, many clients I met in Olanchito had never been given an opportunity to take out a small business loan before.

¨In what would you invest, if you were to have more money?¨

The assemblies I attended in Olanchito received an educational lesson called Administration 2, which is a sequel to a previous topic dealing with the basics of business management.  The Credit Officer started the lesson with five brain storming questions, such as ¨Do you know how much your product costs?¨ and ¨What difficulties do you confront managing your business?¨  After group discussion, several laminated posters followed illustrating the themes that commonly emerge in response to each question.

One theme that resonated strongly with Adelante’s micro entrepreneurs was how to provide credit to customers.  In Honduras, it is common for small businesses to offer products on credit since the population is very poor.  However, the Credit Officer stressed that customers should pay up front at least the cost incurred to the seller.  If the customer fails to pay back the balance on the product, micro entrepreneurs lose their profit, but not their investment.  After the lesson was delivered to a new assembly group, a first-time borrower named Irma confirmed, ¨I learned how to manage my business better, like what the Credit Officer said about taking into account the cost of the product before you sell it on credit. I think before I gave too much credit and I lost money that way.  I hope to learn more from future lessons¨.  Irma invested her first loan for L 3850 or $203 in a cosmetics business, which is a common venture for first-time borrowers but also one that often depends on providing credit to customers.

Long-time Adelante client, Juana

Small business education is not only valuable to women like Irma who have little experience, but also long-standing clients appreciate the lessons too.  Juana took out her first loan from Adelante for L 1000 or $53 over seven years ago in order to invest in a used clothing business. She has since expanded her micro business and now sells a variety of products, such as new clothes, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and more.  Currently, she is expecting her first Individual Loan for L 20,000 or $1053, and she is an enthusiastic proponent of small business education.  Before the Credit Officer began the presentation, Juana announced, ¨I ask that everyone who is part of this assembly pay attention because these lessons help us so much with our businesses. Just think, banks don’t give free lessons so we should appreciate the education Adelante gives us to make our businesses more profitable.¨ The women in attendance responded in agreement, and once the lesson started, lively discussion could not be abated.

The last question of the educational lesson, Administration 2, affirms why Adelante has a client retention rate of 95%.  The question reads, ¨What do you need to obtain a larger loan and invest more money in your business?¨  An Adelante borrower must make on-time payments, attend assembly meetings regularly, and show that they have invested in their small business in order to obtain a larger loan.  These are the only requirements Adelante borrowers must fulfill.

Product Innovation Workshops in Intibuca

Innovative Product: Pickled Veggies

The Adelante Foundation branch office in La Esperanza recently hosted product innovation workshops for clients in the departments of Intibuca and La Paz.  Many thanks to the Inter-American Foundation for the funds which made these workshops possible.  The workshops were held as part of the Adelante Foundation’s small business education program.    Developing workshops on product creation and innovation is a new frontier for the education department at the head office in La Ceiba.  Clients learn how to create new products or how to innovate existing ones in order to increase competitiveness and grow their businesses.  The Credit Officers who manage the loan pools in Intibuca and La Paz selected the women who would participate, and these women are responsible for passing on the skills they learn to their assembly groups.

In October, clients were invited to participate in a workshop focused on producing different varieties of breads and baked goods.  Most of the women who attended were already dedicated to this activity, but many were accustomed to producing only a few products, for example a few varieties of bread.  Over the course of three days, clients learned how to make several types of breads, donuts, fruit pastries, and more.  The Adelante Foundation’s Education Coordinator emphasizes that lack of innovation is one of the main reasons small businesses fail to grow.  Now these women and their corresponding assembly groups have the knowledge to expand their product inventories and earn more profits.

The second workshop took place in November and featured pickled vegetables and fruit jams.  Unlike baking, which requires specific equipment, producing jams and pickled veggies only necessitates a stove top or wood fire.  Every woman has the tools in her home to produce jams and pickled veggies, so participants did not need to have past experience.  The departments of Intibuca and La Paz benefit from a cooler climate that allows for the cultivation of an assortment of vegetables for pickling.  Pineapple, strawberry, and guava are also accessible and ideal for jam making.  Many clients grow the fruits and vegetables used in jam making and vegetable pickling, so by learning the process they can add value to existing products and sell them at a higher price.

I had the opportunity to attend the second workshop, observing and even participating myself in the production of pickled vegetables.  The process involves preparing, boiling, and arranging the vegetables, which are then preserved in homemade ginger spiced vinegar.  The fresh produce included cauliflower, carrots, shallots, onions, chilies and green beans.  The women were trained on how to sanitize the glass jars used for pickling by disinfecting them in boiling water.  Several clients already had experience pickling vegetables, but the women also learned how to innovate the product by cutting the veggies so as to make them more attractive.  Arranging the vegetables decoratively also makes the product more tempting to the buyer.  Take a look at the series of photos below to get a sense of the whole process pickling vegetables!

Preparing the chilies, yikes!

Filling jars decoratively with boiled veggies

Adding the ginger vinegar to complete the pickling process

In 2012, the Adelante Foundation plans to offer more product innovation workshops on different subjects.  The response from clients has been very positive, confirming that the workshops are practical.  A client from Jesus de Otoro, Marta, who attended the second workshop, explains, ¨it’s great because it’s a profitable activity that everyone can do in their homes¨.   Another client from the community of San Fernando adds, ¨you learn things that you did not know before, it’s very practical¨.  Through these workshops, the Adelante Foundation is providing clients with the tools to generate innovative businesses that support an improved quality of life.

A Spotlight on Small Business Education

Did you know that education is an integral part of our loan program?

We’re well known for granting short-term loans to rural Honduran women, but part of what makes the Adelante Foundation unique is that we also provide our clients with small business education.     

A credit officer presents to an assembly group outside of La Masica

The Backstory:

Our education program first began in 2000 with credit officers providing advice, when asked, to selected women on how to start a small business.  This eventually led to the creation of an official education program in 2004.  At this time credit officers began presenting to entire assembly groups on topics related not only to business but also health and human rights using brightly-colored poster sets, which allowed clients who weren’t able to read the ability to understand the content of the presentations.  In 2007, the community educator program was launched where one client from each assembly group attended workshops presented by Adelante staff to train them in giving the educational presentations to their respective assemblies.  The community educator program was discontinued, however, due to a lack of measureable results.

In 2010, we’ve revamped our education program to focus exclusively on how our borrowers can increase their business related income. 

The Program Today:

Over the years we’ve learned that training and education are crucial to our client’s financial literacy and overall success.  In fact, the Adelante education program strengthens the educational and financial literacy base of a client’s entire community.  The average education level of our clients is second grade.  Many of our clients have learned the skills necessary to run their businesses (they are “street-smart” and creative) but lack the knowledge to expand their businesses beyond the daily routine tasks.  Much of the time the material presented is forgotten.  Using the idea that adults learn best by doing, we decided to make the presentations more interactive. 

A credit officer engages an assembly group

We’ve kept the poster sets as tools to guide the presentations, but credit officers now encourage clients to participate in role-playing, brainstorming activities and to contribute ideas to the collective group.  Rather than sitting and listening to credit officers lecture on a given topic, our clients are encouraged to play an active role in the presentations which are typically 30 minutes long.  Every 14 days credit officers will present to assembly groups on topics such as “The Art of Salesmanship”, “Working Hard” and “Making a Plan”.  Each presentation ends with a homework assignment which our clients are expected to complete and share at the next assembly meeting. 

The benefits of education are numerous and include:

• Increased family income,
• The ability to provide more nutritious food for themselves and their families,
• The ability to obtain necessary medical care for themselves and their families,
• Investing in home improvement projects such as replacing a dirt floor with cement,
• Investing in the purchase of books and uniforms which are necessary for their children to attend school, and
• Improved self-esteem and confidence.

A secondary benefit, and maybe the most important, is that the next generation will grow up in a household where his/her mother has become a successful business woman. 

 Final Thoughts

The feedback from our clients and staff has been extremely positive.  For example:

Angela Gonzalez states, “I don’t know how to read or write, but I understand the presentations with the drawings.  I like that they allow me to share my life experiences.  I enjoy each meeting and I always learn something new; now with these new topics I am improving my business and trying to find new clients.  I believe that education is important and I try to instill that belief in my children.  My first four children only completed primary school, but my last two are now in high school.”

Helping enterprising rural women to start and grow a modest business such as a small store in their home as a source of supplemental income is a critical step in overcoming poverty.  As Gloria Hernandez states, “the business training and loans from Adelante have allowed me to move forward.  Now my business is better than ever, thanks to Adelante it is better organized and more profitable.” 

Learn how you can help support our education program!