Women-led Reforestation in Nicaragua

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Grow Ahead partnered with Food 4 Farmers and SOPPEXXCA, a 520-family-strong coffee cooperative based in Jinotega, Nicaragua, for a women-led reforestation project. SOPPEXXCA cooperative’s members have long faced food insecurity, and established a Food Security Committee to support projects that address seasonal hunger and help families build a more secure and diverse economic foundation. 

The reforestation project worked with 103 women coffee farmers to develop agroforestry systems on their home gardens, and plant 34,950 trees and supporting plants. Each family planted hardwood trees that pull carbon out of the atmosphere, fruit trees, including citrus, avocados and peaches, and other plants to improve soil nutrients and prevent erosion in food-forest systems.

The women of SOPPEXCCA have been developing the first organic farmers market in Jinotega to bring fruits, vegetables and other products to a city of 130,000 people who have little access to chemical-free food. By increasing the agroforestry home garden program and adding more women to the organic market, this project will help farmers and their families strengthen their knowledge about the importance of consumption of fruits and vegetables, add a new source of income, and increase biodiversity and carbon sequestration in the region.