Nobody tells you international research is easy. In fact, most often, the first thing experienced researchers will say is, “Don’t expect things to go as you planned”.
Of course this doesn’t make things any less shocking when your long-term contacts are suddenly unable to meet or are medivaced to the US. Despite all prior warnings, it still seems like uniquely bad luck when it happens to you. What people don’t tell you, however, is that in these last-minute, unplanned, situations you are suddenly able to reach out to people you would normally never think to use as resources, and more often than not, we have found that people are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. After a lifetime of being nervous of calling pizza delivery services for fear I might inconvenience somebody, I find myself suddenly able to cold-call an organization and say, “Hey we found your organization on the internet and we were wondering if you would be willing to meet with us for half an hour to talk about working with farmers in your region.”
I still don’t enjoy it, but it is liberating, in a way, to know that I can do this.
So far in Xela we have talked with AMA (the association of highland women), UAM (the union of associated small farmers), Café Conciencia (a small org working with organic coffee producers) and Sobrevivencia Cultural (an organization working with dozens of community radio stations around Lago Atitlan and in the highlands).
UAM is one of the more important organizations working in this area in agriculture and has been around since 1993 as an association of 8-10 smaller organizations that serve around 3,500 small farmers. Their strategy mainly revolves around capacity building and a campesino a campesino information transfer approach. They train elected farmers from each smaller organization extensively for a full year (around 3 full days of training a month). These farmers each receive a diploma for their participation and are responsible for implementing and sharing the lessons they learn through their own farms. We met with one of these promotores (trained farmers), named Don Cesar, after our meeting with UAM on Friday and we will meet with him again on Monday.
Another interesting meeting was with Sobrevivencia Cultural. This organization helps small community radio stations produce educational content that will be specific to their community in terms of language and local references. Radio seems to be a resource with a great amount of potential for disseminating agricultural information. Almost everyone owns a radio and when people hear radio in their own local language, we’ve learned that it can both attract attention and be an empowering experience.
Unfortunately, Sobrevivencia Cultural, told us that community radio is not actually legal in Guatemala. As shocking as it is for us, apparently the Guatemalan government does enforce radio licensing, which is way too expensive for any community radio or even many commercial radios to purchase. Moreover, even if a community radio could afford a frequency, apparently all the licenses have been sold for something like the next 50 years. Nevertheless, community radio stations maintain popularity and Sobrevivencia Cultural continues to help new radio stations get started each year.
We hope to learn more about radios and remolachas as we extend our stay here in Xela a little longer than we planned.
On that note, here is to international research and embracing the unexpected!
Kelsey Barale, graduate student, International Agricultural Development, UC Davis
Elana Peach-Fine, PhD candidate, Plant Pathology, UC Davis
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| Don Cesar shows off his GIANT remolaches (beets) |
I still don’t enjoy it, but it is liberating, in a way, to know that I can do this.
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| Talking to farmers in Aldea Pajuil near Uspantan |
UAM is one of the more important organizations working in this area in agriculture and has been around since 1993 as an association of 8-10 smaller organizations that serve around 3,500 small farmers. Their strategy mainly revolves around capacity building and a campesino a campesino information transfer approach. They train elected farmers from each smaller organization extensively for a full year (around 3 full days of training a month). These farmers each receive a diploma for their participation and are responsible for implementing and sharing the lessons they learn through their own farms. We met with one of these promotores (trained farmers), named Don Cesar, after our meeting with UAM on Friday and we will meet with him again on Monday.
Another interesting meeting was with Sobrevivencia Cultural. This organization helps small community radio stations produce educational content that will be specific to their community in terms of language and local references. Radio seems to be a resource with a great amount of potential for disseminating agricultural information. Almost everyone owns a radio and when people hear radio in their own local language, we’ve learned that it can both attract attention and be an empowering experience.
 |
| Seed starting in Uspantan |
We hope to learn more about radios and remolachas as we extend our stay here in Xela a little longer than we planned.
On that note, here is to international research and embracing the unexpected!
Kelsey Barale, graduate student, International Agricultural Development, UC Davis
Elana Peach-Fine, PhD candidate, Plant Pathology, UC Davis
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