- Good agricultural practices and a production analysis helped Nicaraguan coffee farmer Luis Cruz increase yields by 30% in his farm.
- MOCCA and Mercon Coffee Group provide technical training to coffee producers in Jinotega (Nicaragua), to help them increase their productivity and profitability.
- MOCCA is a 7-year initiative funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food for Progress Program, which seeks to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade in agricultural products. The MOCCA project is being executed by a consortium led by TechnoServe.
Luis Cruz lives with his wife and 3 children in the Laguna Verde 2 community, Matagalpa (Nicaragua). He has been dedicated to coffee production for more than 15 years and is one of the more than 4,000 coffee growers who receive technical training as part of the partnership between MOCCA and Mercon Coffee Group.
Through this partnership, Luis has strengthened his knowledge in good agricultural practices for coffee cultivation, such as shade management, fertilization according to the age of the plant, pest and disease control, pruning practices, among others.
“I have been trained for two years by MOCCA and Mercon. The good practices learned and the production analysis to determine how to renew or rehabilitate my coffee plantation, helped me increase yields by 30%.”
Luis Cruz
Luis’s increased productivity has allowed him to increase his income. In the last 2 years he has acquired 4 manzanas of land and is planning to expand his coffee plantation.
Production analysis is a tool used to assess the condition of a coffee plantation and to know how many productive plants exist, identify the number of plants that need pruning or need to be renovated, as well as the number of dead plants and empty spaces. This tool is applied to a sample of farm plants after the harvest season.
“In addition to good agricultural practices, we also learn accounting to identify the expenses and profits on the farm. We use a record book to have a clear idea of how to administrate our farm,” says Luis.
Luis has become a reference for other coffee growers in his community, who visit him frequently to listen to his recommendations on how to increase the productivity of their farms.
“I like to contribute to the development of my community, create jobs and share my knowledge with other coffee growers” concludes Luis
