Organic fertilizer production in Nicaragua
27 January 2011,
Over the last few years, Progreso-partner UCPCO from San Juan de Rio Coco in Nicaragua has done a lot of work promoting and improving organic agricultural techniques. In order to make sure their members have access to affordable and good quality organic fertilizers, they completed the construction of their own fertilizer plant called "Oasis de Vida" in 2009. Many bags and liters of solid and liquid fertilizers were already produced in the plant and sold to farmers, but production capacity of the plant was too low to be able to provide all producers affiliated to UCPCO with sufficient fertilization materials.
Therefore, Progreso has agreed to support UCPCO to increase fertilizer production capacity and also research into the effectiveness of the organic fertilizers produced in the factory. Besides giving their members access to good fertilizers, the project helps UCPCO to create an extra income stream that will further strengthen the organization.
In addition, there are indirect benefits, as a good fertilization policy will help producers improve quality and productivity in their coffee production, thus creating more and better sales options for UCPCO.