Introducing El Puente

Concrete floors for families

The majority of families living in rural communities surrounding Chisec have homes with dirt floors since they cannot afford concrete. A World Bank analysis of a concrete floor program led by the Mexican government showed that providing concrete floors leads to 76% reduction in parasitic infections, 49% reduction in the incidence of diarrhea, 81% reduction in anemia, and between 36 and 96% improvement in cognitive development in children. For a modest investment of $800 per home, you can make a major impact in the life of a family.  So far, we have been able to provide 32 floors in the communities of San Simon and La Planada.

Water Access

Many communities face a severe lack of water during the dry season each year, being forced to walk long distances to polluted rivers, find caves with water pools, or purchase water in larger towns. We have already provided the village of El Porvenir with a well and are planning a large community water tank. Other projects include water catchment and filtration systems for homes (since there is a surplus of water during the rainy season).  A well costs about $6000, large community water tanks about $20,000, and catchment systems for homes between $300 and $600.

Corn research

We have completed our first two experimental growing seasons. We evaluated several locally available seed varieties, as well as different planting techniques and fertilization strategies. In some cases, we demonstrated the potential to approximately double yield and/or farmer profit. We plan to replicate our best experimental conditions in a local farmer's fields, then share our learning with and train other local farmers.  Additionally, we were able to test an additional 15 corn hybrids from a Columbian seed company in an effort to define even better varieties for the local climate.

Aquaculture research

Our tilapia research effort in Punta de Palma, Guatemala, has demonstrated the ability to grow out approximately 1000 harvestable tilapia in a 25 m3 pond using intensive aquaculture techniques. We are currently working with a local family to transition this to a sustainable and profitable business. Our current efforts include reducing energy and feed costs for this system. In 2022, in partnership with Northwest Nazarene University, we installed a recirculating aquaculture system at our El Puente site, which will form the basis for demonstrating family-sized systems that can be replicated using locally available components.

And partnerships

AgInno also partners locally and globally with other ministries, organizations, and communities to provide technical guidance and consultation on agriculture problems and opportunities. Sharing is a basic tenet of both the scientific community and Christianity. Examples to-date include sponsored research on sustainable fish feed (Purdue University), an appropriately scaled paddle wheel aerator system for reduced electricity consumption (Olivet Nazarene University - ONU), solar power systems for fishpond aerators (ONU), and an RAS system with a locally producible biofilter system (Northwest Nazarene University). We are also at the beginning of a new partnership with Mount Vernon Nazarene University.