Compas de Nicaragua

• Contribute to the farming economy
• Improve the quality of life for rural families
• Improve hygiene
• Save forests
• Reduce global warming
  

We believe that in rural Nicaragua, as in other parts of the world, the problems that affect the environment, health, and poverty, are all intertwined and that by working together using low tech solutions, we can solve problems in a more intelligent and beautiful way. 

• Monthly organic agriculture workshops and trainings on organic fertilizers and insecticides, soil conservation, crop rotation, and farm diversification.

• Heirloom seed bank to save and store heirloom bean, rice, wheat, and corn seeds.  Farmers will be given seeds for the growing season which they will need to return after harvest.  The seed bank will guarantee farmers seeds for planting and at the same time conserve heirloom seeds.

• Food security, backyard gardens, utilizing rain water collection and wash water systems to drip irrigate small vegetable gardens.

• Community bank (micro-loans for farmers) providing small, low interest loans for farmers for the growing season.  One of the principal problems of farmers is having access to credit for seeds, fertilizers and labor costs for planting.

• Bio-gas systems that collect animal manure in a cylinder plastic and produce methane gas for cooking.

• Gray water systems that eliminate dirty shower and wash water through a simple filter system.

• Fair trade, organic coffee, shade grown coffee as the principal cash crop for the BSR Coop members.  Compas hopes to raise funds to establish 1/10 of an acre of shade grown coffee for each coop members.  The project will also include finding outlets for the sale of organic coffee produced by the BSR coop members.

• Reforestation and shade grown coffee. The La Paz area is and especially critical watershed with a variety of shade trees, including precious and rare hardwoods as well as citrus, avocado, and banana trees.