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Lifted from poverty by oregano

A project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in rural Bolivia has improved the lives of more than 1,000 poor families, providing them with a cash income, access to education, and new hope for the future!

In 2003, Flavio Duran, a small farmer living near the village of Tomina, in rural Bolivia, had virtually no source of income. Tomina lies in a very mountainous region of Bolivia that can be very wet during the rainy season (November to March) but very hot and dry for the rest of the year.

Like two out of every three Bolivians, Flavio was living in poverty. He owned some land where he and his family grew enough food to live on and a little bit more to sell, but there were no buyers for his produce, as most small farmers in the area grew the same crops.

SOCODEVI, a Canadian non-governmental organization that has worked in Bolivia for more than 20 years, decided to try to help Flavio and other small farmers look at the possibility of diversifying into new crops. With support from CIDA and working in collaboration with AGROCENTRAL, an existing farmers’ cooperative in the area, SOCODEVI carefully investigated the growing climate and potential markets for alternative crops. It was discovered that oregano had a lot of potential, especially since it can be grown and harvested up to three times a year.

Read the full text on the website of the Canadian International Development Agency