The Buzz about Ag Biz

Saturday, March 27th marked the final day of the Bocas Agribusiness Seminar. As the sun peeked over the horizon we left our homes, hiked out of the community, forded, or in some cases traipsed, across the San San River, and waited for out taxi. The cable suspension bridge had washed out four weeks prior and even made national evening news, which caused the governor to promise he’d build a new bridge within a month; however, construction has not yet begun. Luckily, though, it has been dry.

At the appointed hour Don Solano, our skillful and sporadically puntual taxi driver, arrived to whisk us off to Changuinola for the last day of the seminar. Along the way we were stopped at a banana crossing, which could be equated to a train crossing, especially here as train tracks in the area were ripped up years ago and rumored to be purchased by the Chinese. The bananas were on their way from the field to the washing and packing plant, to be boxed up and piled into a semi truck painted with yellow bananas and a bright blue and yellow oval seal, eventually put into a shipping container to cross an ocean, ripen from green to yellow, and be sliced on breakfast cereal.

With little further adieu we arrived to the seminar, and the farmers were a buzz with new friendships. Thirty-three farmers, all indigenous, from eight different communities participated in the seminar. We were missing a couple on the last day. Olmedo from my community could not make it. His brother suffered a serious machete wound the previous day in Sieykin. As I had hiked to the taxi stop that morning, Olmedo was hiking the three hours over the mountains to Sieykin to tend to his brother who had cut open his knee which had required nine stitches to be closed back up. He is still recovering. Olmedo says to have taken away his machete.

During the final seminar day the participants were asked formulate and share with the group a goal that they had for their farm. Their goals included doubling their production of plantains in the next ten months, upgrading the infrastructure and pasture lands for their goats in the next six months, and planting three more hectares of cacao with their families utilizing the agroforestry systems that Peace Corps Volunteers had taught them. Some drew maps or work calendars to further illustrate this goal. We ate cake that a woman in my community had made. She had been my first student. It was a jubilant day.

Sunrise from Druy

A bridge to the river bottom. The other half tumbled

how to keep your pants legs (or skirt bottom) dry

Don Solano's majestic beast

stop! banana crossing

role playing marketing your product: platains

a stately ag biz participant

team building, a group sit

fishing, in the fish tank

counting the catch

my haul

Mauricio & Cuko