agricultural

Above: Creamery owner Marilyn Cisne (left) gathers with worker Jamilette (near left), her daughter Alexandra and worker Helen for a taste-testing of yogurts. We worked on adjusting the tanginess, the density of the yogurt body, sugar, amount of flavoring and coloring. Asking the opinions of everyone in the creamery (and family) helped to include everyone in the new production process and give them ownership of the future product. Note the use of cheap and expired plastic containers. This was common as disposable and high quality stainless-steel products and equipment are less available here than in the U.S. The answer is queso fresco . It is a similar cheese to queso blanco, but with a creamier and softer white texture. It’s popular in Spain, Portugal, and across many countries of Latin America, including Nicaragua. This is the same type of cheese that is used to make dishes like cheesecake, enchiladas, as well as distinctively Nicaraguan cuisine like cuajada frita and Güirila. This ty...

Since 2014, Partners of the Americas has facilitated 52 Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer trips to Nicaragua. F2F field staff, local hosts, and volunteers have worked hard to create collaborative solutions to complex community problems. Check out the incredible F2F partnerships we’ve formed in the past few months! Cattle and Dairy F2F volunteer Daniel Shaneyfelt give a lecture on improved cattle ranching techniques. Over the past 3 years, Partners has been working diligently with the Nicaraguan government, the  National Cattleman’s Commission of Nicaragua (CONAGAN), the Nicaragua Chamber of Beef Industry Exports (CANICARNE), and the Nicaraguan Chamber of the Dairy Sector (CANISLAC) to strengthen the domestic cattle and dairy industries from all ends of the value chain. F2F assignments have ranged from advising smallholder farmers on hygienic milking practices to establishing a national beef grading and certifications system for the country. Farmers have reported an extreme uptick in ...