AGROS-Newsletter-Fall2015

Land. Hope. Life.
Fall News 2015

New leadership AGROS NEEDS YOU:
wants your input!
What can we learn
PAGE 6 from farming fish?

Photo: Sebastian Guerra Fuentes PAGES 4-5

ALSO INSIDE:

Escaping the world’s murder capital

What’s a Donor Dialogue?

Three cheers for monthly donors!

Alberto wants to hear from you! Photo: Mazagran

Dear Friends,

I came to Agros for two reasons: your impact and your values.
They’re values I share, like the importance of relationships, a
commitment to transparency, and a passion for continuous
improvement and innovation.

I’m also deeply committed to impact. In September, my first
month with Agros, I visited Nicaragua and Honduras. I was
deeply impressed by the resilience, leadership, and economic
prosperity I saw in families. You have made this possible.

In our newest community of La Bendicion in Nicaragua,
I met a farmer who used to collect 19 sacks of corn per manzana.
That’s about the national average. Now he is harvesting 120 sacks,
and the average in the community is 80! Today, thanks to you, his
family has a stable supply of food and a source of cash to support
themselves beyond the harvest.

Seeing the positive outcomes of your support and sharing stories
of families overcoming poverty is important, but I also want to
present you with data that measures the effectiveness of initiatives
you’ve funded. It’s a matter of accountability. We are moving beyond
storytelling to document facts – a top priority for me.

While this process takes time, we have already made significant
progress and before the end of the fiscal year will release our first “Agros Community Socioeconomic and
Demographic Snapshot,” a summary of key indicators and metrics that will enable you to see the results
of your investment.

You can read more about my priorities for Agros on pages 4-6 in this newsletter.

During our extremely successful Tierras de Vida event this October, I announced something we are calling
“Donor Dialogues.” The simple message there? You are important for us.

I’m the new guy – you have been supporting us for years, if not decades.
I want to hear from you: what is working, what is not?

All the details and how-to are explained on page 6.

You are critical and important to helping our families realize their dreams.
So, thank you for generously investing your hearts, time, and resources
in our mission to restore hope and opportunity to families. You make
this organization what it is – and I’m proud to join your team.

Sincerely,

Alberto Solano
Executive Director, AGROS

Page 2 Land. Hope. Life. | www.agros.org

Agros In MyWords

Make Donating a Breeze: Jon and Jackie Campbell make a big
impact through small gifts. They’ve
Giving Monthly Makes Sense been monthly givers to Agros since
2003. They’ve supported multiple
families in Guatemala and provided
seed money for land purchases –
always stretching these large
commitments out through monthly
gifts. Jon shares with us why monthly
giving makes sense for them.

Why do you choose to make a monthly gift? “Supporting a family was a real stretch
of faith with three kids in school and
Monthly giving was much easier with our finances. As us on teachers’salaries, but God always
teachers with three kids, we couldn’t give a large sum, so provided for our family. Our resources are
monthly giving becomes kind of a no brainer. When you pay God’s gifts to be shared. Helping others
your bills at the end of the month, there’s always a little left always results in lasting joy for all.”
over that God has promised, so it seemed natural.
– Jon and Jackie Campbell
Why did you make your first gift to Agros?
Join Jon and Jackie.
We met Skip Li, Agros’ founder, at Jackie’s school. We were Start your monthly gift today!
inspired by how God motivated him to help. The “Land
Hope Life” model really resonated with us and the holistic VISIT: agros.org/donate
approach that offers people the dignity they deserve. CALL: 206.528.1066
EMAIL: [email protected]
We committed to supporting an individual family in
Trapichitos in Guatemala for 4-5 years and attended their
land title ceremony.

Why would you recommend monthly giving?

Just like any other investment – retirement, annuities – you
make a commitment, maybe it’s $50 or $20 a month, and
then it’s done! It’s very satisfying, and it’s not hard to make
that commitment.

Agros Fall News 2015 Page 3

Our Path Forward Your support + new leadership =
big opportunities for families
Business Lessons
from Farming Fish

Prosperous families in Piedra de Horeb, Photos: Sebastian Guerra Fuentes
thanks to you
Your help needed: farmers must
In Piedra, tilapia farming has catapulted families like make money
German and Ester’s from a life of subsistence – past
stability – to true prosperity. In the midst of the messy world of fighting poverty,
the way Piedra’s tilapia farms are integrating into
Once a day laborer who started field work at age 8, what we call “agricultural value chains” is a powerful
German’s two kids have a very different life from their success story. It’s a story that we need your help to
dad. They go to school. They come home to a safe replicate in other communities.
house with clean water and nutritious meals, and play
Central America’s favorite pastime: soccer. For a farmer, making money is not just a matter of
having the technical skills or applying the correct
When Agros Executive Director Alberto Solano agricultural practices. Their long term sustainability
visited Piedra during his first month on the job this and growth rely on gaining access to large agricul-
September, the tilapia enterprise got his attention. tural value chains, where there is consistent demand
“The families in this community have become and profit for their produce.
businessmen. The prosperity in their lives is evident.”
This strategy will enable us to facilitate transfor-
Five years ago, these were tiny farmers, forced to work mational change for families. It’s the difference
for giant haciendas, without any control over their between stabilizing families and building prosperity.
futures. Now, well-organized, they’d created their own Alberto explains:
sustainable, registered and profitable business. They
consistently supply in-demand tilapia to markets “To move out of poverty forever, farmers must make
that guarantee a steady income. That stable income, money!We are doing a fantastic job of stabilizing poor
combined with safe housing, healthcare access, families with shelter, clean water, health care and
and education for their children, has changed the community organization. Now we can build from that
trajectory of these families’ lives. success to help families move from small farming to
establishing profitable businesses.”
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Land. Hope. Life. | www.agros.org

How will we do this? By sharpening the For some communities who are struggling with
economic focus of our holistic development food insecurity, these new agricultural initiatives will
model, we will guarantee farmers a dependable provide stability. For others, the plans will accelerate
income by inserting them into the local business families’ income-generating capacity and their ability
ecosystem. In development lingo we call this to pay off their land loans.
“value chain integration.”
With every new initiative, we will build families into
Farming can be profitable – agricultural value chains to create sustainable business
if you run it like a business models with dependable markets for their crops.

Our immediate goal is to focus on the business side Detailed plans to do this are being drafted right now.
of farming – specifically bringing that business
acumen down to Agros field initiatives and to the How would you like to be involved?
small farmers.
We want your feedback and involvement as we
Because farming can be profitable! Here in America, develop these plans. See how you can take action
you drink Nicaraguan coffee and eat Honduran for families below, and please let us know how
tilapia. There’s a market for those products – it’s you’d like to be involved.
just a matter of plugging small farmers into value
chains in a way that benefits them instead of just
the food conglomerates.

The plan to build prosperity
for every family

So what does this look like in the next year for our
families? It looks like replicating the success of Piedra’s
tilapia model in other communities by bringing more
business acumen to our agricultural work.

Take Action to Help Families Prosper We need
your feedback
& action
We are drafting business plans to strengthen Invest in a specific community
economic development in our communities, so that
families can generate sustainable, stable income. Please let us know if you’d like to schedule a
meeting with leadership to discuss investing in

Here’s what you can do: stabilization or acceleration in a specific community.

Give today Share your thoughts and feedback

Use the included envelope to make a year-end We want to develop these plans in collaboration
gift to help launch our stabilization and acceler- with you. Please schedule a meeting or send us your
ation plans to build prosperity for families. Your thoughts on how you’d like to be involved.
unrestricted gifts allows us to flexibly invest in the
areas where families need it the most. EMAIL: [email protected]
CALL: 206.528.1066 x216

Agros Fall News 2015 Page 5

Donor Dialogues

You are critical to our families’success Photo: Mazagran
and our ears are open!

At Tierras de Vida, we kicked off
Donor Dialogues

What is that? would like to connect us with? Think creatively –
you bring so much to the table. Your talents and
It’s an open invitation for you to be part of the networks can be valuable resources to help support
conversation, learn what we are learning, and engage our families.
with us about strategy and priorities.
Sound off! How else would you like to connect?
How do I participate?
Let us know via email at [email protected]
Phone calls, meetings, group dialogues, podcasts. or call 206.528.1066.
If you have an important question or would like
to set up a meeting, please reach out to Executive Connect with Leadership
Director Alberto Solano at [email protected].
Schedule a meeting:
How can I help shape and strengthen
our plans? EMAIL: [email protected]
CALL: 206.528.1066 x216
You are our partners working toward our shared goal
of supporting families. Do you have a particular area Meet Executive Director Alberto Solano
of expertise related to our work? Is there a potential at Direct from the Field:
supporter or field expert in your network who you January 15, 2015

Page 6 Land. Hope. Life. | www.agros.org

Village Spotlight
BellaVista, Honduras

Dreams Within Reach – Photos: Sebastian Guerra Fuentes
Thanks to You

Escaping addiction and the murder capital of the world

Surviving took priority Life before was so grim San Pedro Sula,
that neither Juan Jose where Juan Jose and
Before they came to live in Agros’ Bella Vista village nor Gloria even dared Gloria’s family used
in Honduras, Juan Jose and Gloria’s family’s finances to dream. to live, is the murder
were stretched thin. Gloria remembers, “We were capital of the world.
only working to pay for our clothes and what we were Today, Juan Jose and
going to eat.” Gloria have big dreams.
“My dream is to pay
Surviving took priority in the slum where they lived for the land… build a
in San Pedro Sula, so sending their children to church beautiful house… and
and school didn’t occur because, as Gloria recalls, “we [see] my kids graduate,”
didn’t think about these things.” says Gloria.

Before moving to Bella Vista, Juan Jose suffered from Because of you, these
alcoholism and compulsive gambling. When Gloria dreams are within
learned about Agros, she convinced her resistant reach. “The land is a
husband to move. Juan Jose admits, “I was consumed resource,” says Juan
with my addictions. I didn’t really want to join Agros.” Jose. “Thanks to this
land, we are paying off
“My husband learned to love me” our loan. Thanks to the
coffee, my children are
But Gloria’s insistence prevailed, and today the studying and … one
family is on a new path. Juan Jose has overcome his day, we are going to be
addictions, and has rediscovered his faith in God. Juan able to build a bigger
Jose and Gloria’s marriage has changed, too, “I tell my home for our family.”
husband that he learned to love me since we are here
[in Bella Vista],” she says. Page 7

Agros Fall News 2015

Get to know your new Executive Director,

Alberto Solano

Who is he? Photo: Mazagran

Alberto was born in Guatemala and has more than
15 years of experience in microfinance and sustainable
development in Latin America. He spent nearly 6 years
as the Regional CEO of Latin America at Grameen
Foundation, and prior to that served for 7 years as the
Vice President for Latin America at Global Partnerships.

Alberto earned a degree in agronomic engineering from
Zamorano in Honduras and his MBA from the INCAE
Business School. He is also a fellow of the prestigious
Aspen Institute.

Why Agros?

Alberto has a personal reason for his commitment to
fighting rural poverty.

His father was born into a rural farming community,
and the opportunity to pursue an education changed his
life. For Alberto, our work at Agros represents that same
kind of life-changing opportunity. It’s the chance that
thousands of families in Central America need to change
their own life trajectories from poverty to prosperity.

Give hope and opportunity
to families this holiday season!

Look for your One Seed catalog coming soon by mail.

POPULAR GIFTS:A flock of chicks Teach a family An acre of high
provides protein to fish and quality corn seed
Design: DavidOwenHastings.comfor kids.help them startfeeds families
a sustainable & builds agri-
business. businesses

You can also order One Seed gifts for friends and family online at agros.org/oneseed.

Page 8 Land. Hope. Life. | www.agros.org