Some of the richest lands in all of Central America are located in alluvial valleys where rivers deposited silt over thousands of years. These flat lands are used primarily for grazing cattle. The fertile soil supports herds of ganado in Spanish, while crops for consumption are farmed along the sides of impossibly step mountainsides. Corn, beans and onions are often grown on unterraced slopes at angles of 45 degrees or more. Ironically, cattle are often exported in exchange for staple foods that could have been grown in the pasturelands.
Potable water does exist in a very few communities.
The cities of Leon and Managua, in Nicaragua, both have clean drinking water. Leon has a large sewage treatment plant, as well. This is the extreme exception rather than the rule, unfortunately. Coca-Cola sells bottled drinking water in many of the towns, which is used for anything surrounding food production. Some communities collect rainwater for drinking, although even rainwater left unchlorinated is not safe.