Now they're seeing farmers invest some of their profits in storage silos. The producer can sell his crops for more if he waits for the market to rise. In the family garden program, Rojas and Jose Tercero teach nutrition and cooking, as many healthful crops they promote are not typical in Nicaragua. The family, then, is no longer just eating rice and beans. Now there's a complement.
Success stories abound.
Among Uriel Tercero's favorite is that of Pedro, whose 1.75-acre cornfield yielded 1,800 pounds of corn before the program began. His last harvest was 5,300 pounds. The pastor stresses that Pedro prospers through his own efforts, not handouts. Light and Life teaches tithing of crops to the local church, which in turn distributes them to the needy, the sick, and the schools. One village's farmers sold their tithed sorghum to cover surgery for a neighbor going blind.