A Record of Success

Participants in EPIC’s sustainable agriculture programs usually double their corn and bean yields in the first year of implementing new practices. This dramatic increase is largely the result of water retention practices that also increase the water holding capacity of the soil. By employing organic methods to build soil fertility, harvests of basic food crops triple by the second or third year, while money spent buying chemical fertilizer and pesticides is reduced. EPIC’s programs of sustainable organic agriculture have motivated thousands of farmers in Guatemala and Honduras to practice more sustainable farming by teaching them a group of new agricultural practices specifically adapted for hillside farms Seen in a larger world context, EPIC’s success in doubling and tripling yields, while reducing the costs of production, could provide hope for millions of farmers worldwide who also work marginally productive small farms in environmentally fragile areas.