Let's Talk About Farming: Milton in Nebaj

BY MICHAEL PRINS. VIDEO EDITING BY DYLAN FERREIRA.

Milton is only 23 years old but is making his mark in Nebaj. The son of corn and bean farmers from Cotzal, farming is in his blood. He chose agriculture as a vocational path in Grade 10, and recently finished his university accreditation by taking weekend courses.

“Most jobs here in Guatemala relate to agriculture. It’s very practical. I chose to study it to learn something new and different. I’m interested in animals too – how to implement them into family life.”

Milton was introduced to FH though his high school buddy, Miguel, who had started working with FH out of high school. The vision and mission of FH, and its Christian foundation, was exactly what Milton wanted for his life.

“When I graduated secondary school, I took a resume over to FH without even knowing if they had any job postings! To my surprise, I was hired weeks later. That was in January, 2012.”

When Milton started there was only one Agricultural Promoter in the Nebaj region, who trained Milton and got him started with nine communities. He now works in 12 communities - Rio Azul, Xonca, and Villa Hortencia being three of them - where he trains and coaches primarily families with children under 5 years of age struggling as subsistence farmers.

A normal day for Milton starts early and ends late. Pulling in by motorcycle, the morning is busy; there’s a list of families to visit, where he might coach on a new crop they are trying, like potatoes or cauliflower, or hoist a heavy spray backpack for a mother whose husband is gone for the day.

The afternoon is for teaching. Farmers gather at the town centre. Depending on where farming families are at, topics range from promoting the benefits of a garden to the finer points of disease treatment. He always builds in time for lots of questions. Milton wouldn’t want it any other way. “I get so many questions about tomatoes! People here love tomatoes, but they are hard to grow in this region and require extra tools like small greenhouses and fertilizers.”

“Agriculture is my passion. I love dreaming about what more this land and its people could produce. It’s meaningful to see so much potential and then see people actually do it!"