Agriculture Impact

Boosting Family Incomes With Agriculture

In developing countries, the poorest families often rely on small-scale subsistence farming to survive — so learning how to improve crop yields can have an incredible impact on income and quality of life. In addition to empowering men and women to better support themselves, agriculture programs are also a powerful way for families to experience faith firsthand as they become stewards of God’s creation.

In 2022, 828 million people worldwide suffered from hunger, so agriculture improvements were more important than ever.

Thanks to faithful supporters like you, Cross Catholic Outreach was able to support 14 agriculture projects in six countries. This included funding women-owned farms in Maïssade, Haiti, and providing starter plants, seeds farming tools, training and more. You also helped the Batey Relief Alliance in the Dominican Republic provide 120 women with low-interest loans and agricultural supplies to grow crops such as lemons, sweet potatoes and bananas.

14
Projects
6
Countries
Grants Provided
3,188
People
Benefited From Training
1,802
People
Fed Through School Agriculture Programs
1,270
People
Benefited From Higher Incomes

HOME GARDENS IN GUATEMALA

CARITAS SUCHITEPÉQUEZ-RETALHULEU

A young woman holds vegetables.

In Guatemala, nearly 60% of the population lives in poverty, with one in four people earning less than $3.20 a day (CIA World Factbook, World Bank Group). Many of the poorest families rely on subsistence farming and grow just enough food to eat day to day. Few own large plots of land, so many take seasonal jobs as day laborers on local plantations. Their meager incomes are barely enough to buy a little rice to eat, much less repair their crumbling homes or send their children to school.

While it may seem that these families are forever trapped by the chains of poverty, there is hope. Through the work of the Church and our vision to relieve poverty in Guatemala, a positive transformation is underway.

During the 2022 fiscal year, Cross Catholic Outreach partnered with Caritas Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu to bless 400 poor farming families with agricultural training to grow cash crops as well as training and supplies to grow organic home gardens.

This agricultural support helped families increase harvests, improve their diets and work toward long-term self-sufficiency. Training workshops were infused with faith lessons and included Bible reflections and teachings on solidarity, leadership and Christian values. Thanks to this program, farming families are equipped with practical solutions to overcome poverty — and they have also grown in faith!

Fast Facts

History

Cross Catholic Outreach has partnered with the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu and its local Caritas ministry since 2018.

Community

The work of Caritas Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu involves unity and integration with local parishes, with a strong emphasis on youth participation.

Objective

The immediate goal of this agriculture program is to bolster families’ nutrition, but the long-term objective is to take families through a five-year training system to help them sustain a business.

Other Outreaches

In addition to agriculture, Cross Catholic Outreach supports the diocese’s programs for food, housing, water, education and health.

Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2024, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.