First Lady Begins Organic Greenhouse Project

First Lady Begins Organic Greenhouse Project
Dominican Republic, La Cuchilla, El Seibo, 16/06/2011

Margarita Cedeño de Fernández is promoting food security, encouraging production, small business, healthy nutrition and the right to safe and healthy food consumption.

 “Progressing shows that when one has the opportunity to attain the fruits of persistent work and collective effort, hope is renewed for a better future for all,”

First Lady and Special Ambassador of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, began the organic green house project in the communities of La Cuchilla and Arroyo Grande. The program is set up to help rural women in the zones that are part of the Hemispheric Gender and Development Equality Program for Women (PADEMUR), developed by the Office of the First Lady.
Accompanied by Deep Ford, FAO representative in the country, and Domingo Jiménez, National Organizer of European Funds for Development, Cedeño de Fernández toured the greenhouse installations in La Cuchilla, built in an area of 540 square meters.

Margarita Cedeño de Fernández said that, as First Lady, she undertook the Progressing Program, developed by her Office in the province of El Seibo, because this area was the second poorest in the nation. This year, the UN Development Program put El Seibo fifth place in terms of poverty in its annual report.

 “Progressing shows that when one has the opportunity to attain the fruits of persistent work and collective effort, hope is renewed for a better future for all,” said the First Lady, adding that when she accepted the task of Special Ambassador of the FAO, she did so with the hope and resolution of contributing to make the world, and especially the Dominican Republic, a place where no one suffers or dies of hunger.

She emphasized that this challenging proposal is not going to be easy to fulfill but that she has thousands of people willing to embrace the cause and with people who are supportive and willing to struggle together for this goal, she believes her Office can achieve it.

With the installation of the organic greenhouses, the First Lady seeks to incentivize the cultivation of healthy food, 100% natural and grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides that can contribute to the development of illnesses.

She thanked DIGECOM for its support expressed through Doctor Domingo Jiménez, and the FAO, represented by Mr. Deep Ford. She thanked them for the opportunity to work together for the development of El Seibo and all the communities benefiting from the programs. She also thanked Lurden María Mercedes, president of the Women’s Association of Los Dieguillos, for her solidarity is donating the land where the TELEFOOD Projects are functioning. She also congratulated the communities of Las Cuchillas, Los Dieguillos, El Cuey, Arroyo Grande and all of El Seibo for the effort they made in overcoming the challenges of poverty. 

FAO representative in the DR, Mr. Deep Ford, said it is a pleasure for the FAO to be participating in the launch of these various projects in the provinces of El Seibo and its communities. He called for the strengthening of groups and organizations to maintain, sustain and expand on the projects in order to assure that members of the communities receive the benefits of the initial investment and the hard work that was done by all.

Speaking in the name of the peasants of PADEMUR, Esther Morales thanked the First Lady for the greenhouse and her concern for the wellbeing of the community. She added that, with the greenhouse, they will be able to help their husbands as well as to improve the living conditions of their own families and of the community. 

Details of the Greenhouse

The greenhouse is made of metal with raffia and anti-insect netting and ventilation. Seven beds prepared for planting of 1,500 plants at a distance of 40 centimeters between them. In addition, it has a fertilizer injection system, produced by themselves through the earthworm breeding project and a space for keeping tools and equipment.

The objective of the organic greenhouse project is to promote the training of rural women of limited and scarce economic resources in traditional and non-traditional skills, to support them technically and financially in the installation of micro-businesses led by rural women as well as to promote initiatives to strengthen leadership and participation in the areas of decision-making.

With the installation of the organic greenhouses, the First Lady seeks to incentivize the cultivation of healthy food, 100% natural and grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides that can contribute to the development of illnesses.

As part of this activity, the First Lady, in coordination with the FAO, also delivered sheep and goats to the women who are participating in the TELEFOOD project of Los Dieguillos, El Cuey and Arroyo Grande, so that they will improve their nutrition as well as their incomes by raising these animals.
Through the Progressing program, rural women of PADEMUR have received training in “Basic Greenhouse Management,” with the goal of providing food security for them and their families in addition to improving their economic condition as well as their communities.

The Office of the First Lady has other greenhouses managed by women of PADEMUR, located in La Cola and La Cuesta del Jobo, Yamasá and in Hato Damas de San Cristóbal.