Farm Update: Juana María Chavarría Centeno’s Story.

In August 2023 we shared Juana Centeno’s story and how she had joined the La Bendicion village in Nicaragua. This year we have an update on Juana and her farm. She is still growing coffee, chaya(a type of squash), lettuce, corn, and beans. But, thanks to her hard work and the market lead strategies from Agros, Juana has sold enough crops to pay off her loan. Juana is now a land owner.  

From Extreme Poverty to Prosperity: Juana’s Story.

Juana María Chavarría Centeno, a 56-year-old woman from Jinotega, Nicaragua, has lived a life marked by struggle and sacrifice. As a mother of seven, Juana worked tirelessly on farms for over 30 years to support her family, facing harsh working conditions and extreme poverty. Yet, she embodies resilience and perseverance, proving that even in the midst of adversity, it is possible to keep a heart full of hope. This is her life story—a life full of challenges in a state of extreme poverty.

Since the age of 18, Juana sought work on farms, taking on various tasks such as preparing meals for workers, milking up to 29 cows per day, and laboring as a farmhand during coffee harvest seasons. She slept very few hours, and during milking periods, she had to wake up at 1:00 a.m. to have the milk ready by 6:00 a.m., when the truck would arrive to collect it.

“I felt like a slave to those landowners, but necessity forced us to stay. If the landowner treated us poorly, we would move to another farm, but in the end, it was always the same treatment,” Juana recalls. Despite her hard work and sacrifices, she could not adequately meet her family’s basic needs—daily bread, a decent home, basic healthcare, and education.

At the age of 23, Juana met the father of her children. After 33 years together, he abandoned the family, leaving her responsible for their three youngest children. Despite her relentless efforts, she faced conditions of extreme poverty, earning barely $1 a day, which equated to $0.14 per capita—far below the extreme poverty line.

God’s Plan and Her Path to Prosperity

“For over 30 years, I was a slave on farms, but I managed to survive. God had a purpose for me through Agros,” Juana said, expressing confidence that her life would one day turn around. Everything changed in 2015 when Juana was selected to join Agros’ program in the community of La Bendición. It was thanks to Edwin, her eldest son, who was part of the first families in the program in this village, that Juana found the opportunity to rewrite her story.

By then, Juana no longer had the support of her children’s father, nor a home to live in. She was still living in extreme poverty, with no assets other than her labor.

A New Beginning

Through Agros’ program, Juana and her seven children built a dignified home and received 2.66 manzanas (4.6 acres) of land. She began by planting corn and beans to ensure her family’s food security. Later, with financial support and technical assistance from Agros, she planted 3.45 acres of coffee.

“When I arrived in this community, I cried tears of joy. I had always asked God to give me the opportunity to have something of my own, for my family to have the chance to live in a decent home and work their own land. We were tired of constantly moving from one place to another,” she shares.

Construction and Early Growth (2016)

Three years after Agros’ intervention in her productive activities, Juana successfully developed 2 manzanas (3.45 acres) of coffee—a crop she has continued to maintain each year. This achievement required hard work, including training in good agricultural practices for coffee production, performing the necessary tasks to establish and harvest the crop, and dedicating herself daily to its management, relying solely on her own labor and that of her children.

In addition to coffee, Juana diversified her production by growing various vegetables. This not only strengthened her agricultural and business management skills but also ensured her family’s food security.

Growth (2017–2021)

From 2017 to 2021, Juana continued with her coffee cultivation. It was thanks to the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 harvests that she obtained gross sales of US$20,197, allowing her to pay off her land payment in the amount of US$6,310.09. In this way, Juana became a property owner 8 and a half years after her arrival in the Agros program. She was able to fulfill her dream of “having something that was mine.”

Always taking care of the coffee crop, Juana started planting chaya, a nutritious and versatile plant, from which she obtained a very good income, thanks to the economic and technical support of Agros. From the chaya crop, which she started at the end of 2023 and continues into 2024, she has gross sales of US$1,360.

Prosperity (2022–to Date)

Juana is now in a state of prosperity, with her goal being to maintain productive self-sufficiency and integral well-being. Her participation in Agros has resulted in a remarkable transformation.

To date, her net worth is US$47,460, including her home and productive land:

• Area built for housing: 1 lot of 0.11 acres.
• Area destined for production: 1 lot of 4.6 acres for coffee production and beans.

“Although I am already a little old, my dream is for my children and grandchildren to have better opportunities. If I didn’t manage to study, I want them to have that opportunity. Every day I wake up with the motivation to go to work on my plot of land, in my own time and with my own effort. I know that no one is behind me, with a penetrating gaze supervising me. That is a great relief for me and for my children. I have always wanted to change this history of slavery,” Juana says with tears of joy.

Over the years, as she has steadily increased her income, Juana has invested in improving her home, especially in the kitchen area, which she enjoys.

From Laborer to Thriving Agricultural Producer

Juana has gone from being a day laborer with no assets to a thriving agricultural producer who manages her crops with a sustainable and profitable business approach. Over the years, she has strengthened her agricultural knowledge, turning herself into a producer with the competencies and skills to manage her coffee, chaya, and basic grains crops, while also commercializing her harvests in the formal market. This shift has significantly increased her income, grown her assets, and improved her quality of life.

Impact Beyond Economics

Beyond the economic transformation, the Agros program has profoundly impacted Juana’s personal and community development. She has developed resilience and resource management mechanisms that have enabled her to achieve her economic goals and contribute to social development. As a resident of La Bendición, her story inspires other families who are moving forward on their path to prosperity.

To date, Juana has been living in La Bendición for 9 years and was recently elected as a member of the new board of directors of her community. She recognizes her capacity to participate and contribute to the development of her village. Juana is a living testimony of how an agricultural producer can achieve transformation, and her story continues to inspire other families seeking their own path to prosperity.