THE FARMS: CONCEPTUALIZATION, GOALS, PURPOSES

1. CONCEPTUALIZATION

The farms are an extension from five to 20 hectares, intended for the cultivation of food, that provide macro and micro nutrients necessary to keep a good nutritional condition of the participating population. For its integral and diversification feature of the population, it is considered the production of cereals, leguminous, vegetables, tubers, among others; breeding of penned animals, using the natural resources in a rational manner, protecting the environment and practicing a good administration (management control) of the financial resources with the purpose of obtaining self-supply and sustainability of the project, generating surplus of the production for its commercialization.

The exploitation of the farm is made in a collective and organized manner; in average, about 9 families per farm participate.

(Remark: There is an image of six men with hoe, working the land, surrounded by trees, with the following text: "Boca de Uracillo Farm, Colon - Labor Day")

The model of farm that the Patronato develops has as purpose: that the organized group consolidates as a producing-trading group on a permanent basis.

For its character of producing organization, the group later acquires the property of the land through a training and consolidation process.

In this sense, the lands are acquired by the Patronato in order that, in this manner, be guaranteed that the organized group become "enthusiastic" on the sowing of permanent crops", the reforestation of the area and the total usufruct of the project on a sustainable basis.

To know that the improved lands in full production will become its own, is an encouragement to the group for its consolidation.

2. GOAL

To consolidate associations of producers with technical-management capacity, owning the means of production and that it be a legal entity, that help them venture into the trading of their production with less disadvantages, in a market, every day more competitive, and with an efficient production, intended to the consumption of participating families, and making emphasis on the 9 sensitive items, in a period of 7 years.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE FARMS

- General Objective

To promote better socio-economic conditions for the associate producers in the farms and their families, making a proper use of the natural resources, with application of technologies applied to their environment, in order to obtain crops that may satisfy their basic food needs and to trade the surplus of the production, that allow them to generate income to improve their quality of life in general.

- Specific Objectives

1. To contribute to improve the food assurance in the homes by means of the food access, through the production.

2. To develop productive activities with items that generate an income. (Trade potential)

3. To develop a diversified and integral production using, rationally, the natural resources and protecting the environment.

4. To develop groups of organized families, producers - traders with technical-managerial capacity.

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PRODUCTION FARMS

To achieve the sustainability at the farms, we base ourselves in achieving the following goals:

Social Organization: The farms must obtain their own structure. There exists an organization of producers. The farm belongs to the producers, not to the Patronato.

Business Organization: They should produce in order to feed themselves as main purpose from the farms, but they should also produce to sell. From thereon, the model of farms that are developed.

Adaptation of Technologies: The farms work as center to modify production crops and validate and adapt manners of new crops, applying proper technologies that must be safe: do not harm the environment, nor depend, as far as possible, from external factors: particularly, the consumer farms. In addition, this technology is viable, with the intensive use of the labor force, as well as it must be fair, allowing the participation of every one and the fair distribution of the surplus, pursuant to work quotas (day's wage) of each producer.

The farms must be manageable. They have a simple model of administrative management, but efficient, with distribution of tasks and responsibilities.

To achieve the sustainability and durability of the farms, it is important the approach of protection and conservation of soils.

In every agricultural project it is a priority the conservation and recovery of the soils, if we want to improve, in a sustainable and lasting manner, the life conditions of our peasants and natives.

Copyright © 2005 Patronato del Servicio Nacional de Nutrición
Última modificación: 27/06/2008