The Gardening Program

Members of the Ix-canaan Women’s Group are justifiably proud of their Square Foot gardens, and are always thrilled to welcome visitors into their yards to see them.  Sonja’s garden is just on top of the rock wall … the only sunny place she had in her yard … and she waves us in from her back gate.

The people here do not have the custom of eating vegetables.  Most vegies come from southern Guatemala and have to be shipped up here to Peten, thereby raising the prices higher than these people can afford.  Also, seeds are not readily available, and until recently, they had no idea how to grow plants without pesticides and herbicides.

Through our gardening program, the women are learning how to compost, how to keep a worm farm to create good soil, how to combat jungle pests using a variety of natural substances, and how to save seeds so their crops can continue.