"For the features the new road has, drivers speeding without being aware of the risks are common. Our responsibility is to contribute with general information to this large group of servants and to the communities in which we will also be giving the talks”, said the Lawyer Isabel Cristina Vallejos, head of social office from MECO

According to the chairman of the Regional Union of Urban Collective Transport, Mr. Jaime Antonio Escobar, "it is good" to prepare drivers not only in preventing accidents, but also in improving the dealing with the users, "it is our duty to improve service and try to look after the environment”, he said.

Captain Silvio Martinez, from the area of fire prevention and special risks of the General Direction of the Fire Department, when lecturing on "Rescue of persons in traffic accidents", called on drivers to use caution and respect the traffic laws, quoting that prevention is the best way to protect the lives of yourself and others.

The MCA, supervising firm ROCHE and Construction Company MECO Inc., intend to leave in Leon a quality road. "However it is necessary that measures should be taken to keep the road clean and in good condition. It is an obligation of all to avoid throwing litter from vehicles as it ends on the road surface or gutters obstructing water flow and damaging the road”, said Engineer Cesar Aviles, Director of Road Infrastructure in the MCA.

The workshop topics also include how to act in case of a traffic accident by Mr. Fabio Mejia Lopez, Health and Safety Specialist from Roche, and solid waste management by Mauricio Poveda, Environmental Specialist from MECO.

:: Tecuaname producers guarantee marketing of their milk ::

The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and Tecuaname ranchers, from the municipality of La Paz Centro, celebrated the inauguration of a Milk Collection Center (MCC) in the village, reaching Nine MCC working in the Western region of Nicaragua.

Six months ago Tecuaname producers organized in Tecuaname Agro Service Cooperative Limited Liability began to collect milk and guarantee better prices, currently the milk production is being marketed to CENTROLAC through a trade agreement hold by the company with the collection centers working with MCA, ensuring higher prices all year round.

The Cooperative had some equipment and facilities provided by the DECOPANN project, however it lacked a water system that would allow them to ensure the hygiene and comply with environmental requirements.

Upon request of farmers, the MCA and its livestock operator TechnoServe financed the drilling of a well and installing a water tank with a capacity to store two thousand liters.

"The coordination of the European Union and the United States is nice, caring about everything that happens in these communities, we assign resources because we saw there is leadership and the potential to do business", noted Dr. Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Director of MCA.

On his side the farmer Alejandro Salgado, thanked the Program and TechnoServe on behalf of the Cooperative for their support, which made possible to open the Center, "Now we want every producer to sell to us and to produce more milk”, he said.

The Tecuaname MCC is part of the CENTROLAC routes for milk collection, comprising the MCCs, La Paz Centro, Malpaisillo, Los Zarzales, El Sauce, Achuapa and Larreynaga in Leon.

Agricultural Service

In the coming days, the Center will offer to producers who deliver milk at the collection centers, equipment such as buckets, filter carriers, gloves for palpation, serum lines, rectal thermometers, among others, through the Agricultural Service Center that will be installed with support from the MCA to respond to farmers from neighboring communities.

:: Charcoal production begins with eucalyptus plantations ::

Forest producers of the community "Los Urroces" in the municipality of Leon, recently produced 975 pounds of charcoal from the first burning of eucalyptus they made in the CFI metal furnace handed to them by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), as part of the support provided to the Western Forest Conglomerate.

The production is equivalent to 21 sacks, whose wholesale price is C$ 110 each, representing an income of C$ 21 hundred Cordoba.

In the first burning they used 1.2 tons with 18 percent humidity, equivalent to 1440 sticks, sold as firewood income would only be C$ 960 Cordoba.

The furnace donated by MCA has a cost of $ 2700.

Forest producers from “Los Urroces” commercialized part of the first production of coal in the Dairy, Agriculture and Forestry Fair organized by MCA, the most important achievement was to publicize its product and establish contact with potential buyers such as supermarkets and wholesale distributors.

:: Double milking increases income of farmers ::

The double milking is a livestock farming technique that can guarantee the producers to increase their milk production and income, without much increase of their costs as it tries to maximize the farm resources. The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) through its operator TechnoServe is encouraging livestock farmer’s project partners to milk their cow twice a day.

One of the farm households that have implemented this technique is that of Maritza Varela, who with her husband Orlando Casco and their five children work daily in their farm in the community of "El Achote", municipality of Villanueva, Chinandega.

Fifteen days ago, they began to implement double milking, which has allowed them to increase up to 30 liters daily milk production. "We just milked in the morning and we got about 50 liters of milk now I am getting 60, and 20 liters in the afternoon" says Maritza Varela; this is a 60 percent increase.

The producer explains that they decided to apply the double milking upon the technical recommendation from the project, but were afraid that by milking in the evening and morning, the cows would not give more milk.

"The first day we milked in the afternoon we obtained 12 liters, and the next morning production was 60, the afternoon production has been increasing to 20 liters of milk we got now”, says the producer.

This family sells their milk to a processor in the area, from the 30 liters increased, they sell 20 getting 120 Cordoba daily, and they left10 liters for home consumption, but before she could only use three liters.

Ensuring food

For cows to produce milk in the morning and afternoon it is necessary to always have food and water. Jorge Amaya field technical from the livestock operations of the MCA, TechnoServe, explains that this farm family is offering daily their cows a mixture of common salt, mineral salt, urea and ground sorghum. "This mix is a stimulant for cows to eat more," said Amaya.

Furthermore, "The cattle gallo pinto", which is a combination of chopped sugar cane with leaves of legumes, which guarantees the cows a balanced diet of protein and energy which in turn generates increased milk production, is being promoted.

Engineer Martin Lacayo, Technical Assistance Manager of the MCA livestock operations, said the double milking is the fastest way to improve productivity and profitability of farms, but the producer who implement it must provide better food to their cows, ensuring that they always have plenty of water, mineral salts, "The cattle gallo pinto” and that they do not walk much in order not to lose energy. 

:: II Craft Expo and Sale from La Paz Centro ::

On last 5 and 6 December, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and artisans from La Paz Centro, made the Second Exhibition of Crafts and Building Materials at the Centro Comercial Managua Mall.

The event was attended by 17 artisans and four owners of campus of bricks and tiles which offered their production of a variety of pieces and building materials at affordable prices.

According to Engineer Anabel Garcia Non Agricultural Cluster Manager of MCA, the purpose of the Fair was to support artisans in marketing their products, now having better quality with the techniques they have learned through the various workshops on painting, types of casts of pieces, equipment delivery and construction of improved ovens.
 

The First Crafts Fair took place on May 29 this year in the capital, but the artisans requested an extension in the time to take the opportunity of the procurements made by the population during the Christmas and New Year seasons.

Craft activities and its alliance with the MCA

The craft in La Paz Centro besides being the income source for many families, is the cultural symbol of this city that for generations has transmitted the art of molding clay into many utilitarian as well as for decoration pieces.

For the business potential of the clay enterprises in this town and the abiding interest of craftsmen into self improvement, MCA established an alliance with the sector to improve the quality of their pieces, reducing pressure on the environment from the use of firewood for cooking and search for better business contacts.

Currently, the MCA works with 27 craft business plans with a total of 90 beneficiaries, and 11 business plans for tiles and bricks that represent 37 direct beneficiaries; of these 51 percent are women.

According to the Bachelor Garcia there are initiatives to develop a single brand for handicrafts in La Paz Centro; this should be coordinated with the City Hall.

:: Women harvested shrimp ::