Bolivia

Photo by Jorge Arando for CRS

My name is Victoria Velasquez and my husband and I are farmers in Bolivia. In our home village in the mountains the weather was always cold and it was difficult to grow anything besides potatoes and wheat. We could not produce enough on our farm to support our family, so we decided to move. It was very hard to leave our home, but we wanted to provide a better life for our children.

In our new village the weather is much warmer than in the mountains, and we had a hard time getting our farm started. Fortunately, we learned that Catholic Relief Services was sponsoring an agriculture program to help farmers in the area. We joined the program and learned about the local growing cycles and what type of seeds would produce the best crops. We also learned irrigation techniques and some natural ways to control insects and pests without using harmful pesticides.

We are now growing many different fruits and vegetables, including oranges, apples, corn, and beans, and we have had great success in marketing our crops. One of our regular customers is the mayor’s office, which buys our fruit to use for the town’s school breakfast program. My husband and I are very proud of our farm’s success, and our children are happy and healthy. We are able to send our children to school and to provide for all of our family’s needs.

Catholic social teaching focus: Care for God’s Creation

We are called to be good stewards of nature, a gift that God has given us.

Weekly Simple Meal:

Prepare Locro, a recipe from Bolivia.
 
Learn more about Catholic Relief Services’ work in Bolivia.
Learn more about Catholic Relief Services supported agriculture projects.