Program Meeting
Economic and Community Development
Economic and Community Development
presented by our member Bill Boyd
Economic and Community Development is one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus. It encompasses an array of service projects worldwide that enhances economic and community development and creates opportunities for work. Nearly 800 million people worldwide live on less than $1.90 a day. Rotary members are passionate about providing sustainable solutions to poverty.
This past year, The Rotary E Club of One World, through its International Service funding efforts has provided $1,000 in support of a Global Grant project. The $31,545 project “Fish and Food for Families – Aquaponics in Nicaragua” is a joint effort by the Rotary Clubs of Ciudad Sandino (District 4240, Nicaragua) and Santa Barbara Sunrise (District 5240, California).
An important part of funding Global Grants is to secure funding commitments from other clubs or Districts. In the case of the aquaponics project, funding was received from five District 5240 Rotary clubs, including our club. These funds totaling $10,515; were matched by $10,515 from District 5240 and $10, 515 from the Rotary International World Fund.
The aquaponics project supports the most vulnerable in rural Ciudad Sandino and Nagarote to recover economically and in health from the COVID-19 pandemic by installing aquaponics systems to improve families’ nutritional health and the development of a transferable economic model. The local Rotary club is working with a group of families, including those who have benefited from a recent global grant to provide clean water to the communities and an educational global grant. It is anticipated that the aquaponics grant will reach 57 families. Each family has an average of 5 members, so this is a potential reach of 285 people benefited.
The aquaponics system grows tilapia fish in a tank, then their waste-water gravity feeds into growing beds where plants like celery, mint, and other vegetables turn the wastewater and ammonia into nutriments, cleaning the water for the fish. With this closed system, a Nicaraguan family can produce 50 lbs. of fish and hundred pounds of vegetables every six months in their backyard. They can eat the fish and vegetables to improve their families’ diet, as well as selling excess produce to supplement their income.
The Rotary Club of Ciudad Sandino has been working with engineers from the National Agrarian University (UAN) who have a wealth of experience setting up aquaponics system and training Nicaraguan families in new technology to improve family income. They will accompany the families during the first 6-month harvest cycle.
The Ministerio de la Economia Familian (MEFCCA) designs, implements, and trains small producers around Nicaragua in innovative projects and micro business management. The local Ciudad Sandino office has experience with fish cultivation and garden innovation projects. They have coordinated with the Ciudad Sandino Rotary Club on a pilot project.
The primary goals of the project are:
- Developing opportunities for productive work.
- Empowering demarginalized communities, by providing access to economic opportunities and services.
- Building the capacity of entrepreneurs, social businesses, and locally supported business innovators.
- Strengthen communities’ economic resilience and adaptive capacity to respond to environmental and climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
The Global Grant #GG2118524 has been approved by The Rotary Foundation and the project is currently underway.
Following are a series of photos from the pilot aquaponics project in the community of Proyecto.
Enjoy this program,
Gabriella
Club Service