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 Taking Care of the Earth
We headed out early again the next day, this time with CARE technical assistants Poly and Carlos. I settled into my seat, realizing that I was growing more accustomed to -- if not more comfortable with -- the road. The jarring holes and sheer drops still surprised me, but I could breathe a bit more easily with each turn. I was able to focus on other things, if only briefly, before turning my attention back to the road. I noticed similarities between life here and my life in the United States. Here too, were radiant flowers, no different from the ones growing in my yard. In the depths of remote, dense subtropical  Bolivia, were children playing soccer on community fields. And on this impossibly narrow road, we passed person after person that offered a warm smile, perhaps even more freely than I might in a chance meeting on my street.
We stopped the jeep beside the stream to have lunch. The CARE office had made boiled chicken, green beans, carrots and bread. The sound of running water was soothing, relaxing, even hypnotic. Though deceivingly crystal clear, waterborne bacteria contaminate this, like most streams and rivers. But by necessity, people must use river water for drinking, bathing and washing clothes. The result is widespread chronic diarrhea and other illnesses.
 As we ate, two young girls walked our way, bringing their sheep to the river to drink. Zulma and Juana Ticona, ages 8 and 11 respectively, both wore crocheted sweaters, worn trousers and matching straw hats. Just as in many families around the world, both of Zulma and Juana's parents must work, even on Sunday. Their mother works in the next town, making textiles and wool clothing. Mario, their father, is a banana farmer.
We finished lunch quickly and walked on to meet their father, who has increased his farm's production through CARE's MIRNA project. Harvesting his crop alone in a field of banana trees, we met Mario at work. "Before CARE came, we grew mostly rice here. My land is not good for coffee. There is too much sun.
"I knew that my land, my way of work, had problems. I was not getting enough back for all of my work.
"CARE showed us better farming techniques not only with words, but with examples. Jorge took us to Alto Beni, another village nearby. We saw how others made more for themselves and their families. It was not hard. And seeing is believing."
"An important lesson that we learned was about groundcover. In the altiplano, where I come from, the ground was always swept clean of weeds or any brush. We learned that if we kept the ground covered here, with other plants, it would be more fertile. The thin layer of soil on top stays, even during rain.
"We also learned how to identify disease or pests on our plants. We used natural ways to keep insects from destroying our crops. On my land, I introduced citrus plants that keep away the ants that were ruining my bananas.
"You see, I am a poor peasant. A tiny ant plagued me. I had tried using chemicals, but that hurt the soil.
"Through CARE, I saw the success of the other farmers and replicated it on my land. You see, with something like groundcover, I save some time. I no longer spend hours pulling out weeds or cutting back brush.
With more time, I can take care of the harvest. And I take care of the earth."
 An Outdoor Classroom
We were hiking downhill this time, through dense vegetation deep in the jungle. As we walked through papaya and banana trees, we passed crude signs marked with names of plant varieties. This was Jorge's classroom, where he brought farmers in the community to show them examples of new techniques. "This is the web, you know, for the ground. Groundcover prevents erosion and loss of topsoil," he said, pointing. "Those are the grafted banana trees. It is a simple technique where soft stems are removed and replaced with mature ones with a simple grafting procedure. With this technique, trees are productive for 10, 15, sometimes even 20 years longer than without grafting."
We reached a clear spot in the jungle, where a 20 meter by 11 meter pool was lined with stones. "This is it," Carlos announced. "The fish farm."
A 7-year-old boy, Jaime, and his dog were at the far edge of the pool. Jaime lay on his stomach, his arm elbow-deep in the water. Two thousand Talapia fish swim in the dark water. Harvested twice weekly with nets, the fishery was an innovation for the villagers.
Jorge raised his arm to wave at the little boy as he spoke. "This pond provides people an easy source of food with relatively little maintenance. The fish reproduce quickly," Jorge explained.
"CARE introduced this project to address basic nutrition. It is very common for people in these remote areas to be malnourished. Despite the abundance of produce, their diets are very monotonous. They lack a variety of nutrients and essential protein. Fish are a very good addition to their diets. Eating them will improve their health long term."
"The fishery is also a good way for families to bond together. There is enough fish here for everyone in the village. But one family cannot effectively manage this alone. It requires that the community come together as a team to harvest the fish, clean the pond, and keep an eye on things. When they come together like this, they find they have common goals. They start to imagine how they might better achieve them by working together."
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