Strategies for International Development (SID)

Strategies for International Development (SID) was granted renewed funding in the amount of $15,000 to fund expansion of its coffee farming program in the rural highlands of Guatemala.  Current plans include optimization of income earned from coffee farming so that 2,450 families in 63 communities covered by the program earn as much or more than they could in an entry-level salaried job in the city (an increase of 20%).  This will be accomplished by reclaiming unprotected land and maintaining protected land; maintaining and/or surpassing the productivity levels of coffee per acre; husking at least 60% of the harvest and selling it to an exporter and improving their business practices; in particular by obtaining organic certification for their crop.

Strategies for International Development develops and promotes better approaches for achieving the goals of international development – adequate diet, health, housing,  improved education, employment, and human rights – for all residents in the developing countries of Latin America and Africa. SID’s effort focus on two specific areas that lack appropriate methodologies: (1) reclaiming soils and pastures and increasing rural productivity and income; and (2) strengthening democracy through decentralization and citizen participation in decision-making processes at the local government level.