DEAR AGROS FAMILY:
As we celebrate Agros’ 40th anniversary, we are filled with gratitude for the remarkable journey we’ve taken together. Our founder, Skip Li, had this “crazy idea” that land ownership for landless sharecroppers in Central America could transform their lives. We have proven that “crazy idea” works! Over the past 40 years, Agros has empowered 23,000 individuals across Central America, breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and creating pathways to prosperity. This success is a direct result of your faithful support.
Central to our vision is a renewed commitment to investing in land, the cornerstone of Agros’ mission. By providing land to the landless, we empower families to work harder, reinvest in their businesses, and gain control over their futures. We remain dedicated to being the most effective private agrarian reform program in the world.
Central to our vision is a renewed commitment to investing in land, the cornerstone of Agros’ mission. By providing land to the landless, we empower families to work harder, reinvest in their businesses, and gain control over their futures. We remain dedicated to being the most effective private agrarian reform program in the world.
However we have learned that land ownership alone, while transformational, will not allow us to transform the additional tens of thousands of families who are waiting for our help.
Our field ministry model has matured. In addition to offering land ownership, we teach and mentor families to build profitable agricultural businesses. We provide direct access to markets, eliminating the middleman so Agros families realize greater profits. New technologies and enhanced farming practices are doubling and even tripling the productivity and profits of Agros farmers.
The results are stunning. Families who lived in extreme poverty are moving rapidly on a pathway to prosperity. Today, the average Agros family accumulates $25,000 in net-worth within five years of joining the program. Thousands of additional families are hoping to join new Agros communities.
That’s why we are setting our sights on an ambitious vision: to transform the lives of a total of 50,000 people by our 50th anniversary – ten years from today. This means growing our impact outreach 3x faster than ever!
To jumpstart this vision, we have initiated an ambitious five-year Impact Plan. To fund this plan, we have launched Seeds of Promise, Harvests of Hope, a campaign to help transform 50,000 lives.
I am pleased to announce we are experiencing a tremendous movement of generosity from faithful friends like you. During the first months of our campaign, many are pledging significant amounts to help us purchase land in Honduras, extend our programs in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and accelerate transformation for more people. We are grateful for the support received but this is just the beginning. If you have not yet joined the campaign, please jump in! This bold vision of profound transformation and joy is possible when all of us get on board.
We invite you to join us on this ambitious journey. Your belief in this vision is crucial as we strive to create sustainable and generational change. Together, we can make the miracle of prosperity a reality for 50,000 lives.
Alberto Solano
President & Executive Director
Damaris Ochoa López, a 44-year- old single mother from Matagalpa, Nicaragua, has experienced a profound transformation in her life. As a mother of five, she faced immense challenges, working tirelessly as a day laborer to provide for her family. Her story is one of resilience, determination, and the transformative power of opportunity.
Damaris’s journey began in hardship. At just 9 years old, her parents migrated to Matagalpa in search of better opportunities. From a young age, she joined her mother as a day laborer in the fields, which made it difficult for her to attend school. Damaris reached only the second year of secondary school before leaving to work full-time.
She married young, and life became more challenging when the father of her children left a decade ago. As a single mother, she struggled to make ends meet, earning less than $1 per day. Her income from day labor and renting land for corn and bean cultivation wasn’t sufficient to feed her children. She didn’t even have basic services like reliable water or electricity.
Living in a room made of rough wood and a roof of leaves, Damaris’s family faced daily struggles. “I felt trapped in poverty, unable to provide my children with the future they deserved,” she recalls, her voice heavy with emotion. Her children’s education suffered as they, too, had to earn what they could through labor in the fields.
Last year, Agros learned of Damaris’ plight. We recognized her strengths and determination and invited her to join our Harvest of Hope Center program in La Bendición. This marked a turning point in her life.
Damaris eagerly participated in agricultural activities and community initiatives, including a local savings group. She started upgrades to her housing, improving her family’s health and hygiene.
“I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to participate in a project of this nature,” Damaris reflects. “I am forever grateful to God for His constant guidance, for granting me strength, health, and the capacity to learn new things each and every day.”
In December 2023, Damaris’s first planting plan yielded over 55,485 units of Nathalie chili peppers, surpassing all expectations. With a net profit of $2,665 from her first vegetable production cycle, she planted crops of cabbage and lettuce. Her newfound skills have empowered her to manage her crops effectively, leading to increased yields and income.
“Before joining Agros, I solely worked with basic grains and struggled with poor harvests and financial losses. Now that I have my own crop, I am generating better income at a faster rate, which is greatly benefiting me,” she shares. “This opportunity will allow me to pursue other endeavors. I have acquired a wealth of knowledge, and I am finally in a position to achieve my long-held dream of building a safe and healthy home.”
With newfound hope and motivation, Damaris dreams of finishing her home, buying additional land, and ensuring her children’s educational needs are met. She aspires to leave a legacy for her children: the titles to her home and farmland.
“I am deeply appreciative of Agros for providing me with this opportunity,” Damaris says. “I feel immensely supported by the instruction I have received in vegetable cultivation, the mesh house, and the income that I will be able to generate for my household.”
Damaris’s journey from extreme poverty to newfound prosperity is a testament to the power of opportunity, community support, and personal determination. Her story inspires others in her community, proving that with the right support and dedication, transformation is possible.
What does it take to lift a family out of intergenerational poverty?
In 2024, we commissioned an independent expert to conduct a Social Return on Investment (SROI) evaluation of our Agros model. The SROI study assessed the individual, social, and community-level impacts of our Path to Prosperity theory of change, based on data from actively engaged families in three Nicaraguan communities over the past five years.
The results of this rigorous study are remarkable! By the end of an eight-year cycle, Agros generates an SROI ratio of $3.62 USD. This means that for every dollar invested, Agros creates $3.62 USD in social value. That’s more than a 300% return on investment. When we project these outcomes over a 20-year period, the SROI ratio increases to $6.02 USD, a 600% return on investment.
Investing in Agros families and communities is not just a charitable act; it’s a strategic investment in lasting change. By supporting Agros, you are empowering families to:
Instead of merely teaching people to fish, Agros empowers them to own the pond, process the catch, and become thriving entrepreneurs.
By choosing Agros, you are not just making a difference; you are creating a legacy of prosperity and self-sufficiency.
To accomplish our ambitious vision, we’ve launched a five-year Impact Plan to reach more people, more effectively.
Our plan is founded on four Strategic Initiatives that address the critical challenges affecting families living in extreme poverty, including:
To date, more than 20,000 individuals in five countries have earned title to their land and are living sustainable lives of self-sufficiency. These individuals are living in communities with access to all essential services — clean water systems, quality education, healthcare, and improved infrastructure.
In total, our five-year Impact Plan will enable us to engage an additional 3,500 families on their own land in the coming years.
The regional Harvest of Hope Centers (HHC) model escalates agribusiness creation and greatly increases productivity for farmers. This model focuses on existing villages within a defined region and meets families where they are to make the most significant impact. By 2028, 800 to 1000 new families will be served by our three HHCs.
This program is composed of two initiatives: the Women Entrepreneurship Program and the Youth Agribusiness Consolidator Program.
Both initiatives aim to provide beneficiaries with necessary credit services (Credit+) in addition to technical assistance. These programs help families living in extreme poverty gain the tools and agency to become financially independent, which will improve the well-being of their families for generations.
As Agros families build wealth through hard work, training, and investment, they have a new opportunity to grow spiritually and psychologically. We encourage individuals to embrace positive, forward-thinking mindsets that will benefit them as they journey down the path to prosperity. We seek to instill two main characteristics: resilience and resourcefulness.
Help transform families living in extreme poverty by making your most generous donation at agros.org/donate
Experience life in rural Latin America. Meet the farming families you serve.
Deepen your commitment.
For schedule and details, visit agros.org/travel.
“They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.”
Isaiah 65:23