Success Story: Soccer Referee Rules Cocoa a Success
When Mr. Anicio Mendoza Velásquez’s friends encouraged him to participate in a Farmer Field School, he was reluctant. He was a soccer referee and a familiar figure at sporting events throughout the San Isidro area of Manabí. He also maintained a three hectare farm of passion fruit, oranges, tangerines, avocados and cocoa, but spent minimal time tending to his farm. His farm was yielding an average of 80 lbs per month. His friends ultimately convinced him to attend the Farmer Field School training sessions, and he enrolled in the June-December 2006 training cycle.
Today, Mr. Mendoza is an enthusiastic supporter of Farmer Field Schools and hosts farmer field day events on his farm. He tells visiting farmers how the Farmer Field School helped him to discover new techniques that allowed him to increase production.
He began by pruning the trees, and noticed that trees looked healthier and started blooming more heavily. He gradually pruned his trees down to 2 meters in height; removed pods infected with frosty pod rot; and practiced grafting on non-productive, older trees. As a result, Mr. Mendoza is now harvesting an average of 200 lbs of cocoa every two weeks.
Once known only for his involvement with soccer, he is now admired for his farming skills as well.
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