92.25

El Buen Pastor HistoryDue to my work as missionary, I met members of the Menonita Pilgrim Conference, who in the year 1999 came to Siguatepeque to establish in the village Villa Alicia, a children’s home and a community clinic. God set us to work together, after 1 ½ years, three of its members: the gentlemen Galen Martin, Carl Martin and Ira Mast, bought the farm before mentioned and they asked me to manage it. The Farm was abandoned by its previous owner and was almost lost by the lack of maintenance. I had never worked with coffee before but I assumed the challenge and began to improve the farm and after almost four years of hard work we have achieved that the El Buen Pastor farm start producing. The profits earned are destined to finance the childrens home The Good Shepherd , located in Villa Alicia, Siguatepeque. Thanks to God, and the work of Marcelino Avila and his family “El Buen Pastor “is obtaining important achievements. Our goal in the future is to overcome what has been done till now… Nowadays I am registered in the IHCAFE coffee producers register. Quality PracticesWe do two weed controls during the year using mechanical control. During 1991 we made a drastic tissue managing in the entire coffee far; so, after that, we get the first harvest until 2003-04. The shade using in the coffee farm mostly is bananas and Ingas. We don’t use pesticides to control the coffee pest and disease, we use cultural, microbiological and traps to develop an Integral pest control. The coffee farm has very good looking because our families take care of it.

Environmental Care

Around our coffee farm we can find a very good biodiversity, where we may find a lot of forestry because the farm is very close to the cloudy tropical forest. The species of trees that we can find there are: pines, liquidambar, tatascan fern, orquideas etc. In side of this ecosystem we can fine diversity of wild animals like a birds, rabbit, squirrel, wild cat etc. The farm is part a clouded mountain when the temperature every time is around 20 centigrade grade. At the night the temperature a let bit low as 14 centigrade grades. The freezing months are October, November and December and the warm months are February, March and April. Coffee Process Information Fertilization: Fertilized by 600 lbs of fertilizer per hectareDisease and Pest Control: Using an integrate manage of pests and disease control Harvesting: From November to JanuaryMilling: Transported to on-site wet mill. Cement patios and wire fixed net

Other Statistics:

Annual Production: 80 bags
Coffee varieties: Bourbón, Caturra and Catuai
Type of Soil: Clayish soil, slightly deep soil, and sandy limestone areas
Average Annual Rainfall: 2,000 mm
Type of Shade: Guama, fruit and wood-bearing trees, Musaceas
Water Source: Fresh water
Permanent Employees: 3
Temporary Employees: 15