By: Ana Rivera

Zacarías Xol Guitz lives with his wife and seven children in the village of Jolomijixito III, in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, where he was born and raised. As a farmer, he had been passing down the traditional practices he learned from his parents to his own children. So when he attended an agricultural training led by World Renew’s partner ADIP, he was surprised that many of the topics, especially regarding soil conservation, were new to him.

Since his participation in the first meeting, Zacarías has enthusiastically implemented soil conservation techniques; after learning about crop diversification, he also planted fruit trees. “I am proud of my plot because it reflects [my] efforts,” he says. But the changes aren’t just for him, he explains, “I’m now forced to improve my land management and do it in a sustainable way because my children have grown up and they someday will own this land.”

The new techniques continue to benefit training participants, as Zacarías attests. “I am very grateful to the brothers of ADIP and the people who support them . . . they promote such valuable trainings that makes us grow and improve our daily activities,” he says. Not only that, “[They] motivate us to follow God. Now I work my land, always thinking that everything I have and the opportunities to learn come from God and that he sees and recognizes my effort.”

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