The Unión de Cooperativas de Mujeres Productoras Las Brumas, Nicaragua (Union of Cooperatives of Women Las Brumas) began after the end of the civil war, when women from both sides started farming again to rebuild the country. They organized a farmer cooperative as a reconciliatory effort, and today it is a network of 22 cooperatives and more than 1,320 women. They advocate for food security, land tenure, and good practices of cooperation with the government. In 2009 they started offering formal training to improve their activities. For example, Haydee Rodriguez, president of Las Brumas, and Helen Toruño, farmer and president of one of the cooperatives, collaborated to learn about agricultural engineering and innovative methods. Using the Community Resilience Fund, an initiative by Huairou Commission for micro-funding for grassroots women, they purchased farming materials, diversified products, and saw an increase in productivity and income. Photo credit: Huairou Commission
