创新背景

由于降雨模式随气候变化而变化，该地区的农民预计将面临日益激烈的水资源竞争。对于小规模农户来说，雨水收集、滴灌和保护性农业等实践将变得更加必要。

创新过程

该项目名为MásRiego(“更多灌溉”)，旨在增加农民的收入，并利用气候智能型策略，包括滴灌、雨水收集、减少耕作、覆盖层使用和多样化的作物轮作。为了使农民能够采用这些新做法，该团队不仅将提供培训，还将建立伙伴关系，以增加农民获得所需小额信贷融资和灌溉设备的机会。

MásRiego项目将重点帮助农民，特别是妇女和青年，在很小的土地(最少200平方米)上种植高价值作物。

通过与当地青年团体和农业学校合作，国际团队将更好地为学生在商业农业和农业推广领域的工作做好准备，并了解气候适应型保护和水管理实践。

当地团队正在培训青年企业家，让他们把农业视为一种经济机会，而不仅仅是繁重的体力劳动。特里在危地马拉的园艺创新实验室负责管理该项目。他们可以展望农业的未来，用创新的方式为利基市场创造增值产品或种植高价值作物。

到目前为止，项目团队已经建立了示范花园，并培训了当地青年合作社的成员使用地膜、水管理和维护菜园。该小组目前正在雇用当地工作人员，并开始一项基线调查，以更好地诊断当前的灌溉做法、当前的蔬菜生产、农民需求和市场需求。

在之前的研究中，园艺创新实验室发现，将滴灌与保护性农业实践相结合，可以成功地在小块土地上种植蔬菜，而不会显著降低产量。这些做法改善了土壤结构、水分保持和土壤健康。

此外，参与柬埔寨、洪都拉斯和危地马拉园艺创新实验室研究的女性农民喜欢使用这些做法还有一个重要原因:控制杂草、准备蔬菜苗床和手动浇水可以减少劳动力。

创新价值

气候智能型农业将增加农民的收入，改善水管理，提高粮食安全并减少贫困。

创新关键点

智能型农业利用气候智能型策略，包括滴灌、雨水收集、减少耕作、覆盖层使用和多样化的作物轮作。

More irrigation with climate-smart agriculture

Called MasRiego (" More Irrigation "), the project aims to increase farmers' incomes and make use of climate-smart strategies including drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, reduced tillage, mulch use and diversified crop rotations. To enable farmers to adopt these new practices, the team will not only provide training, but also form partnerships to increase farmers' access to the microfinance financing and irrigation equipment they need.
The MasRiego project will focus on helping farmers, especially women and youth, grow high-value crops on very small plots of land (at least 200 square meters).
By working with local youth groups and agricultural schools, the international team will better prepare students for work in commercial agriculture and agricultural extension, as well as understanding climate-resilient conservation and water management practices.
Local teams are training young entrepreneurs to see farming as an economic opportunity, not just heavy manual labor. Terry manages the project at the Horticultural Innovation Laboratory in Guatemala. They can look to the future of agriculture and find innovative ways to create value-added products for niche markets or grow high-value crops.
So far, the project team has set up demonstration gardens and trained members of local youth cooperatives in the use of mulch, water management and maintenance of the gardens. The team is currently hiring local staff and starting a baseline survey to better diagnose current irrigation practices, current vegetable production, farmer needs and market needs.
In previous research, the Horticulture Innovation Lab found that combining drip irrigation with conservation farming practices could successfully grow vegetables on small plots of land without significantly reducing yields. These practices improve soil structure, water retention and soil health.
In addition, the women farmers who participated in the Horticultural Innovation Lab studies in Cambodia, Honduras, and Guatemala like to use these practices for another important reason: controlling weeds, preparing vegetable beds, and manually watering reduce labor.