The Sowing the Future in the La María Indigenous Community project finishes its first year of operation.  During these first 12 months, and thanks to the financial contributions from the Generalitat Valenciana through the Petjades DNGO, COMFENALCO Antioquia and its employees, the Government of Antioquia, SENA and the indigenous community itself, highlight the following results in this edition of the Linea Directa Bulletin:

• Three hectares of shade planted with 2.533 soursop, oneco mandarin, pear guava and dominico harton plantain trees.
  
  
• Four and a half hectares planted with 34.100 plants of 27 varieties of Heliconians, 19 varieties of foliage and turmeric.  These have already flowered for the first time and are being used for decorating institutional spaces, while the plants develop to the point that they respond to the market’s demands.
  
  
• Migration from traditional agricultural practices to more productive and technological practices, thanks to technical aid and training given to the Community.
  
  
• 100% of the supplies of corn, beans and plantains need for the Community’s basic diet have been ensured.  This has allowed improving the nutritional status of the beneficiary population as there are no longer cases of acute malnourishment.  It has also generated new sources of income from the sales of excess production.
  
  
• A 140 sq.m. greenhouse was built in bamboo for the most costly species of foliage, heliconias, anturias and plantain to take root and grow.
  
  
• Two banks for storing tools and materials were built, and 30 sets of tools were delivered to the beneficiary families.
  
  
• Participation of 42 indigenous persons in technical tours where they learnt technical and practical aspects of other models of heliconia production and marketing companies.
  
  
• Training of three indigenous persons attending the Financial and Management Technical Unit in order to leave them with installations so that at the end of the project the Community can manage its own company.
  
  
• Forty children have participated in eighteen workshops on recreation, basket making, macramé, sports, music and dance, some of which were the responsibility of the indigenous leaders themselves.
  
  
• The leaders and beneficiaries recognize and apply what they have learned in human, agroecological, social and labor training as an important factor for community consolidation.  This is how they planned and started selling handicrafts and food to the inhabitants of the town of Valparaiso, perceiving additional income.
  
  
• The group work system adopted for the plantations implies organizational strengthening, allowing the beneficiaries themselves to control the work better.
  
  
• The beneficiaries recognize the project’s importance for improving the Community’s quality of life.  This is made evident by the growing interest of certain members who are not project beneficiaries in participating and attending the project’s training sessions, meetings and events, as well as the interest of certain families to become involved in the project whenever possible.
  
  
• Strategic contacts established by the indigenous assistant coordinator with national heliconia and foliage marketers, taking advantage of the training events he has attended.