By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — When images of undernourished people from other countries pop up on television screens during late night infomercials, it’s hard not to want to do something, but that’s about as far as it goes for most people – unless it’s Linda Dickerson.
She recently returned from a trip to Guatemala City with Jim Hershey of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program, where the two helped launch a partnership between the World Soy Foundation (WSF), a program of WISHH, and some Guatemalan Rotary Clubs.
Dickerson, representing the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board (KSPB,) and other soybean industry leaders participated in a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding with the Guatemala City Metropoli Rotary Club to install “SoyCows” that will help fight hunger as they create jobs and entrepreneurships.
Other groups included in the project and participating in the ceremony included the American Soybean Association (ASA) and representatives from the ASA International Marketing (ASA-IM) office in Guadalajara, Mexico.
A SoyCow is a processing system that can grind and cook whole soybeans into soymilk to make beverages, soya “cheese” (tofu), yogurt and other soy foods. It has the capacity to process about four pounds of raw soybeans into four gallons of soymilk in about 20 minutes. This soymilk can be further processed into value-added products such as tofu and yogurt.
The insoluble parts of the bean can be used to enhance the nutrition of local foods, such as breads, stews and other blends. Three of the processing systems will be purchased to place throughout the city.
Also at the signing was Jose Beltraneno, general director of Nutrica, a local food company which has agreed to handle the importation and distribution of the donated soybeans. The WFS has pledged to provide soybeans for one year, the estimated time it will take for these business opportunities to become sustainable.
Dickerson and her husband, Darrell, who serves on the KSPB, are Bowling Green row crop farmers, producing wheat, corn and soybeans. It was while attending a KSPB meeting with her husband that Dickerson learned of the opportunity to travel to Guatemala.
“We saw children whose lives will be dramatically improved with access to these high-protein soyfoods,” said Dickerson. “Soy can be part of the solution for better health.
“Furthermore, these SoyCow units offer a wonderful new tool for organizations to employ people and help feed their communities. While they may be called SoyCows, there is no need to worry about competing with other protein sources because the need is so great.”
Dickerson likes to participate in some type of agricultural endeavor on any trip she takes and said she has served in some capacity of volunteer work for a number of years, including president of Executive Council for Mammoth Cave Area 4-H, first alternate on the Warren County Farm Service Agency local board and 27 years of volunteer service in local schools.
“I have extensive background in volunteering, for a variety of civic and school groups, and knew this was something I wanted to do,” she said.
“I was very impressed with the WISHH organization and Jim Hershey. He has put a lot of time and work into the project dealing with various groups in Guatemala.”
The WISHH Program, which was actually started by soybean farmers in July 2000, promotes the use of United States soy products in developing countries so those populations, regardless of income level, can benefit from soy in their diets. The program’s activities range from identifying new uses for soy-fortified noodles in Indonesia to research on how soy-based foods may provide essential nutrition to millions of people affected by HIV/AIDS.
In a statement on the WFS website, Hershey said, “In partnership with many other organizations, we have fed tens of thousands of people supplemental protein in nine countries by integrating soy into foods they already enjoy and that are made with locally available foods. WISHH has educated people about nutrition and food in more than 14 additional countries. So much more work lies ahead.”
Dickerson’s trip included a two-day seminar where she learned about the culture of the country and tours that included a bakery called the Cake Gallery and a bread and snack cake facility called Super Pan.
“The people there were so kind and loving. They seemed very happy and were always very polite and always smiling, but it was so disheartening to see so much poverty and malnutrition,” said Dickerson.
“We also toured a hospital that wanted a SoyCow. It’s hard to see children in that shape because they don’t have an ample diet. But I would take another trip like this in a heartbeat. I’m now better prepared for the next opportunity.”
Guatemala is a country similar in size to Kentucky, much of which is not conducive to agriculture because of the mountainous terrain and a weak domestic economy. While agriculture provides employment for half the country’s workforce, it is only responsible for about one-fourth of the gross national product. Sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, cotton hemp, essential oils and cacao are the major cash crops.
The country, located between Mexico and Honduras, has a tropical climate that is hot and humid in the lowlands and cooler in the highlands. Guatemala’s terrain also consists of narrow coastal plains and a rolling limestone plateau. There are 27 volcanoes in the country, 19 of which are live or active.
More than half the residents are considered poor, with chronic malnutrition affecting 50 percent of children under five years of age, the highest level in Latin America. While much work remains to be done, Dickerson is optimistic of the outcome.
“This is all about trying to provide a program with sustainability for the Guatemalan people where the processors will be placed. Anything is possible if you work for it,” she said.
WSF is soliciting donations of soybeans and funds for freight for the shipments to Guatemala. For more information, contact WISHH Development Manager Catherine Ndegwa at 314-754-1329 or cndegwa@soy.org |
