Overview

This project combines the technology and biological capital of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), Taiwan, ROC with the managerial and technical skills of three Central American institutions: CARE, El Salvador; Fundacion Hondurena de Investigacion Agricola (FHIA) in collaboration with Fintrac, Honduras; and Universidad Nacional Agraria (UNA), Nicaragua. All institutions have hands-on, field-based experience in research, extension, marketing, and organization of groups of vegetable growers and small cooperatives run and owned by local women. Advanced breeding lines provided by AVRDC are evaluated in on-farm field trials in collaboration with local community leaders for resistance to two of the most important production constraints in Central America, whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses (tomato) and anthracnose (pepper). Field days are organized at each location with local growers, women’s groups, and community leaders. A regional science-based workshop was organized at the University of Zamorano in Honduras with participation of cooperators from each country. To enhance the worldview of regional leaders and to gain hand-on experience in vegetable production and innovative marketing strategies a workshop was held at UW-Madison (in Spanish).