Edwin Mercado

Edwin Mercado enjoys school but he prefers helping at home in the garden. His school does not have a garden because there is no fenced-in area to keep the animals out. The school curriculum, however, includes horticulture and reforestation. 

At home, Edwin helps plant bell peppers and squash. He likes to water the plants, prune the trees, and pick fruit, including avocado, mango and jocote (a green tropical fruit that turns yellow when ripe and is eaten like an apple). Vermicomposting is very popular in Nicaragua and one of Edwin's favorite activities is feeding the earthworms at home. The soil here contains a lot of clay and sand, and the organic fertilizer produced by the worms is used to improve soil quality. 

The machete is the most important gardening tool for Edwin's family. They also have a hoe, a backpack sprayer used for applying pesticides, and an electric pump used for watering. To water the plants, they use river water that is drawn up through an irrigation system. They use water filters to purify their drinking water which comes from a local well.  

The family's diet is made up of rice, beans, eggs, cheese, vegetables, and occasionally a small portion of meat or chicken. Refreshing fruit drinks are made by blending fruit with water (for example, papaya and water), but Edwin particularly likes a drink made with chia (lime sage).

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