SAN SALVADOR — For many years, Antonio Hernandez Quinteros, a farmer from the town of Miralville, Sonsonate, rented a small parcel of land before every rainy season so that he could earn money growing watermelons. Quinteros planted his crop in April to capitalize on the rainy season, but rains were unpredictable and he was often forced to hire extra labor to water plants by hand, adding to his production costs.

When Quinteros established contact with Fintrac, through the USAID-funded Agricultural Diversification Program (ADP), he had recently lost 0.7 hectares of watermelons to viruses caused by poor production practices such as poor soil preparation, lack of raised beds, poor plant densities, and no integrated pest management.

Fintrac helped Quinteros locate land with a source of water, prepare the soil properly, create raised beds, and establish a production plan. Fintrac also recommended that he increase planting density and use sugar to induce pollination.

Quinteros took advantage of Fintrac training and advice, and productivity quickly increased. Using a hybrid watermelon variety, the first crop on his new property was outstanding, harvesting 84,845 kilograms per hectare, 75 percent more than average yields for the area.

Since June 2006, Quinteros has sown three different watermelon crops in the same time that he would have planted just one before becoming a Fintrac client and his annual income has jumped from $2,500 to $8,900.

Since June 2006, Fintrac has been implementing USAIDADP, a three-year project that increases sales and rural incomes, generates employment, improves farming and food safety and boosts Salvadoran exports. The program also links farmers to buyers, strengthening El Salvador’s agribusiness value chain. In watermelons alone, average yields are topping 40 metric tons per hectare, well above traditional levels.