Interview with Joseph Jonaitis, November 10, 2021

Interview Summary

Jonaitis joined Peace Corps immediately after graduating from college. During the pre-service training, his group of 15 agriculture volunteers took a “crash course” in sustainable agriculture and nutrition in addition to culture, Spanish, and indigenous language classes. He was posted in Sabanetas, a remote mountainous village where primarily coffee, corn, and beans were grown. Upon arrival, Jonaitis introduced himself to everyone in the village to begin building trusting relationships and a better understanding of his community. Jonaitis learned along with the farmers to increase yield and variety of products produced with more resources from within the community. For instance, they practiced using medicinal plants to reduce fungi in plants or remove parasites from chickens and used various organic fertilizers instead of chemical products. With various women’s groups, he facilitated chats on nutrition in the home and helped demonstrate growing vegetable and medicinal gardens along with raising chickens. One success was a produce exchange set up between Sabanetas and another village with a much colder climate, resulting in both villages receiving produce not easily found or purchased in their communities. From that exchange, villagers from Sabenetas exchanged their easy-to-grow oranges, for instance, for broccoli, which they did not readily have. Jonaitis returned home a very “different person”, aware that happiness is a choice to be made, and aware of the blessings in his life.

Interview Keyword

Guatemala Sustainable agriculture Nutrition Indigenous languages Sabanetas, Guatemala Remote Coffee Beans Corn Increase yields Medicinal plants Organic fertilizer Women's groups Produce exchange Oranges Broccoli Blessings

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