Nicaraguan farmers’ land and way of life threatened by interoceanic canal | Nicaragua: Channeling the Future

Photo by Theresa Poulson / Cronkite Borderlands Project

Nicaraguan farmers’ land and way of life threatened by interoceanic canal

By Theresa Poulson / Cronkite Borderlands Project

Published June 17, 2015

On the volcanic island of Ometepe in Nicaragua, farmers plant organic sesame for export to Canada. It’s a growing business for entrepreneur Olga Rodriguez, president of a cooperative of small producers. But a powerful force could soon level what she's built. The Nicaraguan government has granted a concession to a Chinese development company to build an inter-oceanic canal through the country. The project, which includes an airport and hotels, promises to create 200,000 jobs for the second poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. Thousands of households, including those belonging to farmers in this agriculture-rich country, could be displaced as their land is expropriated.

The beach where the proposed canal will begin is pictured on the west coast of Nicaragua, near Miramar, Nicaragua. (Photo by Dominic Valente)

Planned for centuries, canal steps forward

The Sandinista government in Nicaragua says it plans to partner with a Chinese company to build a new cross-continental canal.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (middle) receives a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño (right) of Ecuador. (Photo by Fernanda LeMarie via Creative Commons)

Love him or hate him, few doubt Ortega’s political skill

To some Nicaraguans, President Daniel Ortega remains a revolutionary liberator, but to others he is just another ruler.

Mayra Montiel Sanchez, a dairy farmer who is skeptical of the canal project, stands outside with her boys.

Canal threatens farmers’ land, way of life

Some farmers in the rural areas of Nicaragua do not trust the government’s claim that they will be better off with the canal in place.

Gilberto Espinoza leads out his granddaughter, Cristhel, 2, out of the Espinozas’ kitchen, which sits conveniently on the coast of Lake Nicaragua. According to Anatoña Duran, many of the residents do not have legal land rights to the homes that they live in. This will result in the displacement of the residents in Obrajuelo. (Photos by Dominic Valente)

Nicaraguans who live in canal path fear for future

If the interoceanic canal project happens, a large community of Nicaraguans will lose their homes in the process.

Carol Lynch fixes her husband Jim’s hair in their backyard in Granada, Nicaragua. The Lynches are American expatriates who moved to Nicaragua in 2010. (Photo by Amanda LaCasse)

Some Americans, Canadians seek new lives in Nicaragua

Expats from the United States and Canada have found Nicaragua to be a cheap and safe place to reside outside of their home countries.

A stacked pile of chopped wood is one small piece of the area’s deforestation.

Paso Pacifico reforestation aims to combat deterioration

The canal could cause more deforestation to a region that is recently being replenished amid a changing ecosystem.

The proposed canal project will unite global powers to fund an ambitious — but dubious — goal (Photo by Theresa Poulson)

Countries look to capitalize on high-stakes development

While Nicaragua’s relationship with the White House remains tense, China and Russia have stepped up to help with the canal project.

Octavio Ortega points at proposed canal routes on a map of Nicaragua in his FUNDEMUR office building on March 9, 2015, in Rivas, Nicaragua. (Photo by Dominic Valente)

Canal opposition leader ready to fight for the land

FUNDEMUR President Octavio Ortega continues protests against the canal despite recent violence that left him with a fractured arm.

Indigenous groups in Rama have been ignored by the proposed canal plans. (Photo by Carla León Celaya.)

Canal project ignores plight of indigenous groups

The indigenous territories that surround the proposed canal project in Nicaragua could see huge impact, but have largely been ignored.

Horses graze on land in Rivas, Nicaragua, near wind turbines. The turbines are quiet, emitting a low buzz, which leaves both locals and animal life undisturbed. (Photo by Danika Worthington)

Renewable energy, foreign money keeping the lights on

Investors are eager to profit off a sustainability boom, but is the country really prepared to double its energy production capacity?

Jorge David López teaches two Grupo Fénix interns, Melvin Antonio Gonzalez and Erlinda deJesus Arroliga, how to build small solar panels on March 10, 2015 for a group of students that will be visiting Sabana Grande, Nicaragua. Grupo Fénix trains international students and interns from the community to build and install solar panels on homes in the area that do not have electricity.(Photo by Danika Worthingon)

Solar energy illuminates lives in small Nicaraguan village

Communities in rural Nicaragua empower themselves with solar energy while cities also look to utlize solar energy.

Clouds swirl over the Concepcion Volcano, the largest of the two volcanos that make up the island of Ometepe in Lake Cocibolca. Below is the town of San Jose, one of the two port cities on the island. (Photo by Cydney McFarland)

Will canal project ruin Nicaragua’s ‘sweet sea’?

Lake Nicaragua is a key link in the canal project that could change global trade, but its potential effects on the environment are unknown.

The tourism industry is growing in Nicaragua, and those in charge of the canal expect the project to continue that growth.

Canal could help or hurt Nicaragua’s tourism industry

There is no consensus on what Nicaraguans expect the canal to do for tourism, though many agree it must be environmentally conscious.

These signs meant for tourists are in most restaurants in the town of Granada. (Photo by Elizabeth Riecken)

Canal prompts worries about human trafficking

Nicaragua has made progress fighting human trafficking through education, but how victims are viewed makes prevention difficult.

The Directorate General of Immigration for Nicaragua is located in Managua. Visitors are able to ‘request migratory movement’ here, according to the Directorate General’s website.(Photo by Amanda LaCasse)

For many seeking work, Costa Rica is the choice

Due to their homeland’s low income rate, some Nicaraguans are finding a better life and better work in their neighboring country of Costa Rica.