Who are we and what do we do?

We are a young couple, Fernando and Daniel, from a small town named Real del Padre, located in San Rafael, Mendoza (Argentina).

This small but beautiful place is known for its agriculture and livestock, its river and landscapes, its people and their job in this wonderful field, and it's exactly why we are here.

We own 10 hectares of land, of which only 1 hectare is cultivable at the moment. We focus mainly on tomatoes, which is more or less profitable in terms of production and maintenance in our place.

This place is also known for its harsh weather conditions during the summer which are the greatest fear of agriculturists, and we are not exempt from this. Since 2019, when we started this journey, our nemesis has always been the hailing. This is the main reason why we still couldn't harvest our production for 2 consecutive years.

This time, we need to win this fight to be able to reach our economical sustainability in this field, and for this the solution is the implementation of a hail protection system to save our production during the hail season. We need your voluntary help for finally achieving this goal before summer comes and with it, the hailing storms

What did we achieve so far and what do we need?

• The greenhouse is where everything starts, seeds germinate under controlled conditions, avoiding intense temperature changes during the winter-spring transition, as well as Foehn wind (topical of this area). Onces, sprouts grew up enough and climate conditions are favourable (normally, mid-spring), they are moved to the main land. This greenhouse is an Andean type, underground and surface structure, this gives greater control of climatic conditions during germination. — Completed in 2019

 • The reservoir and motor pumps are the heart of the farm. The place where we live has plenty of resources for agriculture, such as water, but unfortunately the access conditions are limited due to the lack of help from the corresponding sector, which is the reason why it has taken us a long time to develop this system. The water is extracted from the main river of the zone (Atuel River) with a motor pump, travels 2km. to a reservoir that stores it. A second motor pump extracts the water from the reservoir directly to the drip irrigation system that feeds the land. — Completed in 2019-2020

 • The irrigation system is a powerful type of micro-irrigation with the potential to save water by allowing it to drip slowly to the roots of plants, minimising the evaporation. It consists of valves, pipes, tubing and filters controlled manually. Actually, it covers 2 hectares of land. — Completed in 2021

 • The hail protection net is where we are at this moment. This system is practical solution to hail damage made of a high-density polyethylene, flexible, light and strong, which requires of a simple support structure made of unbarked timber, galvanized wire and fastening accessories.

Our goal

• To cover 1 hectare of land with hail protection net.

• Timeframe: Before summer (within 2 months approx.)

The hail protection net is the most effective system against the hail and it is the goal to achieve. If we make it, we will ensure the next harvest. With your help, small or big, we will have the opportunity to keep exploring the wonderful field of agriculture.

How will the funds be used?

Main Target

Our main goal of $2510 (corresponds to approx. $360.000 ARS, our main currency) will allow us to cover 1 hectare of land with this hail protection net system, giving us the opportunity to protect the cultivation and production of tomatoes during the hailing storms season.

Most of the raised funds, approximately 63.7% ~ $1600, will be allocated to the hail net, which is the core of this system and the most expensive. 80 net rolls are needed to cover 1 hectare of land. Each roll measures 2.5m wide by 50m long, with a cost of $20 each.

The remaining raised funds will be allocated to the main structure. Firstly, 20.7% ~ $520 to the unbarked timber, with a cost of approx. $4.3 each and a total of 120 pieces. Secondly, 9.9% ~ $ 250 to the galvanized wire, with a cost of $12.5 per roll and a total of 20 rolls. Finally, 5.7% ~ $140 to the fastening accessories, which comes in bags of 500 pieces, each piece costs approx. $0.1 while 2400 pieces (5 bags) are required.

Stretch Target

If we reach our goal and have the opportunity to reach a stretch target by doubling the first one, which means $5020, we will be able to cover 1 more hectare of land (corresponding to the 2 hectares covered by the irrigation system) with hail protection net, which also means to double the production of our land. The same percentage distribution of the budget will apply to this stretch target.

Why helping us?

When you donate, you are helpin us to progress in the agricultural field, to reach our economical sustainability and to keep exploring our capabilities of being farmers. You also subscribe to the updates about the progress of our project. We want you to see the ongoing results of your donation, so we promise to share weekly/daily updates about the impact you are making.

We will run a "Keep it all" campaign, no matter if we reach our main goal or not, every donation will be helpful and get sure it will give us a start point to progress.

— With appreciation, thanks for your time.