Agroecology
“Agroecology is a scientific discipline, a set of practices and a social movement. As a science, it studies how different components of the agroecosystem interact. As a set of practices, it seeks sustainable farming systems that optimize and stabilize yields. As a social movement, it pursues multifunctional roles for agriculture, promotes social justice, nurtures identity and culture, and strengthens the economic viability of rural areas. Family farmers are the people who hold the tools for practising Agroecology. They are the real keepers of the knowledge and wisdom needed for this agenda. Therefore, family farmers around the world are the keys elements for producing food in an agroecological way."
-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Edible Forest
We are working intensively to cultivate an edible forest full of fruit trees, shrubs, vines, tubers, vegetables and more. This method is a way to grow a wide variety of foods in a relatively small space. In our microclimate, we have the possibility of growing mangoes, cinnamon, cassava, izotes, coffee, chaya, pineapples, chayotes, and lemons, among many other crops, all interwoven in the symbiosis of the edible forest.
Apart from the intensive food forest, we are also installing an extensive syntropic agroforestry system. It means that we are reforesting a larger space with trees that provide us with resources and services (food, wood, oils, firewood, shade, oxygen, etc.). In this region we can grow avocados, anonas, mangoes, bread seeds, cacao and sapotes among many others. We are also growing native trees, timber trees, multi-flowering trees for pollinators, forage trees for animals, and endangered trees. As part of this agroforestry system, we are including a silvopastoral area in the form of a savanna with grass and animals.
We are working intensively to cultivate an edible forest full of fruit trees, shrubs, vines, tubers, vegetables and more. This method is a way to grow a wide variety of foods in a relatively small space. In our microclimate, we have the possibility of growing mangoes, cinnamon, cassava, izotes, coffee, chaya, pineapples, chayotes, and lemons, among many other crops, all interwoven in the symbiosis of the edible forest.
Apart from the intensive food forest, we are also installing an extensive syntropic agroforestry system. It means that we are reforesting a larger space with trees that provide us with resources and services (food, wood, oils, firewood, shade, oxygen, etc.). In this region we can grow avocados, anonas, mangoes, bread seeds, cacao and sapotes among many others. We are also growing native trees, timber trees, multi-flowering trees for pollinators, forage trees for animals, and endangered trees. As part of this agroforestry system, we are including a silvopastoral area in the form of a savanna with grass and animals.
Orchards and Gardens
We have a biointensive garden from which we harvest fruits and vegetables. In each bed there are different vegetables, lovingly planted in symbiotic associations. We prepare the organic inputs that we use for soil preparation, specifically biologically complete fertilizer, activated carbon, and bocashi. We also make organic foliar sprays and repellents to keep our plants healthy.
This garden is mostly for our family consumption, but it is also a demonstrative model to teach other people how to create, use and care for an annual vegetable garden.
As part of the garden, we also have many flowers, culinary and medicinal plants. This gardening design is based on the concept of polyculture and forms a beautiful mix of colors, flavors and smells. We also try to plant and care for a good mix of native flowers and pollinator plants, as these attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Pollination is a beautiful and extremely important process for the reproduction of plants, and for agricultural crops. For this reason, we soon hope to incorporate bee hives, both honey bees and native bees.
We have a biointensive garden from which we harvest fruits and vegetables. In each bed there are different vegetables, lovingly planted in symbiotic associations. We prepare the organic inputs that we use for soil preparation, specifically biologically complete fertilizer, activated carbon, and bocashi. We also make organic foliar sprays and repellents to keep our plants healthy.
This garden is mostly for our family consumption, but it is also a demonstrative model to teach other people how to create, use and care for an annual vegetable garden.
As part of the garden, we also have many flowers, culinary and medicinal plants. This gardening design is based on the concept of polyculture and forms a beautiful mix of colors, flavors and smells. We also try to plant and care for a good mix of native flowers and pollinator plants, as these attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Pollination is a beautiful and extremely important process for the reproduction of plants, and for agricultural crops. For this reason, we soon hope to incorporate bee hives, both honey bees and native bees.
Animals
We have some goats and hope to have chickens soon. Animals give us their gifts of milk, eggs and meat, and also help us eat the abundance of vegetation, turning it into great fertilizer for the soil. In the not-so-distant future we want to raise bees and also install a fish pond to raise tilapia. We care for all animals with love and respect, giving them the freedom to fulfill their role in the ecosystem and eat healthy plants in a natural environment
Fungus
We are in the experimental phase of growing edible and medicinal mushrooms, specifically oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) and reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) mushrooms. The grow bags we made worked well, and they produced very delicious fruits. We are now in the process of replicating this crop on a slightly larger scale, both for eating and selling at the market.
We are in the experimental phase of growing edible and medicinal mushrooms, specifically oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) and reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) mushrooms. The grow bags we made worked well, and they produced very delicious fruits. We are now in the process of replicating this crop on a slightly larger scale, both for eating and selling at the market.
Seed Collection
Little by little we have been collecting and dehydrating all kinds of seeds, mainly from vegetables. Seeds are one of the most important keys to agriculture. You can have a large garden with lots of fertilizer, water, and all the tools to grow, but without seeds you can't get very far. Seeds give us the freedom and autonomy to grow what we like to eat and to have a higher level of food sovereignty. They are also a way to preserve the genetic diversity of plants and propagate plants that are in danger of extinction.
We are committed to the preservation and propagation of native seeds. At the community level we participate and enable spaces to promote the exchange of seeds. This is an ancestral practice, as seeds are a bond that connects us with our ancestors and farmers, since they are transmitted from generation to generation.
Let's take care of the seeds!
Little by little we have been collecting and dehydrating all kinds of seeds, mainly from vegetables. Seeds are one of the most important keys to agriculture. You can have a large garden with lots of fertilizer, water, and all the tools to grow, but without seeds you can't get very far. Seeds give us the freedom and autonomy to grow what we like to eat and to have a higher level of food sovereignty. They are also a way to preserve the genetic diversity of plants and propagate plants that are in danger of extinction.
We are committed to the preservation and propagation of native seeds. At the community level we participate and enable spaces to promote the exchange of seeds. This is an ancestral practice, as seeds are a bond that connects us with our ancestors and farmers, since they are transmitted from generation to generation.
Let's take care of the seeds!
Healthy Nutrition
By growing a diversity of organic foods, we are feeding ourselves with healthy products that facilitate good digestion and human health. Fresh foods grown without chemical additives have many medicinal properties. For example, our ginger and turmeric are two of the most anti-inflammatory plants that exist. Spinach, basil, and chaya leaves have many vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need. And honey can even be used to heal wounds and burns.
Under this approach, we also promote sustainable gastronomy, which translates into taking into account the origin of the ingredients used in cooking, as well as knowing how they were grown and even how they reached our plates.
Healthy foods not only have exquisite flavors, but they also promote the health of the people who eat them. In other words, the purpose of agriculture is not just to produce food, but to promote the health and well-being of society.
By growing a diversity of organic foods, we are feeding ourselves with healthy products that facilitate good digestion and human health. Fresh foods grown without chemical additives have many medicinal properties. For example, our ginger and turmeric are two of the most anti-inflammatory plants that exist. Spinach, basil, and chaya leaves have many vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need. And honey can even be used to heal wounds and burns.
Under this approach, we also promote sustainable gastronomy, which translates into taking into account the origin of the ingredients used in cooking, as well as knowing how they were grown and even how they reached our plates.
Healthy foods not only have exquisite flavors, but they also promote the health of the people who eat them. In other words, the purpose of agriculture is not just to produce food, but to promote the health and well-being of society.
