A Call to Farms

The Future of Food is Frightening!

2009-01-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

I just watched the documentary "Future of Food" for the third time and like each time I had seen it before, I thought to myself: I need to see this monthly for the rest of my life. Please watch it if you have never seen it (as well as the special features, which star a lovely old lady who teaches us how to save seed from many types of vegetables and also offers some other great gardening tips).

The documentary reminds me why I need to continue working in the things I believe in: anti-corporate ownership of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and communities, and to have enthusiasm when raising awareness about the secret injustices being done to the 'small' people of this world. The 'small' people I'm talking specifically about now are the farmers and people who have fed the world since humans existed. In the US, over the last hundred years, that percentage of actual people working the land (understanding the land) has diminished to a mere 2%!

Machinery, chemical fertilizers and genetically engineered crops basically grow themselves (with lots of health, environmental and security problems attached), while Americans move into cities, consume and despose of the entire globe's natural resources...without even noticing much. The worst part is that the machinery, chemical fertilizers and genetically engineered crops that we ALL feed on, EVERY DAY, are made by companies (which moved from producing war chemicals to agricultural chemicals in less than 10 years in the 1940/50s)that have merged into a dirty, bloody coagulate of only a few names (Monsanto, DuPont, Cargill, ConAgra, Syngenta)-and this domination or pursuit for ownership of the entire worlds food system has been done in the name of US consumers! Aren't you bothered by that?!

Wars have been fought over land and natural resource ownership for hundreds of years, but the most bothersome thing to me is that its done in the name of fighting terror, or for freedom (which these days, only means only the freedom to participate in commercialism that benefits the already rich). In the case of Latin America, the complete destruction of indigenous communities and thereby sustainable farming systems was done to 'combat communism.' It's not a coincidence that we only fight terror in areas where the worlds highest reserves of oil are-our entire lifestyle depends on it!

I’m absolutely sickened by the state of the world and the ignorance and greed that has tainted the human race, stemming from capitalism. The Future of Food begins with a history of the patents on crops and plants (otherwise known as THE GLOBAL COMMONS—these are not things to be OWNED by companies-the land should belong for those who care for it, like children or any other life-source). But, since the 1970s, the US has allowed companies to put a PATENT on seeds.

The documentary then covers a few of the 100 cases (out of 9,000 cases brought onto farmers in the US alone by Monsanto Seed Company for having traces of Monsanto's patented soybean) where the farmers actually fought the powerful multinational monopolistic dominators of our FOOD SYSTEM. And lost. The cases were brought on by Monsanto saying that farmers had stolen their genetically engineered plants and planted them (but we all know, or at least we should, that plant seeds are dispersed by wind, by bird, bees, butterflies and now, trucks, freights and airplanes). These farmers didn’t even WANT the Monsanto Round-up ready resistant crops on their land! And Monsanto took it to the Supreme Court and won.

Others tied to the triangle of power (Searle, Monsanto and the US Government): Clarence Thomas, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft (biggest receiver of campaign money from Monsanto), and a ton of other recognizable evils. Another wierd government-patent-seed/food supply oddity: the "terminator gene," owned and patented by the US GOVERNMENT is a specific gene infused into plants so that the plant will not produce seed or that the seed it does produce will not reproduce itself, meaning that once a farmer uses this seed (which undoubtedly also contains favorable traits like drought-resistance, etc), he has to continue buying year after year after year. Rather than saving seed from plant and planting the strongest or best tasting crops' seed, as has been done for tens of thousands of years. Now, I may come from a long line of conspiracy theorists, but this information sheds a little light on the fact that the Iraqi National Seed Bank was one of the first buildings to be bombed in March, 2003. Now, Monsanto supplies the largest of Iraqi farmers with their wheat seeds (which much be purchased year after year, cutting into their already very small profits). Sickening, but this I believe. If you'd like more information on the seed bank and Monsanto seeds being delivered to Iraq, please read the book "Against the Grain" as well as the UN and US government documents it cites for supplying that information.

This is something I cannot stop talking about. Its the reason why I feel better about myself today, my conscience slightly more tranquil these past few months. Living outside of the US, you begin to realize how much people can really produce on their own, how much we can reuse, how much contact you have with the things you consume: you nearly always know the farmer or at least you know the seller knows the farmer. Until recently, genetically engineered crops weren’t a part of the national quilt of diverse agriculture in Guatemala.

This also happens to be the reason I can’t wait to return. Here is a brand new administration, falling into old patterns (The Sec. Of Agriculture is pro-GMO and pro-market expansion of crops, dairy and livestock) and I want to be a force in setting straight the “collective madness” humanity has become. Me AND my little eco-warrior prince, Oliver…whenever he may arrive (he's already two days late, btw)!

The Rough Draft of Our Three Month Plan!

2009-01-07T10:59:00.001-08:00

Finally there is activity at the school (and in my mind and heart) again! Today, my new partner (Mandy) and I went to the school and re-evaluated an action plan, which was totally necessary. After nearly 2 months of hassle (the school has been closed and the key constantly hidden in different people's homes) the plants on the school site are only half-producing. There has been a lack of sunlight and water, AND maybe a little too little love and care :)

Today, we're finally printing the informational brochures to distribute to all of the teachers (which are also a call for ideas on how to get the students and teachers interested and involved). I'm printing the bare minimum (still working on limited funds), mainly just to give to the acting director and a few more for promising teachers.

Tomorrow the plan is to borrow a wheelbarrow and bring large rocks to build clear boundaries around the plants so the kids don't step on all of them. And if time allows, we'll also bring treated soil to fill in the small beds. For the rest of January, we'll simply be bringing healthy soil to the lot and making sure the students get a feel for the garden project and us. I feel right now, its best to introduce these things slowly and answer questions when they come up and ask them, rather than forcing the information down their throats right away. Everyone is interested in what the silly gringas are doing anyway!

Also before February rolls around, I would like to host the teachers in the school in an informal site for coffee or a beer or whatever and see what kind of interest they have already. Have they ever experienced similar projects, are they resistent to the idea of working with outsiders, etc. If the teachers aren't interested, they will surely let the project fall fallow immediately upon my departure. Or jeopardize/dismiss it. Also, I want them to know that I am willing to search for funding for their ideas as well.

In February, we'll begin to transplant the seeds and already growing plants to the site and watch them grow! I remember biology classes in junior high school and think that this will be an exciting time, fostering student's protection for the plants. We can also begin to talk about pests, reasons for pests (in this area, its because there is little biodiversity), and how to naturally deter them. The Tzutujil have many, many plants that have pest-control characteristics. During the month of February, I would also like to get to know some of the local organic farmers that live closeby as well as begin to collect compost and raw materials from local restaurants and hotels.

In March, hopefully good relations and discussions have sprouted up around the garden project by this time. Perhaps we can dedicate an hour to garden talk where we discuss current food issues, local and globally. Food crisis because of reliance on oil, the pros and cons of genetically modified foods, food in historical and cultural contexts, other aspects of industrialized foods (excessive waste, unfair treatment to communities around irrigation systems, loss of land, loss of biodiversity, etc).

This month will be the beginning of scheduled maintenance, where a gardener really gets settled into caring for her plants. Some of the plants may be nearing maturity and we can talk about harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs as well as taking seed from the plants and replanting (hopefully the students want to start home gardens-even if its only possible in containers).

By the time April rolls around, I'm sure lots of new prospects will have taken route. We can also think about including tourists in this project, to improve relations between locals and foreigners. Tourism isn't going anywhere around here and it certainly needs to have a vested interest in the local people because the community is changing and developing to more fit the wants of the wealthier tourist population (usually is not sustainable development!)

So, for the next three months, these are the goals and I will continue to post updates and pictures (promise they will be more interesting--the kids are cute!). After the three months, we'll evaluate progress and build new plans! Looking forward to any questions, ideas or comments from readers, as always!

Thanks for reading!

Environmental Education through Gardening

2009-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hi all! It's been awhile since I wrote and, well..not much has happened! I am in my 37th week of pregnancy so I have slowed down quite a bit and am thankful for my friend, Mandy Wieser, who has come to help assist in the school garden project while I attempt to gracefully enter motherhood (alone)!

The new year has ushered in lots more information and upcoming events regarding sustainable agriculture which I'd like to discuss here. Firstly, I want to point out who Obama has chosen as his Secretary of Agriculture of the US, Tom Vilsack.

Vilsack has been a supporter of ethanol and domestic sources of fuel-even at the expense of driving food prices up, market-driven dairy production, genetically modified foods (of course he is, he's from IOWA, a state which has many beneficiaries of GMOs) and is not very progressive when it comes to real change in agribusiness functions. I plan to post more later on how we can push for more reform, as I think agriculture/food and fuel issues should be at the top of the new president's to do list!

The next thing I wanted to say is the next couple weeks at our school project. The students are returning on January 15th and I'm not exactly sure how to incorporate the garden into the class curriculum. I know WHY gardens are important in primary school: a hands on approach to ecology and the importance of conservation, learning how to grow one's own food and fodder to reduce oil consumption for transportation, re-emphasize indigenous farming practices that are more sustainable and use less chemical inputs, biodiversity protecting the watershed that so many thousands rely on here, strengthen local economy and reduce reliance on imported foods...These things are easy to understand the importance of for an adult...but a 9 year old? I have no experience teaching kids (to tell you the truth, I don't like kids very much--despite being 3 weeks away from having my very own!) and am really searching for some good ways to make the garden project fun--if anyone has any resources, ideas or experience, please let me know!

Natural Pesticides I'm Trying!

2008-12-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

As you can see below, the pole bean plants are suffering from some kind of pest or bacteria. I can't see any insects or signs of them on the bean plants and they seem to be coming from within the plant. A local botanist called it "mosaic," which causes the leaves of the plants to have an irregular shape and the yellow-greenish coloring you can see in my photo. What worries me is that infected plants are known to produce half or even less beans than non-infected plants.

The fact that the garden has a pest problem already is not surprising, due to the lack of diversity in this area--the school is located in the midst of lots of houses which grow only corn and beans on their property. After that interrim of corn/beans, there is alot of development and paving of everything.

My first answer to the problem of pests is to have as diverse of an ecosystem as possible an to grow naturally repelling plants such as garlic, chili and onions...but not everything grows as fast as beans (although the garlic has really taken off!) and so far, there aren't any other meal options for the insects at the school. At my house, I'm growing native grasses, weeds and other plants (like amaranth, yucca, llanten, consuelda and chipilin) to deter the insects but they aren't strong enough to put on school grounds yet. Mother Earth magazine says that Marigolds are the best deterrent for insects that effect beans and I have several of those coming up right now. But in the meantime, I'm hoping that one of these homemade and/or local suggested concoctions works...

I'm starting with one that is the easiest to make (at least around my house...I live with two heavy smoker/drinkers). It's called "Hillbilly's Breath," and was suggested to me about a year ago by a close friend. It consists of used cigarette butts, some beer, crushed garlic and chili powder. I put it in a spray bottle and sprayed the plants. We'll see how it works.

The locals around here did suggest using tobacco derivitives as a spray, apparently nicotine is poisonous to many types of insects. Also, Chrysanthemum is supposed to be similar to Marigolds and repel insects with the naturally occuring chemical pyrethum (a base for many synthetic, harmful pesticides with chlorine and phosphorous and other chems added). I'm not sure where I can find Chrysanthemum seeds around here, but I'm looking into seed donations from ECHO (oddly, a Christian-environmental group).

Other people suggested that I pound several types of local plants that have strong smells and then mix with a little bit of water and spray those on infected plants. I am kind of excited by my new trial and error experiments.

The following is a set of other common natural pest deterrents for gardens or homes in general (new ways to USE your plants!):

The first thing to do is remove the infected leaves and plants and dispose of them far from the garden site...they're only attracting insects at this point. Prune the plant all the way to the stem, leaving the stub invites the bug inside the plant.

Another piece of info I just read that I didn't previously know was that wet foliage attracts the most bugs. Best to water early so it dries during the day or to invest in a drip-irrigation system which will avoid wetting the foliage all together. I would love to have someone help me build this, but I don't see it happening in the next few days...so I'm just gonna get even closer to the ground and avoid the leaves of all my plants.

To keep ants/cockroaches/mites out, place cucumber peels at their place of entry. Most ants have an aversion to cucumber. If that doesn't work, crush cloves and mint and spray along their path. Also, citrus oil, cayenne pepper, cinnamon or coffee grinds work. Cataria or catnip can also be made into a more effective spray than DEET (for mosquitos).

Any questions, I'd be happy to research them for you! Just let me know!

New Sprouts!

2008-12-09T11:33:00.001-08:00

Ahhhhhhh, well. These weeks have been pretty busy. I'm growing half the plants at my house and half on the school ground, so there is a lot of running (walking, actually) back and forth. But here are some of the newest to show their faces at the schoolgrounds and my home set-up--you can see we've expanded from one compost bucket to three :)

Prepping for 1st Formal Volunteer Event

2008-11-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

Starting Saturday December 6th, we're going to have weekly volunteer events for anyone who wants to come and help speed up the project. The students come back in mid-January and I would really like to have put all the hard work into the project before that happens. The plan is to have the majority of plants reach maturity as the classes are working in the project and also to have some of their first lessons be about seed saving and maintenance...which obviously cannot be done if we don't get started now. Its the beginning of the dry season and to be planting right now is actually against permaculture theory, but I figure since all the extra energy being expended is MINE then its all good. I think with a good mulch and daily attention it should work out fine.

We don't have a lot of funds but I'm thinking that the first couple events will be pretty short and simple. I need some help bringing organic matter to the garden, mix it with topsoil, build raised terraces and take out all the rocks as it is PAINFUL to do this stuff alone! I really feel for full-time farm laborers.

I had two people who were studying agricultural science in Germany (two friends of my roomate and living with us...yes, its been a full house since moving in) come to the project last week to brainstorm on how to more quickly and efficiently improve the soil structure. They confirmed my belief that one way or another I'll have to get manure in the garden...so I literally took my hand shovel and ran around town scooping horse poo from the 'roads'(there are more horses than cars in my town) and am bringing it in next week.

I am not sure how to post the English language flyer for volunteers, but of course if you are reading and in the area, email me and I'll send it to you personally!

Plans for Expansion

2008-11-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

I applied for a wonderful grant yesterday, so EVERYBODY PRAY! Goddess knows, I/we need it. I don't know why, but I always just expect if something is the right thing to do then it will work out...however, that has not been the case and everyday is a struggle: financially, culturally (i.e. the time and date on your watch or computer mean absolutely nothing here) and sometimes ecologically. And...all these problems combined sometimes lead to periodic breakdowns on my part.

So, anyway, the garden has been undergone a severe overhaul in the last couple days (why I'm slow at writing blogs). I've started to bring in compost from my own house and from local restaurants because the plants aren't growing nearly as fast as they should be. The soil here is rich and volanic but after years of maltreatment, it has turned pretty dusty. So, I brought in the compost to build structure in it, allow it to hold more water and am also digging up all the rocks, putting the plants that did push on through into containers for the meantime, so that I can reform the soil before putting them back in the ground.

Another problem with the way the garden has developed is that the school administration doesn't want to give me the key so I have to call from an internet cafe or phone booth for the director, arrange a time and wait. And wait and wait and wait. Sometimes she doesn't show up at all and the plants lose a day of water, all the while the dry seasons hateful sun bakes those poor little guys. The system has really got me down and I'm about to get into a further discussion with the director so that I may have a key. The project will progress alot faster and with a lot more success if that happens.

Anyway, the real reason I'm writing is to inform interested parties of the upcoming plans for expansion (if we get the grant). The following programs will be part of Huertos Escolares:

1.) Students participation in the garden and its maintenance, starting in January and ending in October 2009. All 350 students in the Humberto C. Guzman School will be participating in one way or another of the garden project, as well as all 25 teachers. They'll be learning how to seed and plant the plants, how to conserve soil through composting and mulching, water conservation and constructing a drip irrigation system (thank god I will have the professors help in this!), and most importantly the history, cultural importance, uses and the scientific reasons these native plants exist in this ecosystem.

2) Art, mostly recycled art/structures/mosaics to emphasize how COOL it is to reduce, reuse and recycle!!! But we're also gonna make informative signs on each plant as well as a mural on the wall facing the garden (it is currently the most boring place on earth). I think art is an excellent way to get the kids vested in the garden project.

3) Media: The bi-monthly newsletter will be in Tzutujil, Spanish and English. We plan on printing enough to distribute all around the lake, so that people on all sides can get an idea of what community food production is all about, why it exists and why its important in conservation and for the future of the people who live here. The newsletter will focus on sustainable practices in the community regards to agriculture, tourism, consumption, culture, etc as well as profiles on local people and businesses, perhaps a volunteer or two, some history and progress on the garden at the school. Also featuring contact information and ideas on how to take this project to your home, to your business, etc. Interview on conservation oriented Guatemalan organizations will also be included and articles will be accepted by students or local youth on what they think about sustainable development.

4) Tourism and Volunteer Outreach and Participation: About once a month, we'll do a big event where tourists come and work with the students on the gardens maintenance and start-up projects, learning all about it and hopefully taking a piece of the local wisdom with them. Also, sharing previous experience with me/us.

5) Expansion program to install native species gardens in students homes, other public schools and public spaces. The underlying goal of the project is to help families in this region reach as near subsistence level as they can, reducing their costs and the pollution, obesity, and energy that comes with imported foods.
This will begin with students taking what they’ve learned home, with knowledgeable assistance as well.

So, these are the primary component of the expansion plan! There are a couple more smaller things, but I've got to get to work now!

Thanks for reading!

Above is a picture of the center of the school, where I hope to put container gardens in...to make it look less like a prison. The main containers I have in mind (and okay, quite a few have gathered in my front yard...just like back home in Southern Illinois, haha) for this project are tires and raised beds made from fallen wood or bamboo.

Above and below you have the difference in the soil I've been adding compost to and the the soil at the school. Nothing short of a miracle is needed. Luckily, miracles are my specialty :)

Week-End Blotes Summary :)

2008-11-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here we have Corn and Beans (they came up HUGE in only 3 days!), Rhubarb Chard and Cabbage sprouts!

Still Trying

2008-11-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

I would really like to include art in the school garden project, both the mural proposed by one of the teachers and also artistic and textual signs for the garden, regarding information about the species of plants used, their importance in Tzutujil culture, and instructions on maintenence, as well as whatever constructs we can make from garbage/recycled materials.

If anyone can recommend an organization, a business or an individual that gives small grants for art or donates art materials, please let me know as I would really like for this to happen by January. I'm gonna start crafting some emails to stores in the US, if they have foundations set up for this kind of thing, expired materials they will throw out, etc...if you have any ideas/connections to art stores or anything related, please let me know! It would be nearly impossible to send them to Guatemala (well, you can pay to do it...but they will end up in the hands of Guatemalan postal workers!) but I have family and friends coming to visit all the time and many have volunteered to bring me things from there.

I'm planning on leaving here in May 2009 and would like to see the project running successfully and in the good hands of people committed to keeping it going, which means that the students in the school have to be interested in it...and art is always a great way to get students involved. I realized how few pictures I had been putting on, so I'm posting a few random school-garden-art/ nature-mixes-with-art pictures off the internet These are not mine! Oops, don't tell--although a friend of mine did design the woman that has vines growing up her legs in spring (Dessa Kirk's sculpture in South Grant Park, Chicago)!!! And the last one, of the mural, was done by one of my best friends, Joel Bergner (www.joelsmurals.com). Click on the images to view larger pics!

Gimme Gimme Gimme More Permaculture!!

2008-11-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here's what do to if you are trying to grow healthy vegetables and your soil is bad, as is the soil on the school property. The plants are growing very slowly and during this season of much wind, the topsoil is blowing away due to not having any roots or organic material living inside of it for a long time.

Firstly, how to decide if the soil is bad. I, personally, think you can tell before you ever even start planting, just by reaching down and grabbing a handful of topsoil or by looking a tiny bit deeper and seeing if any insects exist in there. In the case of the school: the topsoil is dust and there are next to no bugs, though one girl found a scrawny worm on the first day. I was quick to start the project and thought we could fix it with a little love, water, sunshine....in retrospect, I wish I had started composting and treating the soil with manure before planting...would leave me in a better situation right now, but its never too late to start and thats the game plan for today (and my entire life, actually)!

So, fertility and texture and all that jazz. Fertility is just access to nutrients that occur in healthy soil, nitrogen, phosophorus and potassium. Nitrogen is primarily known for its leaf and stem encouragement, sometimes (as with bell peppers and tomatoes) too much nitrogen will make your plants have too many leaves and not enough fruit! Some good, naturally occuring sources of nitrogen are used coffeegrinds, planting beans interspersed with certain things, and of course animal manure.

Phosphorous and Potassium are also easy to fix, naturally. Phosphorous is important for root growth and can be found in soil containing bone meal (the deep forest). Potassium, like nitrogen, leaves the soil quickly--especially in the rainy season and needs to be replenished. Potassium helps them to continuing growing at a stable pace as well as building up immunity.

But besides these nutrients, there are several other important things that have to exist for soil to grow healthy food. The process of decomposition and its resulting humus, for example, is a concoction of so many things dependent on the ecosystem that lives and dies on that location. The countless creatures that make up humus work to eventually produce those three nutrients mentioned above, as well as tons of other nutrients and helpful bacteria.

Be sure to steer clear of what writer Michael Pollan (and the ancient English agronomist, Sir Albert Howard, in “An Agricultural Testament”) calls in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, ‘the NPK mentality’ (that stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium). When agricultural scientists found out the importance of these three nutrients they focused only on them, they began separating them, manipulating them and their relationship to the soil in order to come up with agri-chemicals that would make the land produce more and faster—they didn’t and still do not, however, take into consideration the other variables to growing plants and healthy soil…the other life forms it supports and their reason for being there and the interconnectedness of the whole system. They do not, as Howard suggests, take “the whole problem of health in soil, plant, animal and man as one great subject.”

One can no longer say that agriculture can be divided up and that the land is just a sum of its parts…From what people know now (and other people have long suspected intuitively) of agriculture’s impact on climate change, its impact on people’s livelihoods, nations’ poverty and the health of the air, water, and food to the loss of biodiversity to the inability of the land to produce after the leaching of the soils fertility through chemicals…we have to acknowledge that agriculture and the land is the system we live in, not outside of-and address it holistically. We cannot think that we are able to manipulate variables within the system and only affect that which we have on our nice charted graphs…agriculture is nature and nature is not a constant. It can be chaotic, it can evolve, it cannot be looked at as separate pieces of a larger puzzle that makes up our lives. It simply IS our lives.

Politically, one can look at a single item of food and feel slightly wronged in the matter: it is nearly always packaged in uniformity and wearing a barcode or a number, just like a prison inmate. Many vegetarians claim that the reason for the dis-health of the American population is not simply that it eats too much meat, but that the meat that we eat was factory farmed and killed in such a way to cause terror and misery during its entire life…and that energy goes into your body when you eat it. I personally feel a lot happier eating chicken that can cross the street when it feels like it, but in line (or since we’re talking holism—perhaps I should say, “in circle…”) with my beliefs on everything—my happiness probably comes from a number of interrelated things.

So, in short, making your soil healthy makes your body healthy which makes your mind healthy which influences other minds and bodies to get healthy…and slowly but surely, we can repair and reclaim our most basic necessities in this world: food, air, and water. (I may be getting way ahead of myself, but in turn these things also affect our land-usage, our land-ownership and thus our political system and economy….just through soil maintenance! Yes, THIS I BELIEVE….)

Reintroducing Sustainable Agriculture is Hard, Understandably...

2008-11-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've had a really positive week, gotten lots of planting done, though have been primarily working alone this week and liking the solitude. This week is registration for classes that begin in January so many of the school's teachers are there, signing students up. Most have been absolutely wonderful. Yesterday a lady bought me a lunch out of her own pocket and many others have come over to talk and learn about the garden project, thanking me for putting so much effort into it without getting paid. I explain that I'm doing it because I like to do it and that I couldn't imagine a healthier way to progress through my pregnancy, digging in soil and breathing the fresh air.

Today, however, a couple of the teachers came over and specifically the woman teacher, were very biting and mean, laughing at me in their native Tzutujil. There are only about 16, so I am recognizing all of their faces and the subjects they teach. For reasons I am not sure of, the female teacher acted very hateful towards me while I was explaining what I was doing, and told jokes to all the younger men hanging around her. I remember her from the first school board meeting, where she caused problems and eyerolling from nearly all of the other teachers and principal.

There is a very interesting dynamic here that I'm learning about quickly. Its like this in the US, too, just a little less obvious. The women, before their childbearing, are very competitive and mean towards other women in the village. They put one another down and laugh and demean each other for the benefit of the younger men. I suppose one could argue that its nature taking course, but I don't believe it. The women who opt out of this cruel self-tormenting system maintain great friendships, I belong to a couple of groups of them, myself--despite being several years older than them.

In any case, I am beginning to understand all of those International Development courses on the difficulties of being an "aid" or development worker....some people despise you because they see, more than you/me as "aid." I understand their anger and am at a loss at how to redirect it (obviously...I am and have been my entire life, broke and struggling...have never tried to live by taking advantage of someone else...I am not the rich people they are thinking of when they think of the USA...in fact, I only know a few of them!) I am not rich, I am not trying to steal any men from their community, I am only working to build food security in the village in a sustainable manner. To emphasize the importance of protecting the environment, to emphasize the ways in which they farmed a thousand years ago was actually the right way, to do away with the Green Revolution mentality and dominant development paradigms that have been applied top down (commercialism, right wing politicians always whiter than the natives teeth, and free trade zones that produce sweat shops and boast of being the only employment available), for the last 50 years. I understand it is hard to trust foreigners at this point...

But I am still angry at the female teacher's attitude: obviously, she doesn't have any children herself and doesn't care what is best for them. I feel like she would ruin the garden when I'm not around just to spite me and that....would make me cry. Stuck in between a rock and a hard place, literally (see pictures of site...)

Anyway, as of today, we can see tiny sprouts of cabbage, 3 types of lettuce, 2 types of flowers, corn, beans, watermelon, sweet peppers, chamomile, mint, perejil and amaranth! Think I may ask for some help tomorrow...Would like to get whole terrain planted by end of next week.
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I love Mondays

2008-11-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Pardon this unusually sentimental blog: today I worked alone, having not been in the garden for the weekend, there was a lot to do (sort of-it DID rain on Sunday) and I desperately needed some time for reflection. Upon waking up, I was a bit crabby. I just moved into a new home where the spiders have ruled for the past couple months and I'm trying to show them I'm boss, not by killing them, but by listening to NPR Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on full volume. Anyway, I don't sleep well as I'm sure they are all just waiting for my eyes to close and the silence to ensue in order to begin their own Thanksgiving feast on my body.

So, this morning I lumbered over to the site, not feeling particularly inspirted, energetic or excited about working through the morning. I thought about how I should have worn different shoes. I got angry that the drunk men still hit on me when I am clearly 7 months pregnant. I got irritated at the sun and the heat and the mosquitos and the indigestion of granola with unrefrigerated milk that has nearly no vitamins or nutrients in it. But immediately after I plunged the small handheld shovel into the ground and began sifting through the soil, picking out rocks for the terracing and pieces of plastic, I sank into that methodical meditation that happens each time I break ground. The symbolism of gardening is so strong for me: when done right, thoughtfully-- planting and nourishing that life is so fulfilling, as corny as it sounds. And to eat one's own effort and thought and care that was put into it...life doesn't get any better.

I began thinking of the things I need to do for the day: print a brochure for the school board so they can promote the program to other schools and also so they are more informed about what is going on in their schoolyard. I also need to finish up on that newsletter for November (getting behind on only the second edition, yikes!), I need to start applying for jobs for when I return to the USA next summer, I need to do yoga to stretch my back after squatting on the ground.

Then I started broadly thinking of the evolution of human consciousness that seems to be occuring in my home country and in the entire world right now and I felt all of a sudden, absolutely invigorated that I get to live in these exciting times. Things change slowly for sure, things are always changing without us noticing. But it seems this particular moment in time, for those of us who think with our hearts and believe in the good despite all the evidence, those of us who work not for money but for cause and for those who believe in living right not because religion or the law tells us to, but because we respect nature and all that lives in it, this change is monumental. Well, it COULD be.

I recently had an argument with a friend, who was taught by his family (being poor growing up) that money is the ticket to success in all cases, and in every situation if you have money your problems are solved..you can buy not only food and materials but also friends, sex, laughter, security, etc...but he's now older, lonely and irritated with himself without knowing why. I think this kind of disconnect from self and from nature is the cause of most of the upheaval in our society. But that is very difficult to address or even mention with people who have been conditioned to live and think in terms of numbers, structures, and the organization of people only (as opposed to the organizaiton of all life and natural resources).

I hope that the misery that people force themselves into (which is not at all to say a regular job with a regular company-just when that job that has no deeper meaning or nourishment to your body and soul and you are only working it for the money, for the acquaintences that may share in the desparity of it) will end soon. I hope that jobs become available for people who truly want to succeed and do well at serving, not just for those who know how to play the game or have friends. I loved Obama's opening statement that upon us is a time of sacrifice and responsibility...I'm ready! I hope that once again small businesses thrive, that people are seen as people again and not just as a potential profit, that passion is not feared but revered. The election of Barack Obama by such a huge margin, says alot. It says that people want change and even if they don't know why they are so unhappy (they can blame it on the surface things such as the economy, bad healthcare, poor world image--these things are all stemming from the deeper problem that we have built our society on false things and are brainwashed into thinking that we need/want ridiculous things to show who we are). The main point is that people want things to be different in their lives. I hope I get the chance to show how good life is when you know how to nourish it (I don't mean just gardening here!).

When I first looked up around noon, I realized I had planted three beautiful rows of herbs already...Parsely, Mint and Chamomile. Plus, I learned new words, "brote" means sprouts when they've come above ground...These "brotes" are Cabbage!

More later, thanks for reading. Hope you had an awesome Monday, as I did!

Finally, I am proud to be an American!

2008-11-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

I would really like to focus today's blog on Obama and the USA.....WOO HOO!!!! We did it! We elected (by a LANDSLIDE) a minority and progressive President to the United States of America! I was getting so tired of snobby Europeans having so much material to laugh at the citizens of the USA, no matter how many times I say, "Hey! We didn't really elect him!" When has any country in the world elected a minority (racial, population) and PROGRESSIVE president! Once again, and this is our first chance at doing it JUSTLY, we have a chance to be a good role model to nations who idolize the West.

Now, while I am obviously as ecstatic as the next girl (and thousands on down the line, around the world!) it is OUR DUTY in a democratic society to continue to push and demand from our leaders the change we want. The Obama administration can't be charged with fixing the massive damage done over the last...well, hundreds of years, really. I personally like something I read down here the other day, in a local magazine...It's like Obama just stumbled upon a mess of honey and oil and was handed a roll of toilet paper to clean it up...

But while we can't expect him to do it alone, we can remind him of the promises his campaign made to us. In alignment with his economic reform goals aimed specifically at helping the middle class citizen (by this point in time, an endangered species), Obama has outlined several actions needed, all of which are desperately needed. Its our job not to let these problems get bypassed because of the vague language that is used by politicos.

The first of which is to limit subsidy payments to farms grossing over $250,000 and to bust up the monopolies that have been established by mega-agribusinesses that set up several different names and accounts for their total landholdings, in order to scoot through the loopholes set out to protect the bastards. Subsidies should go to smaller farms or farms trying to diversify their crops, not millionares who don't understand the land, don't know how to farm, and work in an office in downtown Chicago, sewing only unfair profit. He also promised in his Iowa campaign speech that he would strengthen anti-monopoly laws in the meatpacking industry, which is so huge and powerful that small-time producers have no power in the market and most are forced to produce in an hyper industrialized manner: CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) are terrible for people working in them (i.e. not much different today than in Upton Sinclair's version of the industry, The Jungle), and who live around them due to chemical contamination and absolutely devaluement of animals lives (California voters voted to ban CAFOs in this election--but BOO on the Prop 8 decision!).

My personal favorite promise: Country of Origin Labelling! Seriously, if Americans can care more about their caloric intake than the injustice they do when they consume goods...then we truly are hopeless. With country of origin awareness, we have the oppurtunity to make the world smaller and globalized in a positive way. We can say no to slave wages and child labor abroad (Mars M&M Corp in Ivory Coast, Disney in Haiti, and a million other examples) as well as deforestation and climate change from cattle and plantations (McDonalds in Nicaragua, Sugar and Corn for Biofuels in Brazil, and once again millions of more examples exist) and we can ensure that what goods we CAN produce at home, we DO produce at home, eventually allowing subsistence farming to take root again in places its been ripped from the ground (i.e. HERE, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala)...which will help us to create a more sustainable method of development (please, everyone, don't forget that pres. debate promise of creating GREEN COLLAR JOBS!)

Two of the most obscure promises made by the campaign, with regards to the food movement is to "encourage organic and local agriculture" and also to "encourage young people to farm." These are EXCELLENT moves, now how are they gonna do that? For one, they have to help move the organic labelling to smaller farmers--organic agriculture is sometimes just as bad as conventionally grown foods, with respects to the monocultured way it is planted, the miles it has to travel and the socio-economic prejudice it holds. Organic agriculture CAN feed the masses, especially if you use permaculture methods of growing many things in the same area, and it should be only for people who can afford to go to Whole Foods. Healthy food belongs to everyone. And in regards to encouraging young people to farm...why is this just listed on the rural America agenda? Urban settings are ideal for learning agricultural techniques and more importantly, its where the young people are, and where there going--its where more schools are, more immigrants with farming knowledge and the desire to be included, more unused lots and its where more green space is needed ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7714950.stm ). Make them a part of the solution! Do not allow urban America to continue to (mostly, unknowingly) drain the nations resources without giving back!

Interesting sites to read about if your interested in learning more about the above mentioned topics:

www.cdc.gov/cafos/
www.epa.gov/region7/water/cafo/index.htm
www.sweatshopwatch.org
www.cityfarmers.org
www.urbangreenspaces.org

Thanks for reading!

PROGRESS, HOORAY!

2008-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Modest Beginnings....But if you can't see the dream, you're crazy....

Finally! Today I had free reign! I had SUCH an awesome morning, though ZERO of my 6 volunteers showed up....figures. They will probably show up NEXT Wednesday, as is customary here (I don't know if you knew this, but Latin America has its own time zone too...and it moves at its own pace).

In any case, I spent about 3 hours this morning, tilling and removing rocks (as well as being stared and laughed at by the men who "clean" the soil regularly...meaning they rip ALL PLANTS and ANYTHING GREEN and throw it into the garbage...not really my idea of help) from the garden before planting a solid two rows of rhubarb chard, collards and marigold. Tomorrow I'll plant a few more rows of veggies, not sure which kind yet. I'm so happy I finally get to work outside and in the sun again, the methodical way in which you work in a garden is so good for the mind. I was both thinking of nothing and thinking a million thoughts on other project possiblities (see the rocks located on the right side of the picture above...I want to make them a "Banco de Suenos" (Bench of Dreams) in which the kids will paint and create art on the rocks and can sit and enjoy the green goodness of the garden....when it comes up).

I'm also really excited to begin the construction of the informational signs for the plants...I don't know what materials to use yet, but I know some kids I'm going to ask for help to draw them (nothing like kid art). I'm also planning to make a nice, winding path through the whole lot (this is one third of it) and not sure what I should use for the path...keep it packed dirt, put rocks down, mulch, corn cascaras, bamboo....no idea on that yet.

I also started collecting the compost of the local restaurants I had asked to keep it for me...boy, was there a lot more SHIT than I expected! I'm going to have to dump some of it somewhere else, cause my little garden spot would be WRITHING with insects if I dumped it there. I've started a tiny, tiny bin for self compost...but it won't be ready for awhile. For now, am only adding bits of used coffee grinds, for nitrogen.

Sustainable Farming Techniques Among Tzutujil

2008-10-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick walk through the village I live in provides plenty of examples of how indigenous farmers have held on to some traditional methods, including ones that the international community now pushes as "sustainable agriculture." Among the techniques practiced here that I also learned about in a classroom setting (B-O-RING) are agro-forestal systems, polycropping, and rotating of crops while letting that piece of land go fallow for a season or two.

The picture at right is taken from a rooftop of a building on the eastern side of town, of the base of the volcano San Pedro. You can see agroforestry examples throughout this photo. Interspersed between the milpa is banana, coffee and avocado trees, all of which fruit and bloom at different times, providing the landholder with numerous benefits year round. None of the plants or trees in this picture need nor use chemicals or machinery to maintain their productivity. Granted the pace is much slower than the pace of farmers in the industrialized system, but they’ve survived thus far…

The addition of trees to the growing of crops stimulates a setting much closer to nature and tends to nourish itself with the nutrients, sun, water, wind and other natural elements it needs. It also reduces waste materials--leaves fall to the ground to provide the soil underneath with mulch to prevent moisture evaporation and also organic material which eventually adds to the structure of the soil—this is taken into consideration and even appreciated rather than in the US, where people actually rake their yards and put the leaves in plastic bags to be collected by garbage men to throw into precious landfill space—WHERE IS THE LOGIC IN THIS!!).

While in the states, a piece of land like this would be growing at most two things (i.e. in the Midwest CORN and CORN, the south-east Christmas trees or southern California vineyards, etc.), this piece of land is growing a NUMBER of products--some of which are hard to tell and I only know from walking--including bananas, avocados, corn, beans, cabbage, onions, pine for firewood, coffee and probably a few more things I don't know about. The fact that there are a number of things growing allow income to be flowing into the landholder all year round and/or offer some extra security if one crop has an infection or doesn't do well during a particular season.

What I hope to do with the school garden project is reinforce local campesinos that ARE practicing sustainable methods, to let them know that the rest of the world is quickly learning how smart their systems are and how unsustainable the developed world's agricultural structure is. I realize that living here and preaching sustainable, organic agriculture is very different than living in the US. There is a much faster learning curve with a nearly year round growing season, there is a proficient water source (the lake) very near to the site and the industrialization of agriculture hasn’t already dominated the landscape as it has there.

BUT! There are many, many people who produce successfully AND organically in ALL of the States—through passive solar systems, through compost sharing programs, through farm to city networks (after all, you don’t have to be your own farmer—just KNOWING who your food producer is and what he is doing would change the world!) Organic farming is not to be looked at as going “backwards” in time or progress or it is taking into consideration the millions of mistakes we have made as a western culture in allowing one of our most basic rights (FOOD) to be monopolized by a few companies. While conventional crops now need more and more chemical or nonrenewable resources (this means fuel for large machinery, energy used in transport, laboratories, research, etc etc etc!) as inputs, organic farming increases yields each year as the soil metabolizes to the organic system (and as an organic farmer, you are paying attention to what the soil is lacking, what it is exceeding in, what it needs to improve). Organic farms typically need more educated labor but that is not a bad thing! Again, I have to cite Cuba which now has leading organic agricultural scientists figuring out exactly which microbial organisms assist the soil and which plants benefit each other when grown together, which plants will attract or distract insects that are pests to the desired crops and many, many other naturally occurring natural ways to deal with problems.

Permaculture Design

2008-10-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

I had wanted to keep this blog updated daily and have been SEARCHING for a new topic the past few days. I wanted to have one day be a blog update on the garden project, the next day an informative blog on sustainable agriculture, Guatemala or any food security related topic. But I didn't do much this week other than planting to test all the seeds I have to make sure they will all grow (some I have been carrying around for a year!). I DID however, buy 4 shovels and gather up a crew of volunteers (THANKS, ANDREW BERG, FOR THE SHOVELS--WE WILL SOON BE BUYING GLOVES..AND YOU ALSO HELPED WITH PRINTING FLYERS!! and THANKS TO SANDRA, YAYELLE AND NINA FOR GIVING ME YOUR TIME!)

Anyway, yesterday at the school board meeting when I was trying to explain the design of the garden, I found my topic for today. I was saying that I would like to model the garden after permaculture theory and every single one of them looked at me with questioning but shy eyes, "Que es permacultura?" Well! I wanted to say, permaculture is the way of the future! As its founder, Bill Mollison says, "It's REVOLUTION disguised as gardening!" But...I thought, really... how do I explain permaculture to people who have used permaculture methods WAY before the word permaculture was coined in the 1970s.

Permaculture at its very core is a word mixture of permanence and culture In practice includes holistic techniques in agriculture, building and civil engineering, waste management and all aspects of our daily life. Permaculture attempts to create sustainability from the smallest, most local systems and build outwards, rather than a top to bottom or big to little application of development. Sustainability (as I've had to say ten thousand times during studying for my degree in Sustainable Development) is primarily defined as the ability to meet the needs of people today without compromising that of the needs of the future. Our current system of nearly everything is NOT sustainable-depletion and selling of raw materials like timber causing deforestation, monocultured lands which deplete biodiversity and important links in our ecosystem which we may not recognize immediately but has irreparable damage, oil-reliant (for transport and petrochemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides) agriculture that contaminates water and depletes carbon sinks, forceful evacuation of people when their culture and land doesn't conform to global supply/demand economics.

I'm using Mollison's guide to Permaculture to design the school garden because, well, it just makes sense. The idea is to use the LEAST amount of energy possible and that applies to the energy your body exerts to grow and to harvest, the electric energy used to pump water from the lake, the energy that it takes to produce the feed that the animals who will produce the manure for fertilization. All of it is one big interconnected web of flowing energy and the goal is to keep it balanced and giving, to keep the soil fertile and producing through natural mechanisms that don't require alot of work (my fave permaculture quote is that "hard work" is really just a sign of a poorly designed system). Using native species, like the squash, corn, beans, tomatoes, and chipilin helps alot: these plants don't require hardly any work since they are accustomed to this climate, the seasons, and the soil.

The idea, economically, is to minimize the amount of materials the school has to purchase from the outside/global market and also that it can possibly sell remaining vegetables and fodder to the community (which live very close-cause if you can't grow your own food, you can at least know who does and where, under what conditions). The school currently buys food from small local tiendas, most of it LOADED with sugar (sugar replaces corn down here as a food processing component). Kids lose their teeth at age 10 because there is so much sugar in the cheapest foods, not to mention lack of dairy because dairy producing animals are too expensive for them . Its not fair and they deserve better.

So...to attack the global economic system through gardening really is revolutionary (hence why I named my project, "A CALL TO FARMS" instead of A Call to Arms...get it?!). If you read Micheal Pollan's letter to the incoming President last week in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) calling for a Farmer-in Chief, new agriculture policy and for the White House lawn to be a giant garden...you understand the enormous implications of a simple act such as gardening. Reducing your consumption does and says ALOT, despite what the lazy pessimists say!

New Information!

2008-10-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of plants that will be a part of the first round of transplants here at the School-Garden Project (Huertos Escolares). Tomorrow is the big day! Pictures coming soon: this picture is the BEFORE, taken two days ago, it is about 1/4 of the total donated land!

Nepeta cataria (catnip): One of 250 species of flowering plant in family Lamieceae. Perennial. Not a native plant but is now commonly found in the Americas (originally from Asia, Africa and Europe). Used primarily as a stimulant for cats. Can be used as a local economic incentive, as has been recently sold on global fair trade market as cat toys. Oil derived from catnip is also used as a repellent against mosquitoes, cockroaches and termites. Found to be 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET and. Catnip can be used in substitute for lemon balm as well (similar color, properties and smell).

Lycopersicon esculentum (Chadwick Cherry, Three Sisters, Yellow Perfection, Yellow Pear Cherry, Wisconsin 55 Tomatoes): Originated in the Andes mountains, though believed to first be cultivated as a food in southern Mexico and Guatemala. In fact, the word Tomato is derived from a Nahuatl word, Tomatl. They reached Europe around the year 1523 but were largely regarded as a toxic plant, with an unsatisfying taste. Italians under Spanish rule are believed to be the first Europeans to show enthusiasm over the tomato in the late 16^th century, followed by the rest of the world shortly after.

Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin, Sweet Dumpling Squash, Golden Scallopini Bush Squash):

· Pumpkin: Evidence has shown that pumpkin has the ability to regenerate damaged pancreatic cells, improving or protecting from diabetes (sometimes reducing or eliminating the need for insulin in patients who already have diabetes). Good source of zinc, protein and many other vitamins, also said to lower cholesterol. Also contains minerals that strengthen the immune system. Other nutrient information available at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

· Squashes: Summer and Winter Squashes. Summer squash is picked immaturely and have soft skin, winter squashes are thick and hardy. Native to the Americas, estimated to be first cultivated 8,000 to 10,000 years ago—one of the “Three Sisters” of native Americans- maize, beans and squash.

Capsicum anuum (Cal Wonderball Sweet Peppers, Jalopeno Chiles): Also native to Mexico and Guatemala. Does best in warm and dry climates.

· Jalopeno: Growing period is about 70-80 days. Plant reaches about 2.5-3 ft tall, typically produces about 25 pods. Peppers turn red to signal the end of the growing season. Studies suggest Jalopeno peppers assist in the shrinking or warding off of prostate tumors.

Lagenaria Siceraria (Birds Next/Bottle Gourd): Climbling plant or ground cover, known to be one of the first cultivated plants in the world. These types of gourds are indigenous to Africa but are said to arrivie in the Americas 10,000 years ago. All parts of the plant can be eaten, as well as used for various medicinal purposes (headache and toothache relief, a purgative, an antibiotic, fever reducer). If harvested late, they can be used as bowls, containers or musical instruments.

Lactuca Sativa (Rouge D’hiver Lettuce, Reine des Gloces Lettuce, Bronze Mignonette Lettuce, Red Oak Leaf Lettuce, Four Seasons Lettuce): Lettuce originated in Egypt and was introduced to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in the 16^th century. Valuable source of folic acid and Vitamin A. The darker the lettuce is the more nutrients it contains.

Raphanus Sativus (Parat Sperling Radish): Limited information about the origins of the radish. Used as a facial cosmetic and also has antibacterial properties. Besides being rich in almost all vitamins and nutrients, radishes also help with constipation and intestinal parasites.

Monarda Punctata (Dotted Mint): For use in tea, strong flavour calms stomach and cures diarrhea. Also, can be added to water for a cooling face wash. Attracts bees and butterflies. The essential oil can be used to relax muscles (use in a rub), aids in digestion and eases pain from menstrual cramps.

Eruca Sativa (Arugula): Native to the Mediterranean region. Annual, needs replanting for a number of years (the seeds are contained in the pod and are also edible). Adds a peppery flavour to salads and pastas and is treasured for its richness in Vitamin C and Potassium. Considered an aphrodisiac in Rome, also is commonly drank as an after-supper liquor in Italy (called rucolino).

Beta Vulgaris Cicla (Rhubarb Chard): Excellent subtitute for broccoli or spinach, rich in . Nearly whole plant is edible. Used as a laxative/anti-contipation, lowers blood pressure, Mineral source of boron, which is considered a booster shot to sex organs. Used as a dye for fabric and artwork.

Phaseolus Vulgaris (Kentucky Wondersnap Pole Bean): Common plant, one of the “Three Sisters” of early Mesoamerican history, along with squash and corn. A nitrogen fixing plant, its the natural way to fertilize soil without using chemicals, so providing nutrients to the consumer and the ground at the same time.

Cucurbia Moschata (Butternut Squash)

Agastache Foeniculum (Licorice Mint)

Brassica Rapa (Purple Top White Globe Turnip)

Brassica Oleracea (Green Glaze Collards, Dinosaur Kale)

Cucumis Sativas (Smart Pickling Cucumbers, Straight Eight Cucumbers)

Tagetes Erecta (Marigold): Native to Mexico and Central America, called Flor de Muerte (Flower of Death). Aztecs used it for ceremonial, medicinal and decorative purposes. Medicinal uses included treatment of stomache aches, parasites, diarrhea, indigestion and toothaches. Scientific studies show that the naturally occurring phytochemical thiophenes kills bacteria.

Solamum Melongena (Japanese Pickling Eggplant): Originating in India, mass produced in 7 countries, China being first. Stops formation of cancer causing free radicals, lower cholesterol and is a valuable source of folic acid and potassium.

Brassica Juncea (Rosette Green Tatsoi):

Ocimum Basilicum (Genovese Sweet Basil)

Beta Vulgaris (Golden Chard)

Borago officinalis (Borage): A unique flower which can be used in teas and soups for its subtle flavour but immense nutritional value. Can also be used as an emollient and diuretic.

Cucurbita Maxima (Buttercup Squash)

Citrullus Lanatus (Bsh Snakeskin Watermelon)

Matricaria Recutita (Chamomile)

Petroselinium Crispum (Forest Green Parsley)

Tanacetum Parthenium (Feverfew)

Phaseolus Vulgaris (Italian Pole Bean)

Zea Mays (Stowell’s Sweet Corn)

Pisum Saltivium (Sugar Snap Peas)

The Cuba Equation: Can an Island be an Island in Today's Economy?

2008-10-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Every urban agriculture enthusiast has derived a bit of that optimism from Cuba. Granted, the government leaves much to be desired, but what has happened in regards to food production is nothing short of amazing. Pre-1980s/90s, Cuba had some of the finest agricultural machinery available in the world, right in line with communist theory- that agricultural equipment was what saved the peasants from hard day labor and allowed them to do more academic and socialist activities that would put everyone at more or less the same class level. But then in the early 1990s when Cuba had no support left from the fallen Eastern bloc nations and the US enacted a rigid embargo on goods from Cuba, Cuba practically drowned in its isolation. As Bill McKibben writes in the Cuba Diet, Cuba became a real island..."not just surrounded by water, but something much more rare: an island outside the international economic system," in which everyone waited for its collapse. Which, in some ways, it did. Without oil, infrastructure collapsed. Without tools, entire industries and markets collapsed. Without food, the elder and weak collapsed. And that seems to be around teh point in time (mid 1990s), that innovation began taking place. People began to produce food on whatever land they could. They consulted the hungry elders on how to grow things and produced food on top of buildings, inside apartment buildings, and effectively staved off mass starvation and death. Today, over 115,000 people are employed by the metropolitian farming system.

While most Cubans still feel unfairly treated and cut-off from the world, their food system seems to be the most ecologically undisruptive in the world. When free trade hits Cuba, no one knows if it will keep its roots or turn the way of the world in industrialization (all over again...what lessons would be learned?!) of food. Maybe, in the face of oil shortages and environmental/social/economic damage done and attributed to malpractice in agribusiness in the developed world we could learn a little something from Cuba.

Insight into Industrial/ Export Agriculture and CAFTA

2008-10-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

--Poor Farmers Starve, Rich Landowners Who Don't Even Farm Get $1.3 BILLION in Subsidies--

Between 2001 and 2006, the US government handed out nearly $100 BILLION in crop subsidies to farmers, more than $17 billion annually (US Department of Agriculture, 2007), required by the Farm Bill, which has evolved in a questionable manner since its inception in FDR's New Deal. Sounds like a wonderful plan and a lot of money going towards farmers, huh? Funny that just the opposite has occured (perfect example of how the Bush administration can disillusion the public: similar example: make a law allowing even more pollution to enter the atmosphere and name it the "Clean Air Act"). When this law requiring the federal government to subsidize agriculture was passed by the New Deal in the 1930s, there were several million small farms in the US and the majority of the population lived and worked on those farms that produced food for the nation and an income. Today, the small farm has all but gone extinct and the 150,000 farms that exist account for nearly 3/4 of farm sales, only 2% of the USA population still living on farms (US Census, 2005). In 75 years, the USDA has been bought out by completely by corporate food producers: large corporate farms get the largest portion of subsidy money, despite their already financial robustness and their reluctance to pay fair wages to immigrant laborers and their increasing reliance on mechanical labor. Small farmers get next to nothing, have an actual relationship with the land and how to farm, and have a hard time paying their property taxes and are eventually bought out by the agribusinesses that have monopolized the entire countryside.

Now, this should but rarely does make the domestic farmer pissed off and up in arms with agricultural policy (for Goddess knows what reason---but I think we can probably blame the right wing press that fattens rural America with its news and then turns around and feeds rural America to corporate America...Sigh...Let it Come to An End, Please!) But it DEFINATELY makes the international farm community angry!

Here in Central America, after DR-CAFTA (Dominican Republic and Central Amerian Free Trade Agreement) was passed, farmers started to realize what a bad idea it was to open their markets to international consumers: they're prices and crops are simultaneously devalued and over produced. Subsidies within rich countries like the USA have made producing certain crops more expensive than not producing anything at all (quite different from the situation in the STates, where even people who live on fallow farms get paid half a million dollars/decade--for not doing ANYTHING...read the Washington Post series on AG subsidies, Sundays, July 2-December 28, 2006). Farmers in the US, on average, recieve around $21,000/yearly to produce crops such as corn, soy, wheat and rice. Farmers in poor countries who were sold on the idea of CAFTA because they believed they would have more consumers for their product, recieve little or no subsidy money and couldn't even sell it at cost. Mexican peasants have formed the EZLN and have brought international attention to the injustice of NAFTA. The situation in Africa is even worse.

Despite the prices not having anything to do with supply and demand, farmers are compelled both in the global south and in the US to continue to produce as much as possible, using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and soil-compacting heavy machinery, all of which have had a huge impact on the environment--again, globally and in the US.

I hope this sheds a little light onto the darkness that is industrialization and corporatization of our most basic need as humans: food. I hope this also gives the reader some idea of why A Call to Farms was started and what its future mission is: to continue implementing community food projects in the name of cultural and food sovereignty, strengthening local economies rather than greedy multinational companies, and to have a good time playing in the dirt while we begin to understand how much work it takes to feed ourselves sustainably, in fairness to our own health as well as the earth.

Thanks for reading! Any suggestions or confusion, please say so! I know I get carried away in my debate and have no problem providing source information or clarifying what I mean!

Absolutely Perfect Next Step!

2008-10-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

After haggling for the mayor and municipalities support (in order to apply for certain grants) for two weeks, daily and with nonstop optimism...being told to come back tomorrow a hundred times...I finally found someone to help me bypass them!

Let me backtrack: the municipality (here we just call it "la muni") promised a piece of land to me about two weeks ago, when I presented the project to them. They were 12 men, sitting in a half circle around me, laughing at me and talking in Tzutujil (the indigenous language) the entire time, but did I care? F-No! I got land! They can laugh all they want....And they did...when I returned the following day and the following day and the following day when they told me "manana, manana, manana"....Each day when I shut the door to their office after being told "tomorrow" again, I heard them laughing and it boiled my blood. Not good for the little egg inside :) I was feeling super defeated and my small room has turned into a greenhouse with plants going nowhere....

But! Today I did a second round on all the people/businesses/schools I had given a printed proposal to about a week ago and found that the director (a woman! YAY!) of the largest public school in town (a bit out of town, actually) was really excited and upset that I had left no contact information (no cell phone yet) on the flyer. She immediately agreed to the plan and gave me free reign over a large tract of land--even during the next two months when the kids aren't in school (they have two months "vacation," which is actually when they go to work with their parents). So not only do I have land, I have land on which to work unsupervised for the next two months! I have still to work on the design of the lot, consult with the permaculture institute nearby and start up the informative newsletter that will accompany the project!!

As far as design goes, so far I have a definate plan (and seeds) for only two beds. The first is a native species which includes medicinals such as cataria and mint and aloe as well as edibles such as chipilin and hierba buena. The internship with the permaculture institute helped me to learn alot about native species-their uses and significance both environmentally and socially. For example, because they are native to the region, they have survived on their own, they are low-maintenance plants. They're integral to the landscape and serve a purpose to the native environment (are either a vital link in the native food chain or serve as habitat for something else that is) plus they don't need any inputs such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides or water.

A number of native species have all but disappear from the table and homes of the Tzutujil people through the industrialization and globalization of food and fodder, which is a sad occurence. Perfect example is amarynth, an important flowering grass that has thrived here for..ever, was burned in large quantities when the Spanish conquistadors arrived to what is now Guatemala in the mid 1500s. They called it a weed and the people who ate it, filthy savages. In reality, the plant contains vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin B6, vitamin C, riboflavin, and folate, and dietary minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese and the Maya of this region were very smart to have been using it to make their tortillas from. The plant is used around the world for a grain, a vegetable, a dying component and as an ornamental...I'm guessing that the Spanish knew its potency and also figured that by debasing the food, they could debase the culture and own the people...

For some reason, multinational companies such as Wal-Mart and Procter and Gamble have been just as convincing these past few decades that there product is better than the one in the backyard and many people have run to the store, while their land is taken and developed into producing mass quantities of other things for that same greedy global market. The goal of the native garden is to re-emphasize the importance and utilization of the very plants that have sustained this lifestyle and culture for millinia.

The other bed I have already aquired seeds for will be planted with foods used in the school lunchs--common foods eaten here such as types of squash, root vegetables, corn and beans (of course!) The idea here is to offset the costs of the school having to purchase the foods and also for the kids to understand how to grow the foods themselves and possibly begin home gardens (especially when we go into our container gardening segment!)

Thanks for reading this quick update!
Emiy

Paypal Account Info

2008-10-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

In order to donate money, you need to do the following:

Go to Paypal.com, Click on add Funds
The key to adding to my account is my email, which is
emily.zielke@gmail.com

Thanks alot and let me know if you have any questions!

2008-10-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

I HAVE PAYPAL! Okay, people, I have done the hard part of asking for donations...please help and donate!

Here are three options:
1. Sponsor one student at $17. I'll keep track of this student's progress/lot in the garden and send you pictures, quotes, random tidbits monthly.
2. Purchase a newsletter subscription! At $25 for three months I will provide you with a pretty newsletter with all the stuff you need to know about good food and bad agribusiness and all things related to revolutions!
3. At $100, me love you long time. At this level of funding, I will send you a newsletter or two, photos of the garden project and updates as often as I make them. If you're giving this much, you're allowing this project to continue operating--I've found volunteer translaters, but still looking to give some money to the local tour guides who can teach about native plants and how to seed them, etc. Also, the internet and printing costs will be covered with your money.

Thanks so much! LEt me know who is interested in donating and at what level!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR READING!!

Great New Update!

2008-10-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

After a very unsuccessful attempt at getting cooperation from the school (the director is not too happy to deal with a woman unless he's in completely charge), I marched straight to the Mayor's office. And I waited for the mayor! I finally got to speak with him, explain the entire project and reasoning behind Huertos Escolares (School Gardens) and he is donating a piece of land (albeit small and far) for the project! Granted, I got the meeting because I'm a cute gringa...but I'll take it while I can (which...at 5.5 months pregnant won't be long)!

This brings so much more freedom to the farm to school program and the class can take FIELD TRIPS to the farm! I'm so excited to start transplanting what I've already started growing, which is two types of Squash, two types of tomatoes, amaranth, pole beans, some local strands of cabbage and sunflowers! YES! I've never started a garden from nothing before...any tips are welcomed! I will be consulting the permaculture institute nearby before doing anything!

I cannot put into words how happy I am about this small victory. Screw it, LARGE victory! By the way, if you think a successful meeting with the mayor of a town of less than 20,000 people is not a big deal--look who's running for VP of the United States! Ha!

Proyecto Huertos Escolares/ School Garden Project: Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

2008-10-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

In this first entry, I'll be brief as possible and introduce myself and my current project.

Me first: My name is Emily Zielke. I'm a recent graduate of a double MA program at American University (Natural Resource Management/ Sustainability and International Development) and in studying for those two masters degrees, I learned alot about my own personal strengths....which are, to say the least, not inside a classroom. I prefer and excel at working at the grassroots level, where I am constantly learning and facing challenges.

Learning and facing challenges has long been my favorite thing in life, in fact if there are no challenges ahead of me, I tend to create them! Out of this bad habit came lots of trials (yes, even the court-kind) and tribulations, but over time, I've learned to pick my battles more inteligently and those that may come with solutions. Some of my most inspirational and important experiences have been volunteering and working with "at risk" innercity kids in Chicago, working with sustainable and natural building professionals, an internship at a permaculture institute and spending time amoung the Maya of Guatemala.

Currently, I'm working on building farm to school linkages at the public school here in San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala for many reasons. To grow food at and for the school will save the school much-needed money. By law in Guatemala, each primary school that holds kids in classes for over 5 hours must serve them some sort of snack or lunch. Unfortunately, the kids in this school get a small snack only a couple days a week, usually Kellogg's brand Corn Flakes and milk, which comes in powdered form and is mixed with store-bought water. These young kids are a major contributor of the household and plantation work done by each family to earn wages. If they aren't at school, they're working hard and have barely the amount of nutrition needed for a kid who sits in front of the television all evening, let alone one hauling wood and buckets of coffee beans or other produce for export.

This particular area is breathtakingly beautiful and rich in natural resources. Unfortunately, 50 years of civil war (backed by the CIA—and if you think this is some kind of conspiracy theory, please read any book on the subject published after the 1970s or better yet, go straight to the CIA website and read the admission-justification for supporting ethnic cleansing here in Guatemala and also in Nicaragua put those natural resources in the wrong hands. The Maya have lived in this area for thousands of years and experienced many hardships, from natural disasters and conflicts with indigenous groups , but most of the damage has been violence and oppression by foreign exploitation. When multinational financing agencies such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund began encouraging and selling the idea that countries who lived primarily at subsistence-level should start exporting their raw materials to the US and European countries in order to lift themselves out of poverty, the exact opposite occurred. Several countries were just beginning to work in a democratic manner, electing leadership through popular vote, when these international agencies promoting global free markets saw that their primary pushers' interests were at stake and intervened…sometimes violently. In Guatemala, that happened in 1954. United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was the largest landowner in all of Central America. Several of its acreage was not being used and the fairly elected president began pushing legislation that required that land be bought by the government and redistributed to the people who lived there previously (UFC was able to purchase it cheaply and easily as there had been no land titling system before—there was no need for one when the indigenous groups farmed it communally). The CIA backed a coup that overthrew the reformist president and implemented one that led to 40 years of murder and pillage of indigenous people, their land, their lifestyle, their culture and their food, all in the name of a free-market economy in which only the rich have benefitted. Unfortunately that same export and free market plan to reduce poverty is still in effect and areas that could be producing food for families is producing coffee and other luxury items for export although the prices are always dropping. After seeing the first hand effects, I know why the US and western right wingers are the only ones who still support it.

The two degrees which I recently obtained from American University (Natural Resource Management and International Development) focused primarily on economic and environmental policies and on the sweeping movements which have led to our current disastrous situation. I decided to start with small local movements. No one solution works everywhere and having already spent some time working here in Guatemala on an internship last year I decided to work on a few of the issues I learned about:

1. 1. The ill-advised missions to globalize the community. Increasingly you see Coca-Cola and other processed packaged foods among the younger generation. This is a lot more harmful than it sounds for a community that has rarely had to deal with non-organic garbage and does not yet have a waste disposal or treatment plan. The imported garbage, ahem…foods usually end up in Lake Atitlan…which has lost 25 feet of visibility in the last 10 years. These kinds of foods and items have been introduced through the Evangelical missionaries that have been sending missions here for decades (now including teenage missionaries that are flashy with their I-pods, fancy cars and lots of money), as well as tourism, both domestic and international. I myself do not have the ability to stop missionaries or tourism, but I do think that they can have a positive impact (at least the conventional tourists—the Evangelicals are known to proclaim that they are "saving" these backwards people). We can have a positive impact by teaching the mistakes OUR societies have learned in industrialization (farmers not valued enough, dead zone in Gulf caused by agrochemicals, monocultures that have destroyed several ecosystems and put species on the endangered and exist list, etc) and by participating in empowering events, such as my ecology project! The project's main focus is the native-species garden, which is/will be taught in part by local elders. Tzutujil elders know nearly everything there is to know about the natural world in this region and according to them, the world was (and still is, in some areas) teeming with medicine, nourishment and other fodder that should be chosen over multinational pharmaceutical and food companies.

2. 2. Subsistence farmers think they can no longer farm for their own families because they don't have land and were forced into urban areas (also, if you think ´force´ is too harsh a word, please read ANYTHING on urbanization—know that these people and the majority of the poor in urban areas today do NOT wish to be there). But that skepticism simply isn't true: Havana, Cuba has shown us that urban areas can produce food. 90% of Havana's residents eat food that they have grown themselves. Cuba's situation came about when it was cut off from the world supply of agricultural machinery, biotechnology and world markets. Now is this generations chance to make the switch to sustainable lifestyles through food BEFORE catastrophe hits. There have been very successful and far-reaching urban garden projects in Hong Kong, Moscow, LA, NYC, and Portland. Container gardens, such as this small one we are doing in the school, are a great way to start. And materials (tires, large buckets which cement powder is delivered in, any old makeshift container) come easy and save landfill space.

3. 3. Malnourished children. It simply isn't right to see such skinny, hard-working children eating chips and drinking pop. It is heartbreaking and no matter the politics and economics behind it, no one should stand by and watch. This is my little chance to feed people, because I love people and my family taught me that if you love someone, you put good food in their mouth…

Well..... this is the story of what I'm doing and why I am that person in your life…friend or family member…sending mass emails to everyone they know, asking for money to support their cause. I totally understand every negation, just thought I should try this one avenue (of course, I'm also applying for several grants). Everyone that I know and admire for self-started projects have also had to do this...it´s hard to ask for money from the people you know, much harder than asking for money from foundations (which I am ALSO doing and have earned one small grant already, specifically for introducing ecology courses to the school).

Please send this to anyone you think may be interested or could donate: university students studying sustainable development, international travelers or development workers, gardeners that may have ideas to share, rich people with so much money they don't know what to do with it….(I don't think anyone I know is closely tied to these people…just a thought) I need time and work donations, too!

Money is needed for the following reasons, if you feel stronger about one avenue than another, do say so and I'll make sure that your money goes to what you want it to as well as photographs and brief updates on that particular area of the project.

· Media Outreach: As I search for volunteers and materials, I spend about two hours on the internet a day and also have to print numerous documents to post around town. This has gotten to be one of my primary costs. I've also started writing a newsletter focused loosely around the project and the importance of food and native species, in general. I would like to distribute these to a wider audience and will hopefully in the future have local advertisers to help pay for printing and volunteer writer/photographer/artist/cartoonist contributions.

· Labor: I would like to give a stipend to two local people who are contributing their time and knowledge in the classroom and in the garden. I'm also looking for someone to translate documents (to Spanish AND Tzutujil) that would be useful in explaining the project to local nonprofits and organizations that may want to cooperate or sponsor the project.

· Tools: I have enough tools for myself but would like to provide the school with some additional tools (4-5 small handheld shovels, 30 pairs gardening gloves, for the students to work together when I or any other supervisor is not around. Part of the magic of gardening is discussing your own personal lessons and comparing it to what others think, know, have learned.

· Art Supplies: A side project of this one is to make the school garden fun for the kids and to intertwine the students artwork with the beauty of nature and growing life. Tzutujil art is beautiful and rare and has all but vanished from the school and homes, as they focus heavily on Western science and math. Bringing art into schools can rejuvenate excitement about learning. Examples of some projects I have in mind are painting the containers (first up, those ugly decrepit tires), dying materials with dye plants and flowers native to the area, and artful constructions to place in gardens (would really like to use only garbage to emphasize reusing/recycle ideology, so hopefully this one is costless), and anything else the kids come up with.

Thanks for reading everyone. I wish I could offer some kind of support to you, instead of just asking for a donation. If I can do anything for you or in exchange, please let me know! If you disagree with my projects and point above and would like to talk to me about anything, please do that as well. I´m open and ready to hear other sides.

Also, please consider visiting and volunteer work as a donation-vacation as well!! In mid-month December 2008, I am holding a fundraiser at a VERY popular local bar/restaurant (ask Google: Buddha Bar, San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala) and will be auctioning stuff, there will be music (2 acts-one blues and one solo acoustic guitar/singer) and for purchasing an entry ticket, a complimentary package of random herbs (some medicinal, some for cooking). It's a long way to go for a party, but totally worth it! Consider it!

Since I have no way of collecting money that may be donated to the project, please just write me back and tell me a pledge amount, preference for area to put the money towards and together, we can figure out a way to get it to me here. I have contacts in Washington and also in my family that have access to my banking account and information. Or, I have recently set up a PayPal account and can also accept donations this way.

I will continue sending updates, newsletters and achievements of the project. Please help, if you can. If you can´t, do not worry! I have faith that where there is a will there is a way. And in this case, there is a will and a necessity, so things will surely take off soon!

I welcome letters, postcards, information on similar projects but PLEASE do not send money to the following snail mail address.

Emily Zielke "Proyecto Huertos Escolares"

Lista de Correos

San Pedro la Laguna 07018

Solola Guatemala

Centroamerica