Otra Fe April Report: Planting Prep for Rainy Season, Chicken Project

Noé, a member of the Atehucía agriculture group,
showing off the fully developed squash plants.
This was the first dry season planting
on the plot in the El Molino estuary.

The days when I receive the Otra Fe monthly reports are the best days. As I'm going through my International Development class, I find myself being able to relate so much of my learning to what is happening within this project. Jim tells us they are closer to establishing the not-for-profit status. I am excited for life to slow down so I can get more involved again. Perhaps once my course is finished.

We still need to have a better alternative than renting land down there. Does anyone have a few hundred thousand dollars they would like to part with, for a sustainable food security project? Wink, wink. Let me know.

In the meantime, visit the Otra Fe Blog here to read about how they are finding land to rent and taking better care of chickens than ever before, resulting in improved production of eggs and meat. And make sure to click on the reports for the pictures!

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GMO OMG

I know people don't like these types of posts, but today, when organic beef & dairy in Canada is threatened by GM alfalfa, I had to rant.

I'm also in quite a bad mood about this, so not ready to hear my sarcasm or frustration? Or don't like my opinion? Don't read it. However, I'd rather be disliked for standing up for something I believe in and talking about it, rather than liked for keeping quiet.

Today I've felt on the brink of tears and utterly heartsick by what is happening in our world with GMOs. This is one of the biggest dupes that a company has pulled in the history of the world. And you better believe there are just a few pockets that are being completely FILLED by it.

What sucks? That some Canadian farmers feel under attack by this argument against GMOs, since it would mean they'd have to change their entire operation. But the truth is - we LOVE farmers. You grow the food of the world, for sure. More people should be like you. And we should all be responsible for coming to a solution that would work to change Canadian farming practices.

What's the worst? That enough people don't care about their own health enough to take a long hard look at the facts (and more importantly, the facts we don't know, hence why GM foods shouldn't be on our shelves anyways) to not let GM foods become a staple in Canada. We need to start talking about it more and thinking of solutions together. There should be town think-tank meetings on this and coffee shop chatter. Yet in many places, it's dead silent because we don't want to face the bad news.

What's the bad news? Huge CHEMICAL companies have taken over our food supply.
And the medical world.

The way I honestly view it? It fits up there in the level of crimes against humanity.

People say, "there's nothing I can do about it." But the truth is that YOU CAN do little things every single day that will eventually add up. Things like doing a bit of research, buying new brands and shopping at your farmers market (even then, you don't know for sure if it hasn't been affected by GM. Look for organic.) I'm not a purist by any means, but I try to be more educated in my purchase decisions. You can even plant a few herbs or veggies that you eat all the time so no one but YOU controls how they are grown. Step by step, day by day, it becomes easier to live a life free of GMO's. It just means committing to something that's bigger than yourself. It means making one small step everyday. It means caring.

The argument "But GMO's are the only way we'll feed the world."

That is such bullshit. I'm so tired of that argument.

Yes, the population is growing at an alarming rate. But there is tons of land that is unnecessarily used for so many other things than growing food.

And there is ample space all over the world for us to grow the food required to feed ourselves.

Would it mean changing diets possibly? Maybe.

Would it mean starting to care less about parking lots and more about soil conservation? Yep, likely.

But going back to growing our own food is one way to help feed the world.

Oh and the argument "We don't even know yet if GM foods are harmful!"

Yay. We don't know yet just how bad they are for us. Notice how many horrible diseases exist today that didn't even ten years ago? Or how much more prevalent allergies are? How many gluten free kids do you know? I had never heard of that term three years ago and now I can name twenty. I'm not only blaming that on GM foods, but man, we just said we didn't know what they've caused except I know they've only been around for about 20-30 years, and I've never heard of someone's grandmother being celiac. Freaky coincidence?

And from the research that has been done, I don't know. Crazy tumours and terrible diseases just don't seem like good "maybe this is what they do" results to me.

It might also mean that we have to re-think the way that we inhabit the earth. Do we each really need a three story home with five cars and two TVs and three laptops and four cell phones? Why do you think "snowbirds" fly south for the winter? Or why our ancestors followed the animals south during the cold season. To maintain a food supply? Makes sense. Can you pack up a three story home and everything in it each winter? Probably not. So perhaps let's look at living a bit simpler with the opportunity to adjust (I know everyone will think I'm completely nuts for this one. Yes I know my gypsy lifestyle won't work for everyone.)

Look I know the times have changed and not everyone has a job where they can follow weather patterns to wherever the animals roam or not everyone can grow their own food or some people legitimately need to be as busy as they are and cannot afford to do the research on this (that last one's a lie, everyone can do a bit of research on it). But maybe other solutions mean developing co-operative partnerships with the South for the cold seasons here? I'm not saying everything about technology is bad - hell transportation is necessary for me to see my family. Maybe we send them excess food during our growing season and they us, when they have it? It's really just about the making the point that there are a lot MORE solutions than injecting our food with chemicals to feed the world and relying on more and more stuff rather than the basics.

The other thing I've heard with GM foods is "We're going to be sustainable in feeding the world's population."

How can it be sustainable if farmers in poor countries around the world can't afford it? Did you know that you have to purchase new seed every year with Monsanto? How is that sustainable? What about synthetic fertilizers - they require the mining of materials that we're going to run out of? How does that solve a long-term problem? The real story is this: If Farmer A's crops blow into (organic) Farmer B's fields (oh so likely esp. with GM alfalfa) then Farmer B therefore gets sued? Sued? How is that sustainable?

Or the bees dying. Yeah. That should help us and our environment live a long and healthy life - let's kill the one organism that gives everything life!

I personally work with a group of farmers in El Salvador who have been stripped of their power to grow food for their families when they were forced to use Monsanto-and-friends seed, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. We are fighting now to get heritage seed back for them, to use organic fertilizers (like compost & manure, which is readily available from a natural cycle and need not be mined) and pesticides to take their power back so they can simply grow food to feed their families.

Oh, so when you said that it's going to help us feed the world, did you mean that GM foods will help NORTH AMERICANS feed the world? Because that's probably what some people are saying...but that's not a solution. That's another showcase of our greed, our ridiculous "we do everything best" mentality and a great example of caring about only one thing: not families or people or health, or actual sustainable solutions, but about the bottom line.

To be really honest, I'm sad and I'm sick and I'm scared for the future of our food supply that is controlled and dominated by a chemical company. Why shouldn't you be?

Oh, and if me being scared doesn't help, everyone believes Dr. Oz. See how Dr. Oz is trying to bring light to the subject by having the Director of GMO OMG on his program here >> 

And watch the trailer below. At this point, this documentary doesn't surprise me at all. Hey, if a few years from now we finally get some studies where they say GM foods don't hurt you at all and can be naturally sustained, call me crazy and bring on the apple-that-doesn't-turn-brown and the food that doesn't rot. Until then, please leave the choice up to me.

GMO OMG Trailer from Compeller Pictures on Vimeo.

Sources:
DavidSuzuki.org
http://geneticroulettemovie.com/

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Otra Fe March Report: Organic Fertilisers, Soil Care, Chicken & Egg

I continue to be blown away by the efforts of Otra Fe in El Salvador. Our own agronomist, Otoniel, writes these amazing monthly reports that summarize the activities going on down there and sends pictures where possible. Here is March's report below. 

Remember this is a small group of campecino's who decided to come together as a co-operative and create opportunities for themselves where none really existed. This is a story of perseverance. 

Report of activities carried out in Atehuecia Community: 

5th of March:
On this date the Atehuecia farming group met to discuss preparing the fields for the new period of agricultural production that will begin in the month of April with the goal being that the fields would be ready whenever the first rains come, perhaps very early in May. The conversation included the theme of tilling and caring for the land and its significance for today and for the future. Pastor Felix Lino accompanied the meeting.

12th of March:
This meeting took place in Chancuyo with the purpose of organising ourselves so that other persons would not burn their fields, and also to explain to other farmers the damage that is done to the earth when the vegetation left in the soil after the harvest is burned.

22nd of March:
Brother Felix Lino gathered the farming group to continue the work of consciousness raising with the families concerning the use of organic fertilisers making use of local resources such as the organic residuals obtained from their own households. The experience of some members of the group was also shared. These had  produced their own fertilisers using the residue from the harvest of the beans, shucked corn cobs, chaff from rice, and manure.

2nd of March:
We organised a get together to make organic fertilisers, using cobs, manure, ashes from the wood-burning stoves, and the remains from the bean harvest. 10 farmers participated in the event. The experience was later reproduced for 5 more families.

16th of March:
On this date we had the great experience of visiting 4 families in the homes and on their fields in order to see and know how the family fertiliser production is making out.

Report of activities carried out in Monte El Padre Community, and with the farmers in San Diego hacienda.

Generally speaking, the activities in both places have been oriented toward attending to the needs of the farmers (men and women) in their household tasks of looking after their chicken and egg project, principally helping with the reproduction of chicks. We also have been involved in the activities surrounding the search for land to cultivate this year. Preparation of land is already underway. There follows the detail of the principal activities.

14th of March:
Monte El Padre community meeting where we reflected on the condition of the land on the new plots that each of the families have rented or leased for the harvest in 2013, and, in order to preserve the small amount of debris that has been left on the ground, we are mounting a local campaign to explain to the neighboring farmers the damage it does to the ground when it is burned on the field.

20th of March:
In the hacienda San Diego a visit was made to promote soil care when performing the initial tasks of land preparation, mainly recommending that they prevent their land from being damaged by fire caused by other neighboring farmers.

Brother Juan Ramón constantly is talking to the farmers about "the soil that produces life." It is important to emphasise the constant participation of men and women in the meetings and activities that have been conducted.

8th of March
We performed follow-up visits to poultry houses in order to check the overall health of the chickens and check their nutritional status and egg production. We verified also that compliance with the meal plan has been recommended.

As a product of the new meal plan in March there was a daily average of 6 eggs per hen and there was also chicken and mature hens for meat more often than last year.

22nd of March:
We performed the first vaccination campaign for adult birds (over 18 weeks) that were near the beginning of producing eggs, and for chickens and small cocks aged from 4 to 17 weeks. That day a total of 125 birds were vaccinated.

23rd of March:
The second day of poultry vaccination was conducted on this date and a total of 170 were vaccinated since a vaccination of fowl in the neighborhood was implemented as a precaution to prevent outbreaks of diseases caused by viruses. On both days we had the support of the local team led by Don Armando Sandoval.

The photograph shows the visit to one of the families
that have begun to experience the production of organic
fertiliser. Although it will not be sufficient for their plot,
it will begin to improve the fertility of this year. 

Brother Noah (2nd from left) shows the state of
decomposition of his compost to Agronomist Otoniel.

Brother Toño (right) already produced compost last year,
but this year he is producing double the fertiliser
to apply to all of his land, on which
he grows corn, beans, rice, cassava and some vegetables. 

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December in the Food Security Project

December was an exciting month for the project...there was growth in the areas of non-traditional methods of farming, as well as legitimate benefits of organic fertilizers showing their colours.

From the report of our Agronomist:

On December 4th, as part of the Otra Fe team's interest in searching out non traditional activities or options in the area of production and sale of foods, we went to visit a tilapia breeding project on the outskirts of the village of San Pablo Tacachinco, about 35 kms south west of the city of Santa Ana. There we had the opportunity to learn in great detail all the different aspects of raising and comercializing tilapia. Our purpose is to broach this idea in communities that have a sufficient water resource the possibility of developing in the medium term a project that would give them the opportunity to better their quality of life. This was also a good opportunity for training for the team.

On December 12-19 y 26 meetings were held in Monte El Padre and Hacienda El Milagro in Texistepeque, as well as in Hacienda San Diego (near Metapan) with the goal of explaining in detail the benefits obtained in the soil by using organic fertilizers consistently. In 2013 it is proposed to put this to the test in a more extensive program. (I love this update because it's the first for sure we've seen about using organic fertilizers.)

Check out the photos & project report here (warning: it is a versión de español)

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Updates on Food Security Project in El Salvador

Here are some highlights from the October and November updates from the fields of El Salvador. Our Agronomist, Otoniel, is the one sending updates and we thank him sincerely. Muchas gracias mi amigo!

(I'm still working on my Spanish as I found a class in Kelowna to take...and I hope to visit the fields again this summer - money and time provided.)

October 4: The project “Otra Fe” in the community Monte El Padre is causing interest among other groups of farmers, which is why we met on October 4 (Juan Ramón and Otoniel) with twenty-five farmers who cultivate small plots on the farm "El Milagro"in the jurisdiction of Texistepeque to share the vision of short, medium and long term goals that the project has in the technical area and in the area of farm values for family and community.

October 20: Accompanied by eight farmers from the community Monte El Padre we conducted a technical inspection of second planting crops. We walked seven and a half kilometres to visit twelve plots cultivated with millet, squash and pipián squash which, thanks to the dedication of the farmers are developing well, with the assurance of receiving the expected harvest at the end of 2012.

October 30: (This is my FAVOURITE kind of update to get!!!)
With the presence of Pastor Juan Ramon and attended by 25 people, men and women, meeting of subsistence farmers was held (in San Diego) to talk about "community organization" to fight for the improvement of community health, education and food production. At the end of the meeting, the group chose a local board to represent them in present and future actions taken by the community.

On November 30 Ramon Ramirez met with the group of farmers to have a motivational talk in relation to building harmonious community relationships and the local work of mutual aid and solidarity as basic practice in community development.

Also on November 30th, the group met to give thanks for the blessing obtained through the harvest. Pastor Felix Lino pondered with the male and female farmers about the product obtained from the earth and responsibility to work the land and care for it.

Religious or not, it's important to give thanks to the Universe / God / Buddha / Nature / Krishna or whomever you care too for the food that the Earth provides for us. What a special responsibility we've been given.

Gregorio Escalante shows off his bean plants.
He has had a good harvest & there will be food for the family!

A group of farmers visiting Don Beto's plot of mustard
seedings - a new crop for him.

The hard work of bean harvest.

Read the October report in full >>

Read the November report in full >>

To visit the Otra Fe website and to see all the reports, click here >>

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Reflection on my time away

On my last day in Ahuchapan, we were invited to speak at a campecino meeting in a squatters village. As we walked in, I recognized several of the farmers as those that we have seen over the past weeks - in the fields and in the community. The meeting was to discuss the opportunity for the clinic here to become a working project again - and about the Food Security project. On this last day, a very special moment occurred:

Jim & Felix were speaking (as I am still a-stuttering away in Spanish) and one of the gentlemen in the crowd motioned for me to come and sit between him and my favourite special lady - Maria - on a bench in the front row. Things slowed down for me a bit as I walked over, sat down, hugged Maria and gave her kisses and thanked him for inviting me in. It was a moment of being invited to sit with them, rather than stand apart from them. As I sat there, listening with the rest of them, tears came to my eyes because I felt for once that the difference between us evaporated - and just for a moment - I was one of them.

Our last morning in the fields.
To supply each of the campecinos one manzana
- just enough for their family & them -
we would need to fundraise between $150,000 - $450,000. 

The clinic building that is currently abandoned, but
ready to be fixed up provided we could find doctors and
medicine.

Our community meeting. Faces of the heartbeat of ES.

So how do you begin to digest these intensive weeks I've had here? I've received big real life lessons in sociology, philosophy, theology, geography, agronomy and international development. There is a long road ahead of me over the coming days and weeks and months as I get my situation at home worked out. However, a number of priceless knowledge has been given to me and my heart - just as I felt coming home six months ago from India.

I love how every conversation I've been having lately - be it with the community here, with the Canadians that were here building stoves, with my sister or with my friends that I met on the other side of the world - comes back to how we can make a sustainable difference in our own lives and the lives of those around us. And that starts with basic needs. We need to shift the way we are eating as we are causing ourselves all kinds of diseases. We need to shift the way we take care of Mother Earth as environmentally, again, we are causing all kinds of diseases and unrest...when in fact we are given this fertile earth that can grow amazing foods - without chemicals of any kind (unless you buy Monsanto-plagued seeds) - to nourish ourselves and our family. If each family had a little plot of land, a garden and some training, we would all eat well and be fully taken care of.

It's almost as if we need to revert back to simpler times, keeping our knowledge and advancements where they serve humanity only. It means nurturing Mother Earth to provide for us only what we need and then giving back to her where we can. It means if I have a dollar in my pocket - and you have none - I give you a quarter to get started. To share and live equally and in harmony. This is true abundance.

Abundance is not in having "things". It comes in having conversations and living in community. Abundance is having enough food to nourish our bellies and conversation, community and love to nourish our souls.

In going to Central America, in simply taking notes and giving a few smiles and organizing the project a wee little bit, I have given a tiny bit of myself. Yet, I have been given so much. I've been given the gift of reflection and appreciation for my own life, family and friends. I've been given lessons in what it means to truly live and thrive off of a tiny amount. I've been given the gift of renewal in my faith for a better world...if only we can all work together to make that happen.

Do I have to go back to my job? Yes. Do I like what I do everyday? Sure, most days. But in the end, does it give me the means to connect with others, to thrive in a communal workplace where we try to rise up for the greater good - that is left up to me to ensure. It could, if I work with the right type of clients who are wanting to do the right type of good out there. But does my job give me the means to try to continue on now, one step at a time, with my life? Yes. And as I figure out over the coming months where I'm going to move and what I'm going to do, I'm grateful for this.

And where will I go with this gigantic development project that still goes on down in El Salvador? Well, I need to find what skills I can give best to it. That makes me think it's important to look at when I was happiest there. And that's easy, in two situations do I feel really excited and happy: 1) in organizing the projects and getting a handle on what is being done, what has been done, and what needs to be done. In making sense of the chaos. This is the business side of me coming out. 2) in walking with the people. I simply feel my best when setting one foot beside the other with the campecinos and their families.

So what does that mean for next year? I have the opportunity to go down for a much longer time...to live and thrive within the community and to handle some of the project management. I'm not sure how I would make it work as this would not be a paid job, but from what I've seen, anything is possible. I just need Warren Buffett to read this blog and consider me as an investment...

In the Mayan calendar, the 13th baktun is ending. A cycle of 5,125 days. In December, we'll be starting the next cycle on this planet and from what I've heard, it's going to be one much more focused on how we can undo the hurts that we've laid on Mother Earth and start to thrive together.

The times...they are a changin'. 

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