IDEX Program Officer, Katherine Zavala recently traveled to Mexico on field visits to our grantees there.

This morning I got up early, to commute for 2 hours on public transportation. I was traveling from my family’s home, in northern Mexico City to Iztapalapa, which is at the southern point of the city to visit El Molino. Thank goodness for the subway, which at least cuts out the road traffic.

El Molino started an urban agriculture project last year to grow affordable organic produce for their neighborhoods to create self-sufficiency and better health. When I arrived the group had just finished harvesting tomatoes and string beans. It was amazing how big and beautiful this produce was in comparison to what I usually see in the supermarkets.

8 community members showed up today to harvest. They then buy the produce for their homes and to sell to their neighbors. Silvia, who is the cashier of the group, explained that all the money from selling the produce is invested back into this project.

The goal of the communal agricultural garden, where the group learns urban agriculture, is to be a training site and inspiration for the community to learn about how they can grow these vegetables in their own backyards and be inspired and motivated to actually do it.

El Molino has also just started publishing a monthly newsletter. The newsletter informs the community of the value of organic agriculture through tips and shared experiences. Community members describe what worked for them when growing vegetables in their backyards. It’s also a way to promote organic food and demonstrate how accessible and affordable it can be when you’re growing it yourself.

The trainer of the group, Gerardo Castro, is a farmer. He gives monthly workshops to the group of El Molino, teaching them how to grow vegetables using a polyculture method and how to care for the vegetables to ensure a good harvest. They're also learning the different composts they can make such as Bocashi, liquid fertilizer and worm composting.

It was an incredible learning experience for me. And in a city where the word "organic" is not commonly used, it was great to see that the group of El Molino has found organic agriculture to be the best option both for food security and improved nutrition and health in their communities.

El Molino was the last group I was to visit in Mexico. Time to return to San Francisco. After eating so many tacos, I'm ready for a different cuisine. After visiting El Molino's project, I feel inspired to take up the task of starting my own urban garden in my backyard!

Labels: El Molino, Mexico, organic farming

Blog Archive