A Bucket of Microorganisms

When I first started learning about agroecology, I was introduced to the preparation of Mountain Microorganisms for the first time. Now, I have seen this practice at every organic farm or agroecology organization I have visited. It is a very fundamental practice in agroecology!

A group of campesinos from Honduras representing the organization COPINH, (The Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras) came to visit the Ranch today. COPINH is an organization dedicated to the defense of indigenous people and the environment in Honduras. One of their most well known struggles is for justice for Berta Cáceres, an indigenous Honduran activist who was assassinated for defending indigenous land rights against a hydroelectric dam project in Honduras. The group visiting us today came as a brigade to get training in agroecology and start to implement agroecological practices in rural communities in Honduras.

Chelo, the production manager at the ranch, gave the workshops on agroecological practices such as the reproduction of microorganisms. It's really cool to see a female leader in this space. Chelo knows all of these practices so well. She has her degree in agroecological engineering and has worked for different farms and NGOs. What I love and admire about her is that she puts into practice everything she has learned and knows. Instead of talking about the changes we need to make, she is making them. The men who received the workshops listened to Chelo attentively, asked many questions and followed her lead.

Reproducing microorganisms with Chelo!

Why are microorganisms important?

• They help plants absorb nutrients.

• They help combat disease and pests.

• Preserving the microbiology of the soil keeps it healthy and full of life.

How do we reproduce microorganisms? We collect microorganisms from areas of the forrest that are healthy, where there has been no burning or application of pesticides, etc. You can identify where the microorganisms are by the white mycelium that can be seen on the leaves. We collect the leaves and then bring them to the farm to reproduce them. To reproduce, the microorganisms need a carbohydrate and a sugar. The carbohydrate can be bran (salvado), cornmeal, rice or coffee husk, etc (finely ground). The sugar can be molasses, sugar cane juice, juice from coffee cherries, etc. Whatever is available locally is best!

We made a small, 20- liter bucket of microorganisms. It consisted of:

• half a sack of bran (5 kilos)

• molasses (2 liters)

• water (3 liters) (*without chlorine!)

• leaves with microorganisms (a third of a sack)

Chelo smelling a batch of mountain microorganisms

Chelo is smelling an old batch of microorganisms that she made about a year ago. The smell and texture is what indicates that the batch is good!

The group of campesinos from COPINH had never heard of reproducing microorganisms before and they were very interested. "Lo que se pierde de la naturaleza!" one of them exclaimed. They were surprised to learn about the options we have at our disposal that we can use instead of chemical inputs, but we don't know about them so we lose out!