Back to Chiapas, Mexico: Agroecological Production at Rancho Lum Ha'

Preparing a Garden Bed at Rancho Lum Ha'

After three months in Guatemala, I decided to return back to Chiapas, Mexico. Since Southern Mexico borders Guatemala, it was a relatively quick trip. I decided to go back to Mexico for several reasons-- I formed a lot of close relationships there, I lived in an inexpensive house with very friendly and caring people, I met many people dedicated to agroecology, and in San Cristobal de Las Casas there are many organizations working in agroecology and rural development. In short, it's a place where I feel more connected with personal friendships and agroecology networks. I like feeling at home in a familiar place so I was excited to return.

I'm always thinking ahead and planning my next step so while I was taking the Permcaulture course in Guatemala, I was contacting agroecological farms and organizations where I hoped to volunteer and continue learning in Mexico. They requested motivation letters and resumes so I prepared them and sent them over. I lined up two volunteer opportunities. First, I began with the agroecological farm, Rancho Lum Ha'!

August 7, 2024

On my first day at Rancho Lum Ha, Chelo, the agroecologist who works at the farm, picked me up in her old, white Nisson pickup truck. I was excited to meet her since she has a degree in agroecolgical engineering and has worked in agroecology for many years. At Rancho Lum Ha' she is in charge of the production of the gardens and greenhouses, which includes managing pest control, multiple cropping systems, biofertilizers, the plant nursery, seed collection, etc. to ensure a healthy productive system and constant production.

The lovely agroecologist at Rancho Lum Ha: Chelo

Rancho Lum Ha' was started by and is run by a couple: Sebastian (from Germany) and Yuri (from Mexico). They moved to this farm in Chiapas where they currently live with their three children in order to pursue their life project to create a sustainable farm and agroecological learning center.

Their zone is about 1,800 meters above sea level in a temperate climate, and they have experimented and learned about what works best in their region over the years since they first began the farm in 2018. Their vision is to teach and spread these sustainable practices so they can be adopted in the region by local people to regenerate the land, reduce the use of ago-chemical, increase local biodiversity, and support local livelihoods. While their farm is an hour outside the city San Cristobal de Las Casas, they have a store in San Cristobal where they sell their produce, pasture-raised pork, free-range eggs, and other agroecological products.

I have spent a month and a half working on the farm, learning through practice (learning by doing), and of course, by asking many questions! What I like most about their project is that they hire local youth who get the opportunity to learn different sustainable practices based in permaculture, agroecology, and regenerative agriculture. The idea is to show young people how they can replicate some of these practices on their own parcels of land.

So, what does agroecology look like at Rancho Lum Ha'?

1. Agroeological Production of Vegetables and Herbs

The plots at Lum Ha' are very diversified and they experiment with new techniques like synotropic farming and agroforestry to deal with issues like drought (read more here). Their garden beds are contoured terraces, which helps prevent erosion and slows down the flow of rain. There are also infiltration ditches which prevent rainwater flooding and redirect the water to other drier areas of the farm where it is needed. There are many diversified plots but I show just a couple examples below.

Examples of some diverse, agroecological garden plots

2. Keyline Design: Water Management System

Sebastian's pride and joy is the keyline design. Sebastian explained to me that keyline is a permaculture concept that serves to manage and optimize the use of water on your land. You can see in the pictures below (with arrows) how the water runs down the path and is redirected out to the edges via these ditches. The ditches also have underground tubes (you can see in the bottom right picture if you look closely). Sebastian took the opportunity of the rainy day to show me how the keyline system works and how the ditches capture and redirect the water. This system not only prevents the garden from flooding but it redirects the water to the trees and pasture that need it. To make a keyline design, it requires careful observation of the land, an understanding of how water naturally flows through the property, and careful placement of the infiltration ditches. These are practices and learnings that Sebtastián loves to share with others.

Keyline design for water management

3. Rotational Grazing of Chickens, Sheep, and Pigs

Rotational grazing allows animals to live and roam outdoors (rather than in factory farms) and to graze freely which simultaneously fertilizes the soil, controls pests, and manages plant overgrowth. The chickens are in "chicken tractors" which have wheels and can be easily moved. The sheep and pigs have portable electric fencing that make it easier to rotate them throughout the property. When we weed the garden, we feed the weeds to the pigs and they eagerly run up to the fence but are careful not to touch it! They oink and fight with each other for the weeds. It's nice to see them running through the tall grass and scavenging through the dirt with their snouts to eat insects and plant roots. Unfortunately, most pigs and chickens in the world don't get to live so freely.

Rotational Grazing Systems of chickens, sheep, and pigs

4. Food forest

The idea of a food forest is that it is a system deigned to eventually be self-sustaining. With different layers and levels of plants, it will ideally function like a natural forest and be a low-maintenance way to produce food. The pictures below label some of the many medicinal plants, fruit trees, biomass plants, pollinator plants, etc. that are in the food forest at Lum Ha. There is Papaya tree, lavender, sage, fig, oregano, a Colombian variety of orange (naranjilla/ lulo), acacia trees, peach trees, fennel, rosemary, avocado trees, and much more!

The Food Forest

5. Seed Saving

Chelo and I have spend many hours breaking open seed pods to collect radish and arugula seeds! I find it quite addicting and have a hard time putting them down when I start making progress. While it can be a relaxing activity that keeps your hands busy while you sit chatting with friends, it also makes you appreciate the amount of time and work that goes into collecting and cleaning agroecological seeds! From dedicating garden beds to letting plants go to seed, then drying them, then harvesting them from their pods, cleaning them, and storing them.. it's a lot of work.

I find it interesting to see how different plant seeds are harvested and what they look like. A tiny plant may have a very large seed and a large plant may have a very tiny seed. The shapes, colors, and sizes of different seeds is fun to see.

In the top right picture we are weighing and organizing the seeds in the packaging for Rancho Lum Ha' to sell at the store. They sell a variety of agroecological seeds.

Chatting and seed harvesting with Chelo; Daikon radish, lettuce, and arugula

6. Biodiversity

There are many varieties of flowers, fruits, vegetables, trees, medicinal plants. This biodiversity attracts pollinators like bees, butterflies, and humming birds.

Just a few of the flowers around the Ranch!

Just a few of the plant species around the Ranch!

7. Bio-construction

Sebastian and Yuri's home is a bio-construction of adobe and wood from the region. They try to use only materials from the region. The constructions are very simple and beautiful. They are currently working on a bigger bio-construction which will be their new house.

Bio-constructions: The porch, the house, and the compost bathroom

Sharing and Spreading Agroecological Practices

The young people from the community who work at Rancho Lum Ha' have learned many of the agroecological practices described above. They manage the rotational grazing of the animals, the compost and bokashi, the liquid fertilizers (biol), the vegetable and harvest, the elaboration of products for the store (like meats, pesto, hot sauce, etc), and more. Sebastián is encouraging them to produce agroecolgically and sell the produce to him directly to then sell at his store in the San Cristobal. But transitioning to agroecological practices comes with its challenges, some of which include dealing with pest management, the extra labor of making organic fertilizers to build up healthy soil, and taking the leap to going completely agroecolgical. Chelo, the agroecologist on the farm, is a great coach and supportive to help them address their doubts and questions. There's a lot of potential to expand agroecological practices in the community, especially since Sebastian is providing them with a secure market for their products! It will be exciting to see what they continue to achieve in the next years.