Harvesting the Milpa- Pumpkins, Corn, Cassava, & Mandarines

Harvesting cassava, pumpkins, mandarines and corn from the milpa

Today during this visit to rural communities in Tumbalá, Chiapas, we saw an example of a beautiful, diversified milpa that was ready to harvest. We were on our way to accompany Manuel, a campesino farmer who maintains a wide diversity of crops, trees and plants in his milpa. He was already in the fields working, and we needed to find him. Since there is no cell service in this community, they use walky-talkies to communicate. However, when the walkie talkie channels don't work, they can locate each other by letting out a big, strong whistle. The other person whistles back, and they keep responding back and forth until they are close enough to find each other. They have impressive whistling skills! We ducked under big banana trees as we arrived to an opening in the woods where Manuel's milpa is tucked away.

Manuel was digging up giant cassava roots when we got there. Cassava is a starchy vegetable a bit similar to a potato. He pulled up huge cassava roots that measured from his feet up to his shoulders! The organization I intern with sometimes buys products from rural producers who use organic, agroecological practices, like Manuel, and then they then sell them in the city of San Cristobal de Las Casas. Today we filled one huge burlap sack with pumpkins and another with cassava. Manuel also has coffee, beans, fruit trees, and other crops in his milpa!

Colorful pumpkins, mandarines, corn! My friend Abraham is holding a big cassava root (yuca) that is taller than his waist!

The milpa system is such an important part of agroecology and food sovereignty in Latin America. We've talked about it a lot in this blog. Traditional milpa systems have a combination of corn, beans, squash, medicinal plants, fruit trees, coffee, vegetables, etc. I've heard that some milpas have up to around 40 plant varieties!

Why is this variety/ diversity of plants important?

First, the crops complement one another, which is known as companion planting. The pumpkin and squash plants cover the ground and prevent weed growth. The beans add nitrogen to the soil. And the corn provides shade and a stalk where the climbing beans can grow.

Second, having a diversity of plants and crops means that the family has a more diverse diet to eat. This is part of food sovereignty and food security.

Third, a diversity of crops keeps the soil healthy. Different plants use and add different nutrients, and this balances the soil content. Meanwhile, monoculture depletes the soil.

Fourth, this diversity protects the family financially, because if one crop fails due to bad climate conditions or other unforeseen circumstances, there are still other crops that the family can eat or to sell in the market.

Home vegetable garden project

We also checked on the vegetable garden project that the organization I intern with carries out. The women from the community have lots of cabbage, chard, chives and other vegetables in their gardens. In addition to the milpa, the home gardens also support more food security and nutrition for the homes. The women shared their experiences of planting different seeds and vegetable varieties-- which ones germinated well and which ones didn't. While the swiss chard grows very well, they all agreed that no one really likes to eat it. In addition to nutrition, it's also important that families grow things that they like and think taste good! The women have talked to other nearby communities to share seeds and use local seeds that germinate better than seeds that are brought from other places. It's always better to use local varieties that are adapted to the local soil and local conditions. Finally, we also looked at some pests they are dealing with and discussed remedies for natural, integrated pest control.

The family's kitchen and the wild greens we ate

We stayed a few nights with Manuel's family who grows this beautiful milpa. We ate tortillas with beans that were grown in the milpa and sautéed greens that grow wild in their yard. We drank cups of coffee that they cultivate, process and toast themselves. As we ate meals together, we talked about their family and their community. They shared with us that their three sons have moved to another part of Mexico where they work and earn a wage to send money back home. This is the case in many communities we visit and the older generation often lacks labor and support to keep up their work in the milpa and coffee fields. Agroecological work is more laborious than using chemicals. Instead of spraying herbicides and weed killers, agroecological practices require that farmer clear the land and cut the weeds by hand (usually with a machete) which is a lot more work and more time-consuming. This extra work and the lack of support due their children migrating makes it more and more difficult for producers.

When we visit rural communities, there are many, many migration stories. Small-scale, campesino and indigenous farmers have historically been in a marginalized position in society, providing cheap food to urban areas and cheap labor as many migrate to supplement their low income. Rural producers are the people who feed the world and protect natural resources, but they have very little support and compensation for the important work they do. That's why organizations like the one I am interning for work to show the importance of campesino and indigenous communities and the preservation of their ancestral practices like the milpa. This work highlights the need to create more just conditions that recognize the value of rural communities, culture and their work.

The organization I intern with also works with the youth group from the Catholic church in rural communities. We spoke to some rural youth who strongly believe in creating opportunities in their communities rather than leaving. They were interested in organizing around organic coffee and learning about sales and marketing. Hopefully the organization I'm working with will be able to support them in some of these initiatives and ideas.