February 13, 2024
Ideas on How to Work with Rural, Small-Scale Farmers
Glen (the owner and founder of CAO) brought a group of his friends and funders from the rotary club in the United States to see the work being done at CAO and the local bilingual school which he also founded in Quimistan (which is called HIBS). Glen went over the mission of CAO a bit more and we walked around the property to see the ecological systems and learn about the organic practices. It is always a pleasure to absorb as much information as possible from his wealth of knowledge and experience.
Glen reminded everyone that the central purpose of CAO is to support the rural poor and reduce food insecurity and hunger in rural Honduras. He states that 50% of rural people experience food insecurity and hunger in Honduras. Because many rural families own a small plot of land, CAO looks for practices in which more can be produced in a limited space, Therefore, he is constantly asking, “How can you raise more on little land?” The organic practices incorporated on the farm take this into account so that they can be adopted by the rural poor who have small pieces of land. Here are some different ideas CAO has for this:
Building up organic matter for soil health.
In Honduras it is common for rural families to burn organic matter such as leaves and dead trees. However, building up this free organic matter (organic matter is just any dead plants and manure) allows materials to decompose and replenish nutrients into the soil. Urine and composting toilets also provide a very valuable and accessible source of free organic fertilizer for rural families (we will talk more about compost toilets later on).
Using the “cut and carry” method for feeding farm animals.
Cutting the grass for animal feed and carrying it to the animals rather than allowing them to graze reduces the trampling of land by the animals and the damage that causes to the soil. It also allows the grass to grow back more quickly because it is not being compacted. Finally, it allows the poop and pee to be easily collected in one place for fertilizer.
Diversification: Incorporating hanging crops.
These take up less space and can provide lots of nutrition. For example, water spinach is nutritious for people and animals, and since it hangs, it can also be planted in gutters and tubes so that it can be harvested easily and animals can eat directly from the hanging vine.
Diversification: Easy to plant, edible or high-value crops:
Pitaya (Dragon fruit): A high value crop that grows on trees and is resistant to drought.
Nopal: Prickly pear can be consumed and it is a popular cuisine in Mexico. Glen is encouraging Hondurans to also try it. We tasted it for dinner, and it was delicious. It tasted like green beans.
Glen explained how in the United States, organic production is oriented towards the consumer who wants healthy, chemical-free, non-GMO food. However, in Honduras there is less of a market for organic food, he says (although I think he could find a market for the farm's surplus of organic produce in the city!).
But the main reason CAO is promoting organic farming is for the benefit of the producer, rather than the consumer. Organic farming helps the producer in several ways:
Lower cost:
Organics offers lower cost by using local materials rather than buying roundup and other chemical fertilizers and herbicides.
Less risk of debt:
Farmers spend a lot of money on chemical fertilizers and seeds, and if there is not a good rain and harvest, then they can lose their investment
Organics requires less purchases of external inputs and therefore less risk of falling into debt
Healthier soil:
Building up healthy microorganisms preserves the soil health
Planting a diversity of plants and adding organic matter, helps build up a rich variety of microorganisms and protect the land from drought and erosion
Health of the workers and family:
Organic farming prevents health problems and chemical pesticide poisoning which cause cancer and birth defects
When using organics, Glen tells the Honduran students that the teacher is the forest. And what they do is mimic the forest by working at different levels from the ground up. This also allows them to take advantage of all the space available on a small plot of land. He always encourages the proliferation of biodiversity and to avoid monoculture.
Glen showing how the farm has different levels like the forest. The lower level is the grass that is used to feed the sheep. The other levels are trees that can be used for animal fodder and are also nutritious for humans. Chaya, for example, has three times as much nutrition as spinach and it also high in calcium. Growing on the trees are vines such as pitaya that also give fruit and provide nourishment.
An interesting aspect of Glen’s work is how his faith as a Christian underlies his belief in and passion for sustainable, organic agriculture. He was a pastor for many years and his Christian faith is part of his reason for working in Honduras. As he describes it, “Biodiversity is the natural way that God grows plants.” He gives the example of a natural habitat such as a forest and explains that you will see a wide variety of plants in multiple canopies from tall trees to moss and fungi on the floor. In Glen’s words, “When we do not farm God’s way, the natural way, the result is damaged land that includes erosion, the loss of topsoil and microorganisms, the pollution of streams and rivers, etc..”
I hadn’t heard of sustainable farming framed from a Christian perspective and it was interesting to hear it explained this way. In many different belief systems and spiritual traditions, whether we frame nature as God’s creation or Mother Earth (Pachamama), we return to the idea of nature as something sacred, spiritual, and essential to our wellbeing. We go back to nature to connect, so it makes sense to take care of nature in our food systems, the way we eat, and the way we work the land. However you want to frame it, this relationship is fundamental to our lives.
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