Article

Mountain Top Gardening

ID # 3727

Caribbean, Puerto Rico
Farming

When asked to comment on Puerto Rico, I find the typical response is flooded with images of beaches, San Juan, surfing and Rincon. Nestled in the rolling, teeming mountain climate at the center of the island, though, one can gain insight into the realities of island life for a typical rural citizen. While the view is breathtaking and the land is literally bursting with life, the realities of being a U.S. territory and surviving off of agricultural subsidies, specifically on pesticides and insecticides, have left their scar on the landscape.

While farming in this mountain region is a source of income and prosperity for many people, the systems in place are typically unsustainable, and the impact is visible on the productivity of the crops. Looking across the valley separating our farm from the neighbors, the eye is met by bare, eroding undersoil and farms built on impossibly vertical slopes. Matched with heavy rainfall typical throughout the hurricane season, entire lines of trees are seen uprooted and spilling down the mountainside. Additionally, no routine monitoring of local water sources is performed, and thus living downstream from farms receiving the subsidized chemicals means a polluted irrigation source.

Through local grassroots movements, though, the education necessary for correcting these issues is emerging, and gaining momentum. As the impacted farmers are noticing the quickly deteriorating quality of their soil, they are looking for alternatives– and informed local citizens are stepping in to provide this support. With my time in Puerto Rico, I got to work alongside the biggest contributor to this movement in the area of Jayuya. Using resources such as WWOOF, which trades labor for food and accommodation, fresh energy and willing hands were brought to her farm in the mountains.

Not only did we practice sustainable, organic techniques for working the land– as to not only enrich the soil but support it against erosion (with techniques such as terracing and plants with intricate root systems that hold the soil together), but we spread this knowledge to the larger community. Through work at an organic community garden created by the owner of the farm, techniques were taught to interested citizens. Additionally, as Jayuya is the gathering place for several indigenous Puerto Rican festivals throughout the year, by participating in such events we were able to reach out to a community larger than just Jayuya.

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