Yesterday, we visited a farm (una finca) about twenty minutes from Las Cruces. I think this is my favorite activity we've done so far. The night before, we watched a video about coffee production, which focused on a coffee grower's cooperative in Agua Buena, the town near here, and their relationship formed with the Community Agroecology Network, from Santa Cruz, CA. So, then we got to visit the farm of one of the coffee producer's from that video, who also grows a variety of vegetables and other crops, but only for local production.
His name is Roberto Jimenez, and his farm is everything that can be good about agriculture. His coffee is shaded, providing crucial habitat for birds and other organisms. He grows organically, with a diversity of crops, and is very concerned with conserving the soil and water in the area. Don Roberto only has around a fifth grade education, but he speaks passionately and convincingly for sustainable practices, even in his low-pitched, calm and measured Spanish.
The growers in Agua Buena have worked with groups in the United States to now offer their coffee for direct sale to US consumers over the internet, which is a great boon to all the growers and their families. The website has good information on it, there's a picture of Don Roberto at the bottom. If you like good coffee and fair prices, you should order some directly from Don Roberto and his neighbors (Tip: if you download the order form and do it by mail, I think it's cheaper).
In Las Cruces news, I've been playing soccer pretty much every day, and getting to know all of my classmates and professors much better. We're only here until Wednesday morning, when we move to Cuerici, a mountain site with no internet access. I'll be sad to move on, it's pretty cushy and living in the middle of a world-class botanical garden is hard to beat.
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