A supermarket on our soil
In our modern world, we have access to so much information at our fingertips; we can know about any person, place, or thing in just minutes. But “knowing” about something through reading and listening often leaves gaps in the learning process. Hands-on, experiential learning allows us to develop a more complete and in-depth understanding of a topic or concept. And that is the pedagogical approach we take at Plenitud PR: providing opportunities to get your hands dirty - literally - and dive right in.
Angela Reynoso and Pedro Dones received an immersive training in agroecological food production and farming through our annual 6-month course with Josco Bravo in 2019. Their desire to deepen their agriculture practice and knowledge, as well as their relationship to the roots of their island and with Mother Earth, was obvious from the start. Even after hours spent under the hot sun, covered in soil and bug spray, Angela and Pedro were always leaving the farming plots with big smiles and heads full of questions. Their dedication led Rebekah, the amazing leader of our agriculture team, to ask Angela and Pedro to participate in a mentorship program for the following year - a 7-month opportunity to serve with the agriculture team at Plenitud PR. In February 2020, Angela and Pedro began meeting weekly with Rebekah to learn farming systems and management in more detail, putting in countless service hours at Clementine, our high tunnel greenhouse, as well as at the agricultural terraces on the farm. After additional practice, they even had the chance to co-teach the Josco Bravo course they had previously taken to a new group of 12 students!
“The first week, I planted over 200 green onion plants in a very fertile soil made of mushroom compost... It was a lot of hard work and sweat. Our day was from 7:30 am ‘til 12:30 pm.” - Angela
The mentorship experience with Plenitud PR “opened their eyes” to sustainable methods of producing food that did not use mega-tractors or pesticides. Pedro reflected on this new perspective in relation to Puerto Rico’s food importation system:
“85% of what we eat in Puerto Rico is from the port and not from a Puerto Rican farm. But everything we need to produce (to feed us) is already available to us and free of cost.”
There are many steps that go into growing food, but none are so complicated that they cannot be learned through experience and connection to the land. Angela explained part of the process that we use to grow produce using recycled food scraps and organic matter: “We got to learn how to make lasagna beds--where we planted vegetables over a couple of layers of dried leaves, food leftovers, cut grass, manure, more dry leaves and a final cut grass layer.” This process, along with making compost teas and other remedies to combat disease, resulted in more than Angela and Pedro could imagine.
“Corn, kale, lettuce, pigeon peas, tomatoes, green onion, cucumber, pumpkin, peppers, cilantro, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, basil, eggplant… Wow!! A supermarket appeared on our soil in just a few months!” - Pedro
A supermarket in their backyard. This is an indescribably valuable resource and freedom, especially in Las Marías, where both our project and our mentees’ farm plots are located. Las Marías is a food desert, where the nearest fresh produce aisle at a supermarket (albeit imported produce) is over 30 minutes away. This ability to be self-sufficient and sustainable has touched Angela and Pedro so deeply that they are committed to sharing it with other farmers. Their dream is to take what they gained from their mentorship experience with us and spread it, planting seeds of knowledge in neighboring farms all over the community.
Pedro reflected on his experience and summarized it perfectly: “Everything begins with the will to start.” We are grateful for the leap of faith Angela and Pedro took to start their agriculture journeys with us, and we are eager to see all that they will accomplish.
