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

Harvesting cassava, pumpkins, mandarines and corn from the milpa

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.

We drove up to the entrance to Manuel's fields, and he was already up in the fields working. 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!

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. The women have talked to other nearby communities to share seeds and use local seeds that germinate better than seeds that are brought from the city.

The family's kitchen and the wild greens we ate

We stayed a few nights with Manuel's family. We ate tortillas with beans that were grown in the milpa and sautéed greens. We also drank cups of coffee that they cultivate, process and toast themselves. Their three sons weren't home because they work in a different state of Mexico and send money back home. In many communities we visit, young people often leave to work outside the community- temporarily or sometimes permanently. As a result of this, the older generation often lacks labor and support to keep up their work in the milpa and coffee fields.

When we visit rural communities, there are many migration stories. Rural producers are the people who feed people 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'm interning with highlight the need to create more just conditions that recognize the value of rural communities, culture and their work.

Our organization also works with the youth group from the Catholic church in this rural community. We spoke to some rural youth who strongly believe in creating opportunities in their communities. 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.