Biointensive Garden

Izalco, El SalvadorUpdate to the Board

June 19, 2010

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Structure of talk

• Background on El Salvador and Bio-intensive

gardens

• Detail of Rainbow support for program over

past 6 years

• Challenges

• Outcomes

• Path Forward

Rainbow of Hope Philosophy

• We believe in the value of caring for the earth and its people and that love has no geographical boundaries.

• We believe in the dignity of, and justice for, all people, regardless of sex, race, creed, religion, or culture.

• We believe that as members of our global family, we have a responsibility to work towards this vision.

• We have abundant hope that together we can make a difference

Rainbow of Hope in

El Salvador

• Two of the United Nation‟s Millennium Goals, agreed to by all of the countries of the world, and which are implicit in Rainbow‟s philosophy, are:

1. to eradicate poverty and hunger and

2. to promote environmental sustainability.

Bio-intensive Mini-Farming

One of the options to

achieve these goals

involves the use of

organic “biointensive”

mini-farming techniques,

which enable

marginalized people to

become food self-

sufficient.

Land Base: 100 km x 200 km

Climate:

Wet Season (tropical): May-October

Dry Season: November- April

Economy:

Agriculture: Coffee,

sugar,corn,rice,beans,oil

seeds, cotton, sorghum,

shrimp, beef,dairy

Industry: food processing,beverages, petroleum,

chemicals, fertilizer, textiles,

furniture, light metals

El Salvador: Geography

Location of garden

El Salvador: People

Population

• 6.2 million

– 49% below poverty line, earning less than 3$ per day

– 10% unemployment

Demographics:

• 0-14 yrs: 38%

• 14-64 yrs: 57%

• * 60% of the population is less than 25 years old

• 65+: 5%

Labor Force:

• 49% agriculture

• 15% industry

• 55% services

Diet of the poor consists mainly of corn and beans – imported food products are expensive

Agriculture Situation in El Salvador

Millions of agricultural workers have been displaced and their condition

worsened due to:

• Destruction of cotton production during the 1980‟s civil wars

• Collapse of the sugar industry in mid-1990‟s

• 3 years of drought severely reducing coffee production, followed by global

slump in coffee prices in late 90‟s

• Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and earthquakes in 2001 caused major economic

disruption

Adoption of large scale agricultural practices is not affordable to those most in

need– and are not environmentally sustainable

The large younger generation has little first hand agricultural experience, and minimal access to land.

Providing people with the training to grow their own food and supplement their incomes with the minimal resources they have has the potential to be the seed for elevating them out of grinding poverty

Back ground: Biointensive

Organic Mini-farms

• There are numerous organic agriculture techniques/models that can be followed to enhance small farm food security

• In the case of the Rainbow sponsored projects in El Salvador, the “bio-intensive” approach has been adopted.

Back ground: Biointensive

Organic Mini-farms

• The techniques being used, which are actually centuries old, have been scientifically enhanced and adapted for impoverished regions around the world by such people as John Jeavons of Willits, California for the past 30 years.

• A national university in Mexico City has trained 2 million Mexicans in biointensive techniques over the last 15 years and has targeted to introduce these techniques to all countries in Central and South America in the next 5 years

Bio-intensive farming techniques

The key benefits of these techniques, which make them ideally suited to marginalized people world wide, are that they:

• Increase production up to 4 times per unit area relative to commercial agriculture

• Are focussed on people with minimal land and resources, with farming techniques developed and optimized for very small individual, community and village plots

• Do not require any machinery

• Reduce water consumption by 50%

• Reduce dependence on petroleum based fertilizer by extensive use of composting

• Focus on utilization of natural insecticides and companion planting with insect repellent plants

Overview of the Site and the

Bio-intensive Method

Biointensive gardening- key practices

• Use of compost

• Double digging

• Close spacing of plants, correct crop rotations, companion planting

• Organic methods of pathogen and pest control

• For more detail see John Jeavon`s book “How to Grow More Vegetables”

• Composting is a critical component of any sustainable gardening method

• At the Izalco garden, various forms of composting are employed including:

Conventional biointensive methods,

bocashi (composting and fermenting) and

Vermiculture

• All of which are used to improve soil fertility, and eliminate the need for inorganic fertilizer

Francisco and Santos

assembling a

compost pile

Mauricio watering a bocashi pile

Bio-intensive Gardening Methods: Composting

Double Digging is the second key component in the Bio-intensive method. It involves:

1) Carefully digging out the topsoil to expose the mineral subsoil

2) Compost is then added to the subsoil, and is mixed in thoroughly

3) The topsoil is then returned to the surface of this newly enriched layer.

This process increases the depth of productive root zone, and hence improves productivity

Bio-intensive Gardening Methods: Double Digging

The bottom line :

Great soil = great production

Brenda showing how deep the fork can be

easily sunk into a bed which has been double-dug,

The good soil extends even deeper.

• The crops are planted in a closely spaced pattern

• This provides for more production per unit area

• But more importantly, the closely planted seedlings provide shade to lower

evaporation ( improved water use efficiency) and to discourage weeds.

• Crops are rotated between the beds to prevent pathogen accumulation and to

enrich the soil by alternating nitrogen fixers with heavy feeders etc.

One of the

farmers leading a

workshop and

demonstrating a

plant spacing

frame to help

with seedling

placement

Bio-intensive Gardening Methods:

Plant spacing, companion planting,

crop rotation

An array of biologic pest and pathogen control methods are

utilized at the site including an extract of these peppers

which is sprayed on soil and leaves

and which acts as a pesticide

Bio-intensive Gardening Methods:

Organic pest and pathogen control

Amendments such as lime

are also used

The site at Izalco is organized into 150 beds, which are each 4 feet by 25 feet.

Rainbow Organic Mini-farming

Demonstration Site : Izalco

• The Izalco site, whose name derives from that of the Izalco volcano that towers over the locality, is the focal organic mini-farming demonstration site.

• The site itself is the property of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who also manage the Izalco Orphanage, where they care for and feed around 90 children.

Objectives for Izalco Demonstration

Garden

• Create a demonstration site for organic and bio-intensive agricultural techniques and adapt those techniques to Salvadorian climate, soils and plant species

• Train farmers from the region in basic agricultural skills, and who also agree to train other residents of their local communities

• Supplement the normal corn and beans diet of the orphanage with organically grown vegetables and fruit

Support provided by

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Support provided for 6 years 2004 through 2010

inclusive.

Support provided in the form of :

a) equipment and infrastructure

b) salaries

Support provided by

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Equipment and infrastructure :

Drilling and installation of water well for irrigation and drinking water,

including payment of montly power bill for groundwater pump

Purchase and installation of drip irrigation system for 100 beds

Purchase and installation of greenhouse for seedling production

Purchase and installation of vermiculture compóst system

Gardening tools, seeds, fruit tree seedlings, other miscellaneous materials

and equipment to support garden over the 6 years

The site for the garden was a donated 3 acre field near the orphanage.

It had been used for sugar cane and corn production.

• Work started in 2004 with drilling and installation of a well and water tower to allow for

irrigation of the garden through the dry season (November through April)

• This allows for year round production from the garden

Drip irrigation installation 2004

Drip irrigation reduces water

consumption and allows

continuous cultivation even

through the 5-month dry season –

November to April.

Irrigated beds 2009

Water Tower

November 2004

Water Tower

April 2009

Papaya Trees over time

Check out those

Papayas!

Panorama of garden as viewed from the water tower

April 2009

• In 2006 Rainbow sponsored construction of a greenhouse for starting the seedlings used for out-planting, and for growing tomatoes and peppers, which cannot tolerate the intense sun in El Salvador

Original greenhouse for seedlings, and shade cloths for tomatoes (2004)

New greenhouse for seedlings and tomatoes being constructed 2006(l), and in April 2009(r)

In 2007, Rainbow funded the construction

of a pair vermiculture compost units

Alec enjoying the

worms

Support provided by

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Salaries

for 55 farmers over the 6 years

approximately 6 farmers per year until 2009 when reduced to 3 farmers

per year

Support provided by

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Salaries

for organic agriculture technical support:

agrologist specialized in organic agriculture who provided:

√ training workshops for farmers,

√ trouble shot pest and disease problems in the garden as they arose and thereby trained the farmers in plant pathology and methods of organic pest control,

√ trained farmers in a variety of composting methods including vermiculture and bokashi Mauricio, our agrologist

Support provided by

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Salaries

√ for monthly visits to the

orphanage by a nutritionist

√ to assess childrens‟

nutritional status,

√ provide advice and

√ track changes in their

nutritional status as a

consequence of increased

consumption of organic

garden vegetables

Support provided by

Rainbow of Hope for Children

Salaries

√ For El Salvadorian

project coordinator who

coordinated all

purchases and training

and documented results

and financial aspects of

the project for required

reporting

Brenda Carpio, our program coordinator, without

whom the project would never have succeeded,

here with Juan, a boy from the orphanage

Challenges

• As with all projects, the first few years were ones of learning and trial and error,

• Seed supply issues: – donated seed from Europe, North America had poor germination,

– finding local seed sources with good germination was also a challenge (suspect old seed in many stores- i.e. foreign suppliers „dump‟ expired seed into third world markets)

• Suitable crops– some crops were not successful due to the elevation, very hot

temperatures encountered in Izalco (eg. Brussel sprouts, tomato)

• Disease/pests– Optimizing early identification and treatment with the appropriate

organic pest controls took time as the farmers learned and techniques were adapted

Outcomes

• Over time the vegetable production has steadily increased

• This is because of:

the improved soil conditions due to use of double digging and compost amendments

Improved soil conditions result in healthier plants, and greater fruit/vegetable production

Also, with Mauricio‟s excellent help, much greater knowledge about organic controls for insects and pathogens have been imparted to the farmers, leading to much healthier crops.

Also, over the last 2 years we have had Santos as a lead farmer- this consistency at the training site has been crucial. His presence, his ability to put into practice all of the biointensive and organic methods taught by Mauricio, and his excellent mentorship and leadership with the other farmers has led to improved productivity of the site.

Outcomes

At Izalco, the farmers have

produced 47 different types of

vegetables, various medicinal

plants and fruit trees

Outcomes

Year of project

Outcomes: Economics

• Please note that for the previous and upcoming graphs, the productivity is recorded as value of the crop in dollars

– This is because most of the food from the garden was utilized to feed the 90 children at the orphanage, only noni fruit was sold as a cash crop

– The graphs show the value of the garden to the orphanage, as these costs were NOT incurred, rather the money that would have been used to purchase these vegetables before, could then be redirected to purchase of other necessities

Outcomes All produce from the garden has gone to

feed the 90 children of the orphanage-

with yields increasing over time from

$6,0000 to $15,0000 dollars worth of

food annually

Outcomes The children play in the garden and, when it is possible, the

older children participate in some of the farm activities like

planting and harvesting

Playing in the orchard

Madre Ursula has set up

a playground with donated

items

Some of the boys

having fun planting

Outcomes

55 farmers have been employed and trained in a range of

organic agriculture techniques at the site

work terms ranging from 1 to 12 months

Outcomes

• Shorter 1 and 2 day training sessions have also been

conducted for local farmers and community groups, as well

as demonstrations for visitors from Universities in Central

America, environmental organizations and international and

national governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Outcomes

• Since 2004, approximately

600 people have come to

visit and/or have received

demonstrations or training.

The site has also been

featured on national El

Salvadorian T.V. and radio.

Conclusions

• The Izalco Mini-farm demonstration site has been very successful

• In 2009 we achieved our goal of a self sustaining garden, where the amounts of production now exceed the monetary inputs!

Conclusions

• This on top of meeting all of our other goals to adapt the biointensive organic techniques to Salvadorian

climate, soils and plant species,

train farmers from the region in basic agricultural skills who also agree to train other residents of their local communities (55 farmers with intensive training, over 600 visitors received workshop level training, new gardens being established in adjacent communities)

supplement the normal corn and beans diet of the orphanage with organically grown vegetables and fruit ($6,000 to $15,000 of fruit and vegetables provided for the 90 children each year)

expose children to a working farm where they periodically help with planting, weeding and harvesting.

• This is a remarkable achievement and is a testament to the hard work of the farmers, our agronomist Mauricio, and our El Salvadorian coordinator, Brenda

Ongoing Funding

• In order to be truly self sufficient,

the garden would have to start

selling some of its produce, which

would lessen the amount of food

going to the orphanage

• We would like to continue

supporting this very important

project and the orphanage by

continuing to support:

– wages for the farmers and

– electricity costs to run the pump

for the irrigation.

Ongoing Funding

• We are asking Rainbow of Hope supporters to consider “adopting a farmer”.

– One farmer‟s wages and training for 1 month cost $150

• If this money can be raised:

the garden can be maintained at its full capacity and

continue to feed the children of the orphanage while

reaching out to the communities to improve their food security through training in organic agriculture.

Thank You for

Your Time !