Organic Farming Workshop
Participatory Organic Certification
Sat, Sep 19, 10am–6pm
200 pesos to the public
Free to campesinos
Amigos de Vía Orgánica Meeting
Mon, Sep 21, 6pm
Tapas restaurant back patio
Yoga Classes
Tue, Sep 22, 11am–Ximena Velasco
Thu, Sep 24, 10am–Paige Ramey
100 pesos per class
Vía Orgánica conference
center and farm, near Atotonilco
Making the transition
By Molly Blakemore
| This Saturday, Vía Orgánica hosts its second organic farming workshop at the Rancho Vía Orgánica conference center. The August 8 inaugural event brought 200 local small farmers from as far away as Zihuatanejo, as well as organic enthusiasts from San Miguel. The upcoming workshop continues the mission of educating small farmers on how they can make the transition to organic farming. |  |
The main theme at the workshop is an introduction to Participatory Organic Certification, which is a local, community-based certification that relies on peer-to-peer monitoring and reviews to maintain a regional organic network. Although the US and Europe require third-party certification from accredited agencies for Mexico’s organic exports, a peer-based participatory certification system is ideal for subsistence farmers and other small producers who wish to sell their crops in local or regional markets. Unlike expensive third-party certification, peer-to-peer certification is low-cost and volunteer based.
Vía Orgánica’s mission is to create working, profitable models for organic food and farming production, retailing and wholesale distribution. The Vía Orgánica farm school, over time, will deal with all these aspects of creating an organic alternative. Mexico is ripe for the proliferation of participatory certification, given that the country has the largest number of organic farms in the world, although the majority (85 percent) of Mexico’s current organic production is for export.
Global scientists continue to warn us that we must move from chemical-intensive, energy-intensive farming practices to sustainable, organic agriculture if we are to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas pollution and stabilize the climate. With increasingly unpredictable weather (this season’s drought in Guanajuato, for example), and global population increases, dependence on water-intensive monocultures and chemical inputs is unsustainable. Organic agriculture, including composting and drip irrigation, are essential in an era of ever-increasing water scarcity.
Organics are rising in popularity across the world, but to make a significant impact, the market for organic goods and production of organic crops have to grow more rapidly. The real future of agriculture is not so-called free-trade and production for export by large agribusiness, but rather locally and regionally produced food by small farmers that is healthy, sustainable and certified under an affordable system.
Participatory organic certification is an agreement between growers, suppliers and consumers to uphold organic standards in a given community. This type of certification has long been in use in the US and is recognized as legitimate by the USDA for small-scale producers selling exclusively into the local market. Additionally, since the late nineties Brazil’s mass peer-certification model, the Participatory Guarantee System, has had exceptional success and includes fair trade elements.
Continuous monitoring by peer reviews and technical advisors ends up being stricter and more efficient than third-party certification because farms are scrutinized on a daily basis by their neighbors, who have a vested interest in preserving organic integrity. Additionally, community-based certification fosters a constant dialogue and learning process of organic techniques. In this way, participatory certification also serves as vehicle for building stronger ties among community members.
Vía Orgánica, CEDESA and Las Glorias del Huerto are spearheading Participatory Certification in the Guanajuato region and eventually will develop its own organic seal so consumers can be confident the local and regional foods they consume live up to the highest standards. The producers will benefit from being organically certified by earning a higher price from consumers who are willing to pay a premium for genuine organic products. Vía Orgánica invites local farmers, business people and green-minded consumers to become a part of this community initiative.
The workshop includes an eco-themed play, The Marvelous Story of Chiquito Pingüica, performed by the Conin Group Theater of the Technological University of Querétaro, a troupe of young actors directed by Lic. Felipe Morales Hernández. Vía Orgánica team member Karla Rivera stars as Pingüica.
Following the play is a seminar on organic nutrition by Vía Orgánica Dietitian Ana María Quispe, a Peruvian-American who has won two awards from the American Dietetic Association and is also a human rights activist.
Her seminar precedes workshops on biofertilizer, bioinsecticides and chromatography by Jesús Ignacio Simón Zamora, a renowned agronomist who has been instrumental in transitioning Michoacán into Mexico’s third largest organic farming region. Zamora taught the Biochar seminar at Vía Orgánica’s last workshop.
The event closes with the film ¿Qué Comeremos Mañana? (What Will We Eat Tomorrow?).
Workshop tickets are available at the Vía Orgánica tienda in colonia Guadalupe, Margarito Ledesma 2, or by calling 185-2194.
Organic Workshop Program
10–11am: Theater, The Marvelous Story of Chiquito Pingüica
11:30am–12:30pm: Introduction to Participatory Organic Certification and invitation to join the Certification network
12:30–1pm: Organic nutrition with Vía Orgánica Dietitian Ana María Quispe
1–2pm: Lunch
2:15–3pm: Concurrent workshops
1. Biofertilizers with Ing. Jesús Ignacio Simón Zamora
2. Nutrition open forum (bilingual) with Dietitian Ana María Quispe
3–3:45pm: Bioinsecticides with Ing. Jesús Ignacio Simón Zamora
4–5pm Chromatography with Ing. Jesús Ignacio Simón Zamora
5–6pm Closing movie: ¿Qué comeremos mañana?
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