Villa Loyola Center for Agro-ecological Innovation

Pasto, Colômbia

An Overview Of Our Solution

Villa Loyola Center for Agro-ecological Innovation belongs to the Javeriano grade and high school, a Jesuit educational institute in Nariño, Colombia. Originally conceived to host student groups and help cover school operation costs, Villa Loyola (VL) continues its pedagogical mission by training small-scale farmers (campesinos) in organic cultivation and providing the school´s urban pupils with basic, ecological education. VL commercializes its prize-winning, organic coffee as a social enterprise, with revenues reinvested in agro-ecological research and development, which has much to contribute to the post-conflict country that Colombia is trying to construct. Given that the war began as a violent rejection of the rural poverty and injustice suffered by millions of campesinos, VL is a project of peace working to care for the earth and its poorest inhabitants.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Sem fins lucrativos

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Population impacted

2000 people annually

Size of agricultural area

43 ha

Production quantity

6000 kilos of coffee

People employed

Describe your solution

Our solution is rooted in efficient micro-organisms that guarantee the health of productive soil. Micro-organisms are the motors that make soils dynamic, thriving, self-regulating systems. After initial analysis, we discovered that our land, although sick from years of chemical use, was not dead. To revive the ailing soil, we generously applied powered, volcanic rock, attained very economically ($170 US per ton) from a nearby quarry. This provided the basic foodstuffs for the micro-organisms that we then reinstalled through a careful process of regeneration. Next we implemented a regimen of fertilization based on homemade, anaerobically fermented sulfates that incorporate essential minerals such as copper, zinc, iron and magnesium. This organic liquid serves both as fertilizer and disease control, effectively managing the prime blight of coffee farmers: leaf rust. By this time we were harvesting composted manure from our newly constructed cattle stables, which were designed to maximize the quantity of compost without compromising the quality of life of the animals. Here again, efficient micro-organisms have proved invaluable, more than halving the period of decomposition. Thanks to this technique a single steer produces for us 550 kilos of premium, organic compost per month. Admittedly, this solution requires more manual labor than conventional methods, but with the money saved in chemical inputs we have been able to employ more neighbors at a just wage.

Describe your implementation

In Nariño much of the land remains damaged by long and excessive use of agro-toxins and the lamentable tradition of torching fields after the harvest. Both practices send campesinos into an ever-tightening spiral of destructive behavior, since the vitality of the soil decreases after each spray and burn, making more flames and chemicals necessary for maintenance. The success of the immediate organic conversion at VL has demonstrated to thousands of campesinos, who have visited the farm over the last four years, that the dominant scorched earth policy works against them and their land. Through our partner NGO, Suyusama (“beautiful territory” in the local, indigenous language), our solution has been sown throughout Nariño. Suyusama´s mission is to improve the lives of campesinos through agro-ecological capacity-building, community organizing, eco-tourism, and appropriate technology. The ecological “doctrines” of Suyusama receive much greater credibility once campesinos witness in living color the results at VL. Transition from chemical dependency to autonomy occurs more rapidly in the soil than in the mentality of most farmers. This continues to be an obstacle in Colombia, where the organic movement is only now starting to take root. Colombian, organic growers are, in a way, present pioneers, facing the same resistances that others had to overcome decades ago in other countries. Moreover, 50 years of barbaric internal warfare has cheapened life here and inured the population. We see our solution as a positive contribution to the post-conflict era that the country is entering. It is to value and care for life even in its micro-manifestations. One of our key success factors is the pleasure we get from sharing. Without any kind of advertising, word has spread about what we do and we gladly pour out all we know into the cups of interested visitors.

External connections

Our desire to dialogue has involved us in a number of partnerships that have launched us into international conversations. We work or have worked with Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Ecuador, and most extensively with COMPARTE, a group representing 14 countries in which operate social and ecological justice organizations of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). COMPARTE facilitates dynamic exchange of ideas, dreams, and methods among people committed to constructing an alternative paradigm of wellbeing and development to the current, self-destructive, consumerist model. On the local front, we are collaborating with the municipal, departmental and national governments, the latter in a large project financed by federal royalties collected from mineral extraction that will provide appropriate technology to small-scale coffee growers throughout Nariño. Thanks to our experiments in water capture and biological treatment, we are also in dialogue with departmental planning agencies in charge of drafting and approving major road constructions. Intelligent design can harvest and purify runoff, assuring that surrounding farms not suffer water shortages during the increasingly severe dry periods. Finally, with various Colombian universities we have joint research projects that aim at improving organic production and knowledge of plant-based medicine.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Conventional coffee production relies heavily on chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. In 2012 VL, thanks to a change in administration, jumped immediately from conventional methods to an integrated, organic system. The solution employed was to restore to the soil the crucial micro-organisms gravely diminished by years of agro-toxins use. Contrary to the advice of many, the farm forewent the suggested three year transition period that many organic certification agencies prescribe. Our suspicion was that such a length of time was calculated for soils in northern countries marked by seasons, whereas the full year cycle of production in Colombia would permit a more rapid recuperation of soil vitality. Additionally, our concern was that the country´s campesinos, could not afford a gradual transition, wherein they continue to pay for chemical inputs that prevent the complete restoration of micro-organisms. After six months our soil enjoyed full health.

Describe the context in which you are operating

The department of Nariño is Colombia´s largest producer of illegal coca. The land planted with coca is a double victim to the chemical industry. First, the growers, mostly poor campesinos without livelihood options, apply agro-toxins liberally. Secondly, the government has fought the illicit cultivation with aerial and localized spraying of glyphosate. This dual activity has left much of the territory dead in terms of soil. The campesinos who wish to return to legality face an enormous challenge in exiting the vicious circle of coca. On average, the property area of campesinos in Nariño is 1 hectare, which greatly limits scales of production. For this reason, Villa Loyola has been training campesinos, through a host of organic techniques, how to reap a higher quality of product, particularly coffee, capable of fetching more just prices in national and international markets. Local food security suffers for a lack of knowledge as how to use, prepare and transform fruits and vegetables.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Although reliable biodiversity figures do not exist for the pre-organic era of VL, the recent increase in wild species on the farm is indisputable. During the last four years over 70 species of native and migratory birds have been registered, 25 species of butterflies, 15 species of dragonflies, plus an unspecified number of mushrooms, lichens, and amphibians. Besides the elimination of agro-toxins, this increase is also due to the conscious re-introduction of native fruit trees and shrubs that feed the growing fauna population. A carefully tended lot of coffee is itself a diverse, forest ecosystem that consists of five floors: the ground level “weeds” that prevent soil erosion; the coffee shrubs; mid-size fruit trees, such as banana, citrus, avocado; taller leguminous, shade trees, whose limbs provide lumber; and finally towering palm trees. In VL each floor houses its distinct resident species of fauna. Moving away from mental monoculture has allowed diversity to flourish in VL.

Language(s)

Spanish

Water

In 2015-16 Colombia suffered a severe drought due to an extreme Niño effect. In response, VL began experimenting with micro-dams to harvest springs born on the farm so as to obtain “hydrological security”. These same springs are products of reforestation and careful management of bamboo within the farm. VL has provided seedlings to Mataredonda for their own reforestation efforts and plans to assist in the construction of micro-dams in the surrounding mountains to assure communal access to water.

Food Security/Nutrition

Despite the favorable growing conditions in Nariño, domestic consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables traditionally has been minimal. Meat, white rice, potatoes, plantain and yucca comprise the typical meal. Over the past four years, VL has expanded its gardens and inspired its employees to diversify their diets. Now a community garden, open to all neighbors, is breaking ground in VL, which also has helped establish an organic farmers´ market in Pasto, the department capital.

Economic/Sustainable Development

Given the small-scale production of neighboring campesinos, and the elaborate procedures required to process coffee, many find it economically unviable to cultivate a micro-lot. To address this need, VL invested in 2016 in the acquisition of top quality machinery to complete the entire process. This line of transformation is now at the disposal of campesinos, who thereby avoid the prohibitive costs of buying equipment that remains underused. VL also promotes communal forms of micro-financing.

Climate

Colombia is a country particularly susceptible to climate change. VL, together with Suyusama, is promoting prevention, mitigation and adaptation in this area. We have created a network of reservoirs to guarantee water as well as provide ecosystems for the aquatic plants we harvest as fertilizer. Our investigations in agroforestry also take into account climate change, as we experiment with species capable of adapting to new climatic realities of Nariño.

Sustainability

Direct costs of production are covered by sales of coffee (local and export consumption) bamboo, products from our carpentry shop, beef, compost, seedlings, fruits, vegetables. We also receive revenue from food and lodging services we offer to groups of students, campesinos, producers, coffee experts etc. Infrastructure investments and expansion of cultivation are financed by the grade and high school, which uses the farm daily for integrated pedagogical activities. These expenses are carefully calculated to recover costs within a responsible period of time. VL continues to increase both its productivity and profitability, reinvesting its profit into farm operations by hiring more local workers and experimenting with improved techniques

Return on investment

According to our calculations, it costs VL $6,700 US to bring 1 hectare of coffee to full production. This figure includes starting 5,000 coffee plants from seeds, 650 fruit trees and 120 larger shade trees, and 2,500 bean shrubs (the rapid growth of which provides early shade while the slower tree seedlings grow plus 5 harvests of edible beans), bio-fertilization, salaries of workers etc. To restore 1 hectare to soil health using ground rock and micro-organisms costs $170 US and each monthly application of organic sulfates costs $20 US. This method of fertilizing reduces production costs by 20% compared to chemical inputs. We figure that a 2 year lapse is needed to recover all investment costs for 1 hectare of shaded coffee.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

Since the day that VL took its organic leap in 2012, it has worked to help others reach the other, greener side. External replication of successful practices is as important to us as our own in-house success. VL considers itself an organic laboratory of research and innovation at the service of campesinos throughout Colombia and beyond. More than 1000 campesinos visit the farm each year to participate in hands-on workshops designed to give them the wherewithal to apply and adjust our techniques elsewhere. In partnership with Suyusama and Catholic Relief Services, VL is providing 50 communities throughout Nariño with communal bio-fertilizer labs and manure generating stables, plus the training necessary to use them effectively. This wide diffusion of organic methods has the potential to multiply biodiversity while dignifying the lives of campesinos by granting them higher quality products with lower input costs.

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Proyecto radial Finca Villa Loyola (Chachagui)

Overview