An Overview Of Our Solution
In the middle of an extensive sugar cane monoculture in the basin of the Papaloapan river, one of the most fertile and productive regions in Mexico, a 73 ha regenerative agriculture center is being developed to promote the transition to an agriculture based on sustainable tropical polyculture systems. Featuring hydrologic design, water management and soil conservation techniques, re-introduction of traditional annual and perennial crops, and natural fertility methods, rancho San Ricardo is providing local farmers a diversity of tools for climate change mitigation and increased food security at a regional level.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: North America
General Information
Organization type
Outro
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Grasslands
Population impacted
15 000 at a municipal level
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
73 ha
Production quantity
850 tons of sugar cane, 14 tons of ginger,
People employed
22
Solution
Describe your solution
In 2012 we started a gradual process of transformation of rancho San Ricardo, a 73ha property where sugarcane had been grown for 20yrs using conventional agrochemical methods. The objective was to create a demonstration site, open to the public, where traditional as well as innovative agriculture practices, useful for climate change mitigation & food security, could be tested & shared with local famers, their families & the public. The long-term goal of the project is to facilitate the transition to a diversified & regenerative agriculture model in the region. On a first phase, the master plan of the future regenerative landscape was developed and the hydrological design for water harvesting and soil conservation was implemented (now 70% done) Then the diverse palette of perennial crops, trees and annuals of nutritional, economic and/or regenerative value was defined and planted in 2013 (40% advance). We are now in the process of sharing the lessons learned in this process with local farmers and the public. Our goal is to provide technical information, cost analysis, expected yields, market value and potential customers for a number of alternative crops suitable for production in our context, as well as plants and seeds and natural fertilizers. The idea is to show farmers the potential benefits, and also the challenges, of diversifying their operation and regenerating their land. Interested farmers, groups and families can then be in a better position to start the transition
Implementation
Describe your implementation
Since the project started in 2012, use of agrochemicals was completely stopped, as well as the practice of burning the fields during sugar-cane harvest. Production area of cane was reduced form 56 to 18 ha in order to introduce more than 50 tropical fruit tree species, bamboo plantations of 4 non-invasive species, one vegetable garden designed as a learning space for kids and their families, an area for annual crops production (corn, beans, squash, taro, and other local varieties) and nitrogen fixing green manures. Also, a free-range grass-fed herd of sheep was introduced for weed control, animal and manure production. Sugar cane production per ha dropped 30% the first year compared to previous yields, 10% the second year, and rebounded to the average 65 tons/ha the third year (2016), but without poisons that harm the environment and the fileld workers. Local field workers and their families were consulted in order to determine the list of annual and vegetable crops to be introduced based on their traditional basic food basket. Other new crops of high market-value like turmeric and ginger were also included. A key success factor are our field workers, eager to adopt new regenerative methods, as they deeply value the immediate benefits of working in a poison-free environment and growing healthy food for their families. Challenges include an exponentially increased complexity for managing and marketing the wide diversity of products of a polyculture system, extremely difficult procedures for accessing government funds for agriculture in Mexico, and the need to develop better methods for communicating information and providing technical support for local farmers.
External connections
-La Margarita, a large sugar mill operating in close vicinity of San Ricardo, has a team of agronomists whose job is to manage the operation of 20 000 ha of sugar cane fields. They give technical advice to the 3 500 farmers who sell their cane to the mill. After inviting them to a carbon-farming workshop in San Ricardo, we’ve established a collaboration program with the agronomists, in order to promote regenerative agriculture practices like keyline plowing, diversification of crops and natural fertility methods among farmers.
-INECOL is a prestigious academic institution working in nature conservation programs and research on sustainable use of natural resources. We’ve established collaboration projects with them for establishing a program for conservation of the dung beetle population, and the creation of a bamboo workshop for construction of low-cost, prefabricated houses.
-World Vision is an NGO working to improve the quality of life of children in poverty conditions. The local chapter of WV has a 15 year relationship of work with local communities. We’ve started a joint school-garden program in San Ricardo for local schools.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Conventional agro-chemical sugar-cane cultivation methods have been applied for more than 5 decades on the Papaloapan river basin . Between 70 to 90% of the original tropical forests have been lost to monoculture fields, agriculture production is dependent on a high input of fuel and chemical fertilizers, massive carbon emissions due to burning of fields during sugar-cane harvest are standard practice, soil fertility rates decline each passing year, and soil, water and air pollution are severely impacting overall ecosystem health. Climate change and increasing fuel and agrochemical prices in Mexico are further challenging the capacity of the prevailing industrial agriculture model to fulfill it's social and economic function.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Covering 670 000 ha, sugar cane plantations in Mexico constitute the second largest crop area after corn. The sugar industry produces 11% of agriculture GDP and generates 2 million direct and indirect jobs. In the 1960’s, government programs that strongly supported sugar cane production and the green revolution, contributed to a radical transformation of the landscape, from small-scale polycultures of tropical fruit trees, annual crops and vegetables that provided accessible nutritious food for local communities, to the market oriented, industrial model of monoculture production we see today. We operate in the middle of a 20 000 ha plantation owned by approx. 3500 small farmers with plot sizes averaging 6.5 ha. Fluctuating sugar prices, increasing costs of production and constant agro-chemical applications translate into unstable income, diminished food diversity, quality and security, and a polluted environment for the local farmers and their families.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
Halting the use of agrochemicals, biocides and the practice of burning the fields for 5 years, has allowed nature to gradually regenerate the micro-ecosystem of San Ricardo. Introduction of fruit trees, annuals and vegetables has increased both the availability of food and the numbers of insects, birds, bats and other local animal species in the San Ricardo project. The presence of animals help in turn restore the mineral cycle of essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil, as organic matter content and microorganism activity increase. Keyline design prevents soil loss due to erosion during extreme rain events and water is kept for longer periods of time in the root system of perennial plants, thus helping mitigate the effects of drought. Introduction of perennial bamboo and tree plantations perform a multi-functional service, as they sequester carbon from the atmosphere, contribute to restore the water cycle, create a safe habitat for wildlife and produce a cash crop in form of fruit, timber and renewable materials for construction. These living systems act in synergy and create a dynamic exchange of nutrients, energy and other biotic resources (like microorganisms and fungi) that benefits the ecosystem as a whole.
Language(s)
Spanish, Zapotec dialects, various Oto-Manguean languages
Water
Better technical abilities to build and improve living conditions related to water, like dry-toilets, rainwater catchment systems, ferrocement cisterns and hydrology/gravity irrigation during implementation of such systems in San Ricardo.
Food Security/Nutrition
Increased quantity, quality and diversity of healthy, locally grown food in the community. Enhanced awareness in community of the importance of traditional crops and seed saving practices. Increased knowledge of new promising crops and perennial crops that are more resilient than annuals in climate change scenarios.
Economic/Sustainable Development
New short-term income opportunities, like growing high-value crops like ginger and turmeric, as well as transformation processes for added-value. Medium term opportunities like bamboo (4 years to grow to reach market). New and growing client-base looking for organic food in urban centers in a raduis of less than 100 kms (pop. 800 000)
Climate
Increased carbon sequestration capacity of San Ricardo through establishment of perennial systems and crops. Better water management in extreme rain events by means of hydrological design. Better drought mitigation by means of annuals planted between rows of perennial trees and shrubs that generate a soft shade and hold water in root system.
Sustainability
Food production in San Ricardo is designed to rely on market-based revenue of the basic market basket of the local community and added value crops and processed products for export to the urban market. Sugar cane for the mill and Regen Ag/permaculture workshops are also an important source of income. Other project activities regarding ecosystem conservation and restoration will have to depend on government subsidies or grants in the near future. Social programs, such as the school garden project, will also rely on grant funding after the initial start-up fund is invested.
Return on investment
The total cost of taking land out of an unsustainable but marginally profitable operation like conventional sugar-cane production in order to establish perennial systems, buying and planting trees that will take years to yield, maintaining them, and training the collaborators in regen ag practices at the scale of the San Ricardo project, will take a very long time to pay back, if it ever does, in monetary terms. But taking into account indicators such as soil health, biodiversity, ecosystem resilience in climate change scenarios, food security, and the potential to facilitate a new agriculture model for the region, it might be the best return of investment we can expect given the planetary circumstances we're facing today.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
The radical transformation of a whole model of agriculture has been done before at a scale of thousands of ha. It took political will and economic incentives for farmers among other things, but thousands of ha of diversified crops were transformed to monoculture in a very short time in the 60’s and 70’s. Conditions that made this transformation possible decades ago are gone; the prevailing system totally depends on reliable rainfall in times of climate change, and there are no models of an agriculture for the future, capable of adapting to the new circumstances. We don’t know if our model can be replicated, and to really facilitate a transformation of the scale we’re talking about in this document, much more than a demonstration site is needed. This transformation will take all the support it can get from informed individuals and groups, in the private and public sectors alike. We’re just doing the part we can do as fast & as best we can, in hope other actors will do their part