SOME BIOINTENSIVE ACTIVITIES IN LATIN AMERICA
• Juan Manuel sent us a summary of what some participants at the 2006 Six-Day Workshop in Costa Rica have been doing since then. He emphasized that many other participants are also involved in Biointensive activities; this is just the first round of reports:
ECUADOR:
(Report sent by Mercedes Torres, Director of ADYS)
Imbabura Province:
- A demonstration garden was installed on the Urcuqui farm, 300 grape vines planted, a soil improvement project started by planning vicia and alfalfa.
- A training program was given for 170 students from the Universidad Tecnica del Norte and Biointensive Agriculture programs developed by extensionists and students in the process of writing their theses.
- A demonstration garden was installed in the Ecological Reserve of the Guayabillas Forest.
Pichincha Province:
- The plan for the demonstration garden in Pifo was upgraded.
- 120 Agronomy students at the Universidad Central were trained.
Cotopaxi Province:
- A demonstration farm was installed at the Universidad Central
- 60 students from 2 technological schools were trained.
- A training was given for 50 community leaders.
GUATEMALA
Cesar Lineo and Marco Vinicio, professors at the University of San Carlos, gave a workshop for students and other professors and now have installed a 30-bed demonstration center.
COLOMBIA
Jorge Madrid and Juan Carlos Montoya, professors at the Universidad Catolica de Oriente gave several conferences and taught a workshop to staff and students. They are installing a demonstration center and have hired Eduar Pinzon to manage it.
CHILE
Lillian Barrientos reorganized her whole NGO after the Six-Day Workshop. She then visited schools and universities to introduce Biointensive, had meetings with indigenous leaders and installed two demonstration gardens, one outside her office and another at a boarding school for indigenous children.
MEXICO
- Gaspar Mayagoitia has continued his promotion of Biointensive in the Tarahumara Sierra.
- Dr. Angelica Arango from the Instituto de Ciencias Avanzadas in Jalapa, Veracruz, gave several conferences and started a site on the Internet to keep in touch with the people that participated in the Six-Day Workshop.
- Karla Arroyo at Las Canadas in Veracruz state began seed production and has installed an additional garden for research.
|