SMA PROGRAMS: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
Organic Gardening and Soil Restoration

In 1994, SMA sponsored training of indigenous and mestizo promoters in biodynamic agriculture in New Mexico and began a regional training center in Cabórachi the following year. In 1998, the training center closed due to lack of funding, but SMA-sponsored permaculture training in 1999 and a volunteer gardening project in cooperation with MITYTAC in 2001.

In 2002, Primitivo Cruz, the original Tarahumara trained in biodynamic agriculture, began a cooperative gardening and greenhouse in Cabórachi, supported by INI (Instituto Nacional Indigenista) and SMA. SMA is also sponsored a successful pilot green manure cover crop project in Cabórachi to restore soils for corn production.

In 2003, based upon the success in Caborachi, SMA began an educational program on crop rotation and intercropping with nitrogen-fixing vetch. The objective of the program is to establish community seed banks and pilot projects in six indigenous communities. Six hundred kilos of vetch and one thousand kilos of triticale (a grass hybrid to be interplanted with vetch to increase organic carbon and nitrogen, and improve soil structure) will be distributed to one to four Tarahumara and Tepehuan in each community. Each recipient of the seeds will sign a contract to return an equal quantity of seed to establish a “community seed bank” next year.

Consejo EcoRegional Sierra Tarahumara A.C. is assisting other interested farmers apply to the government for seed. The seed banks are essential for sustaining this project, as commercial vetch seed costs $120 per hectare to plant plus the transport costs to the community. Triticale is much cheaper, but can also be sponsored by community seed banks. In the future, community seed banks are planned for native corn, beans, and other native crops.