Farmer to Farmer Blog

Honduras Flowers Fungus and Fruits Fotos

2012-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

Coffee in Rio Negro

Dona Natalia's flowers

Pris's orchid

A "bush strawberry" in Rio Negro

The fruit of the bush strawberry

Ground cover in Rio Negro

Rio Negro - those are real colors

Izote - living fence in Rio Negro

Pineapple - near Lake Yojoa

Pataste - Lake Yojoa

Don Chico's Coffee - El Sute

Cloud Forest Bromeliad

That looks like a morel to me...

Found in a corn field

Indian Pipe - Saprophytic plant in the cloud forest

Orchid - Cloud Forest

Fungus - Cloud Forest

The Question of Litter and Violent Crime in Central America

2012-01-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

by Andy

What are the ideal conditions for humans to be their best selves? Does it have anything to do with litter?

While I was preparing to go to Honduras it was announced that the Peace Corps had decided to withdraw all of its volunteers after almost 50 years. The reason given was that the security situation has deteriorated and Peace Corps thought that Honduras was too much of a risk. Later, in Honduras, we found that Peace Corps will be removing or not replacing volunteers in El Salvador and Guatemala too. Japan is also withdrawing its significant volunteer presence in Honduras. It can be quite distressing to see the country I know and love tainted by violence.

Before we left for Honduras, we were interrogated by concerned friends and family about the violence in Honduras. After having traveled to Central America for 20 years, I had felt pretty good about the plans we had made. I know that Honduras in general is pretty safe outside of certain neighborhoods of the big cities and the places we were going and staying are safe. However, with all of the concern out there, we did modify plans in order to get picked up and dropped off in San Pedro Sula, instead of taking public transport. We had no problems during the trip. But the question of increased violence in Central America followed us throughout the trip. Specifically, we asked our Honduran friends and other people we met about the violence, and their answers were all over the board.

First off, although it may be overblown in the media, the violence is real and it seems to be increasing. In January of 2011, a Honduran newspaper reported that San Pedro Sula has an annual murder rate of 125 people per 100,000 citizens, making it the 3rd most violent city in the world, behind Juarez, Mexico and Qandahar, Afganistan. Tegucigalpa comes in 6th and Guatemala City is 7th. Our friends told us personal stories about San Pedro and Tegus. There is gang violence. There are neighborhoods that the taxis will not enter. There are places where you need to roll down the windows of your car because if you drive around with polarized windows, gang members will assume you are rivals and shoot into the car. One friend has a cousin who was killed in cross-fire. Some of our Honduran friends are no longer willing to take city buses or collective taxis within the two big cities.

Although it is worst there, it is not just in the big cities. My friend Melvin told us of a small rural village where a family feud has recently left 14 people dead. Another friend told us of criminals who got on his bus in rural Guatemala and used knives to menace people into giving up all of their valuables. In Comayagua, our hotel's staff warned us not to go walking at night and even to be careful about which taxis we take. We met a Christian mission group in a Comayagua restaurant and discovered that, based on prior experience, they had hired an armed guard to be with them every time they go out and about. Our Honduran friends are seemingly always slightly on guard and under sense of caution that has seemed to grow every time I go to Honduras. Those Hondurans who have money have always built fortress-like walls around their houses, but now it seems the walls are bigger and even more protected with razor wire and such.

When I lived in Honduras in the 1990's, I did not fear for my own safety. My understanding of the situation was that while petty theft was rampant, that actual violence was not common. I hitch-hiked and rode my bicycle all over Honduras. I took public transport everywhere and often walked or taxied through San Pedro or Tegus to get to the bus station or shop. Of course, I took the usual precautions that any person would take in any big city anywhere in the world (not going alone at night, staying out of "bad" neighborhoods, and trying not to draw attention to myself - by looking as much like a local as I could). In my own site of Comayagua, I never thought twice about walking or riding my bike alone at night. I did hear of a few isolated incidents, but as a rule, I felt safe. I have checked in with my Honduran friends and they confirm that they also used to feel safe, in general. So what has happened? And what, if anything, can be done about it?

We heard many possible explanations for the increase in violence:

1. The police are ineffectual, and even worse, the police are responsible for violence. This is distressing, because most of the Honduran politicians' solutions to the violence involve increasing police power. Recently the son of a University president was assassinated in Honduras. He was involved in resistance against the current government, and his death was big news. In the ensuing investigation it turns out that elements within the police force have become criminals for hire, with the killing of this man being attributed to police. Another friend talked about how he knew of a man who had committed rape in his rural community and was arrested, but was able to somehow walk free after his father visited the police who held him. The implication is that he bought his release. The inability to trust the police is what may have been the proximate cause of the the Peace Corps withdrawal. However, I do not buy this as the cause of the general rise in violence in Honduras, because it has been a long time since anyone trusted the police in Honduras.

2. Others spoke to us about the drug trafficking and gang violence as the cause of the rise of violence. I confess, this theory resonates with me. It seems that all of Mexico and Central America is under a mafia-like web of ever increasing lawlessness. There has come a point in many places where the gangs and drug cartels are the primary authority. In my mind I am having a hard time accepting the rise of drug cartels as the reason Honduras is becoming so violent, when as far as anyone can tell, the drugs are just passing through. Why are there street crimes, kidnappings, and assassinations? And why is this coming up now? I do not know enough about organized crime, but my guess is it doesn't help the situation. Hondurans assured me that there is a growing drug problem in the cities. Maybe they are running out of markets in the U.S. Or maybe they dump the inferior quality drugs in Central America, like coffee or bananas.

3. A general reason that I have heard more than once is that poverty levels have driven the crime wave. People are desperate and they do desperate things. I cannot imagine the level of poverty experienced by the majority of Hondurans on a daily basis. There is a hunger, an uncertainty, and a lack of options that I have never experienced. I know that poverty must contribute to crime, but I also know that people have been poor in Honduras for a long time, and the violent crime is relatively new. In fact, in comparison to 20 years ago, Honduras is more prosperous in general. It can't just be poverty.

4. There are conspiracy theories, most of which have enough truth to continue to circulate. One theory is that the U.S. military has trained a whole generation of people in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. This training happened in-country and in the infamous School of the Americas in Georgia. These trainees formed the heart of the vicious paramilitary groups of the 80's and 90's, and they got rich skimming money from the lavash U.S. military aid. Then, when Central America lost geopolitical importance, the U.S. funding dried up and these men who were trained in violence and terror were set loose on the Honduran populace. Yikes. But does that account for current crime wave? The timing is a little off.

5. Another conspiracy theory is that the wealthy elite who run Honduras through corrupt politicians and controlled media have a strong interest in a population that is afraid. The theory is that if a people's primary concern is crime, then they will be willing to vote primarily based on a message of "security" and vote for politicians who offer a "strong hand" with criminals. The issue of security will eclipse other issues and people will continue to accept inequality. Although it sounds good, it is hard to believe that business interestes would actually prefer a violent lawless Honduras. In terms of the media loving violence, one Honduran friend complained that the newspapers and tv stations in Honduras sensationalize the violence in order to sell more. "If it bleeds, it leads," and in Honduras every front page of every newspaper seems to have a requisite dead body or an SUV riddled with bullet holes. But does showing violence encourage more violence?

6. My own inclination is to blame litter. Yes litter. Also I might place some blame on the breakdown of families due to the decline of the Catholic Church and emigration to the United States. In a recent re-reading of the book The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, I rediscovered the chapter about violent crime on the New York City subway. It is worth a look. The thesis of his book is that little things can make a big difference.

Malcolm Gladwell describes something called the Broken Windows theory of crime, which was the brainchild of criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling: "Wilson and Kelling argued that crime is the inevitable result of of disorder. If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. I a city, relatively minor problems like graffiti, public disorder, and aggressive panhandling, they write, are all the equivalent of broken windows, invitations to more serious crimes: "Muggers and robbers, whether opportunistic or professional, believe they reduce their chances of being caught or even identified if they operate on streets where potential victims are already intimidated by prevailing conditions."" For Gladwell, this is the epidemic theory of crime, implying that crime is contagious. He claims that context can be so much more important in influencing criminal behavior than other factors, that it can be used to control crime.

In the 1980's the New York subway was a dangerous place, and instead of only dealing directly with the criminals, the authorities also tackled the problem of violence by literally cleaning up the subway. They had a zero tolerance policy for graffiti on public property. They prosecuted minor crimes such as turn-stile jumping on the subway. They dealt with litter. There was an almost miraculous drop in violent crime about the same time. The idea was that inherent in the small visible crimes of graffiti, fare-jumping and litter was an implicit general lack of respect for authority and the public good. When little crimes are not prosecuted, there is a tipping point where bigger crimes take off, and vice-versa. The tipping point within any one individual that causes them to not carry out a violent crime might be a relatively small thing, or rather the accumulation of many small things.

Honduras is full of litter. It is everywhere and to developed-world eyes it makes the whole country look like a dump. My opinion is that until relatively recently, the now ubiquitous plastic was not around and most items that people threw away were biodegradable. Thus, the habit of tossing stuff out used to not be a problem. It has only now become a problem because of a change in packaging. The U.S.A had to come to a new consciousness about litter in the 1970's (remember the crying Indian?), and Honduras has not shifted its consciousness there yet. Thus, unintentionally, Honduras has slowly become a seemingly incontrovertible trash heap. I am not saying that litter causes violence, but rather that litter is symptomatic of what can seem to be a general disregard for the public good and law in general. Another example is the way people drive in Honduras. There is no respect for when and where to pass, the speed limit (if there is one), or traffic signals. For that matter, we might include a general lack of respect for time schedules. The roads are poorly maintained. Petty theft continues to be a daily preoccupation for most Hondurans. If we are talking about a disordered context as a factor in crime, then Honduras is a prime example of a country in disorder.

I do not believe that disorder is inherent in the people and culture of Honduras. In fact it is just the opposite. If you look at how people dress, you notice that everyone is "put together" in a way that seems superfluous to my North American sensibilities. Shoes are shined. Even if a person has two changes of clothes, somehow they are always clean. Fashion is important. Cars and buses are cared for, adorned and washed. In Honduras, there is a long history of the family and the church being the central units of authority. With large, interconnected patriarchal families, people have a long tradition of living together in the same place. The consequences of actions within a family unit living together are immediate and self-reinforcing. The church has functioned for centuries as an unquestioned moral touchstone. So it would seem that if disorder were the cause of the recent crime wave, then it must be recent factors that have undermined traditional centers of authority and caused a tipping point in society

What has changed that might have caused such a societal shift? Various factors have brought about the dispersal of Honduran families. Many people have emigrated to the U.S. Many have moved within Honduras, looking for economic opportunity. U.S. free trade policies have caused long term stagnation in the price of corn and beans, pushing peasants off the land and into cities. The same free trade policies have encouraged maquiladoras to spring up, offering work to the displaced masses. With the disintegration of the family as a center of authority, Honduras has also experienced a decrease in the authority of Catholic Church in peoples' daily lives. The rapid growth in the Honduran population can only contribute to entropy in society, when families expand beyond the carrying capacity of the land and people are forced to move to new places.

If Honduras has had litter and poor driving in the past, why now does it lead to violent crime? And what can be done about it? In Gladwell's terminology, there has been a tipping point where authority and the public good have lost respect. And there could be a tipping point in the other direction. The safest place in Comayagua is the central plaza. It is not only patrolled by armed guards, it is also immaculately clean, well-lit and beautifully landscaped. This is part of a push to make Comayagua into a tourist destination, but the local population must to benefit greatly. To end violence in Central America may require a strong hand, but I think best way to end violence will be for there to be a national push for adults and children to take pride in cleaning up their communities. A beautiful, orderly environment will help people to think and act in beautiful and orderly ways. Somehow little crimes must have consequences. It is a big job. New York did not clean up its subway overnight. They did it little by little, but eventually they took back a sense of order, with incredible results.

I know this critique can look like cultural paternalism. Here I am in clean, law-abiding, on-time Wisconsin and I blame Honduras' problems on the fact that they are not like me. If this is the case and I am wrong, then I apologize. Something real is happening here and we need all ideas.

At the Coffee Farms

2012-01-24T05:16:00.001-08:00

We spent 2 days visiting the UPC coffee cooperative, walking in coffee fields and meeting some of the people growing our coffee. The La Democracia area is just 15 minutes from the Mexican border. Very mountainous and beautiful! Here are a few photos.

Walking in the coffee fields with Franklin and Andrew

young girl picking coffee

Marion picking coffee

Looking at the new scale Farmer to Farmer bought for the cooperative.

Martin Luther King Jr. day in Guatemala

2012-01-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

In the past, several of our Menomonie travelers have been active in organizing celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. day. But this year we were in Guatemala.
Fitzie, Lakayana, Marion and Warren decided to bring Martin Luther King Jr. day to Guatemala. They planned activities centered around reading a book about Martin Luther King Jr. but we weren't sure where we'd get a book. They ended up finding one at the library- La Puerta Abierta in Santiago Atitlan and the book it turns out we'd just brought down in a box of books donated by Margee Stienecker- who was on out trip in 2011! That worked out! Yeah Margee!
They did the activity with the Scholarship students in Santiago Atitlan and again in La Democracia with a gathering of children after their first day of school. Before reading Warren played Somos El Barco on his harmonica. After reading the book they got crayons out and asked the kids to draw a hero in their lives. I loved the ones that drew their Mom's. The drawings are coming back to Menomonie for some future event.

Warren playing his harmonica.

Marion reading part of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Ftizie reading.

Lakayana reading.

2012-01-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

We gave out our student scholarships to the Weaver's committee students on Saturday. We piled in a small room at the weaver's workshop with parents and kids from kindergarden to college age. We each introduced ourselves and shared some info about ourselves. They families spoke about how the scholarships help them with the school costs and some families said without the scholarships they wouldn't be able to send their kids to school. Amazing the difference a small amount of money can make

Some of the scholarship students

a student signing her name after receiving her scholarship money.

a group photo of our travelers with most of the the Weaver's committee.

One of the kids hugging Fitzie goodbye.

Honduras Cloud Forest Wilderness Adventure

2012-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

At 4:30 inthe afternoon it is already becoming dark. By some small miracle we have founda flat spot next to a high mountain creek in a deep furrow in the middle of animmense jungle-like cloud forest. We are exhausted, sore, wet, and lost. I amusually the one who prepares the supper, but instead of jumping to it, Iquietly direct Hernan from a perch on a mossy wet log. My stomach hurts alittle and our situation is sitting heavily on my shoulders. I am the architectof this little excursion and I am in the middle of a crisis of faith in my owndecisions up to this point.

The Cloud Forest

There arefour of us here in this makeshift camp. Melvin is our guide and trail blazer.He lives in the mountain community of El Horno and he is able to open a trailusing his machete and carrying a heavy backpack about as fast as the rest of uscan walk. Melvin has grown up near the mountain, but he has never been to this part of the Park. Hernan hikes behind Melvin. Hernan is a longtime friend fromComayagua who has gone on every one of our adventures into the cloud forestthat is the Comayagua Mountain National Park. Hernan is careful and takes histime to find secure footholds and firmly held roots for handholds. I hikethird, so Melvin and Hernan can pick a trail and Hernan can lend a hand ifneeded. Adalid, the president of the coffee co-op, hikes last, mostly out of thebelief that if there are poisonous snakes the safest spot is last, but morethan once I appreciate having him behind me so if I slip, he can steady me.

Melvin with a cross section of a tree fern

Hernan

Adalid

We are allsubdued as the water boils over Hernan’s camp stove for our spaghetti supper.We have put up the tents and changed into our driest clothes. It is cold and inthe gathering darkness I shiver and wish for my wool stocking cap. At leasttonight we have water. The first night we camped high on the ridge and had toconserve water. But that night we were at the beginning of a splendid campingtrip and the lack of water was a minor inconvenience. Tonight is serious.

The first day, as we enter the old growth forest.

Purple Orchid found throughout the cloud forest.

Bromeliad.

Our day hadstarted out well. Earlier today we hiked the ridge for 2 hours until we decidedto descend to find water. After skirting the mountain for half an hour and notfinding water we climbed back up to the ridge to try the other side and locatedwater easily. That was our first taste of hiking off of the ridge and I hadhoped it would be our last. When we are on the ridge, there is usually a steepdrop on either side, but the ridge itself is relatively secure and walk-able.We can make good progress, although the occasional fallen tree or densevegetation can slow us down. Off the ridge, the mountain sides are anotherthing altogether. At least half the time when skirting the mountain side I haveto be very careful to secure myself by choosing a strong tree root or rock tohold onto and a solid place for my foot. The going is slow because a false stepcould mean a precipitous fall. The heavy backpack doesn’t help either.

Walking on the ridge can be quite pleasant.

There is a dense undergrowth of a sort of bamboo-like grass in some areas.

Every tree in the cloud forest is covered with moss, vines, and other vegetation.

Aftergetting the water and getting back to the ridge our spirits were high. We hadpassed the test of the mountain sides and now had water and an easy climb onthe ridge ahead of us. The sun came out. The ridge took us higher and higher. Iam usually not afraid of heights in the cloud forest because there are treesall around and I feel closed-in enough to fool my natural preoccupation. But aswe climbed higher and the wind started to blow, the vegetation thinned and thesun came out, and I was able to see how high we really were. We were nowlooking down on the rest of the mountains and in the far distance below wecould barely the discern houses and coffee farms of the high valleys. Itrembled a little and actually crawled for a little while, but I took some deepbreaths and steadied myself. That helped, and I continued the climb.

Soon westopped. There was a problem ahead. Melvin had taken off his backpack and wasscouting ahead. He instructed us to take off our backpacks and come look. Therewere two things to see. First there was a massive wall of rock in front of us.There was no way we could continue on the ridge. The second was that from thebase of the wall we had a fantastic view of the valley below. Adalid knew thecoffee farming villages well and he pointed out the houses of farmers that heknew in the far distance. Between us and those villages a series of ridges andvalleys seemed to stretch to forever, carpeted with dark green cloud forestvegetation. It was a thrill to really be in the center of an immensewilderness. After almost 20 years of coming to the Comayagua Mountain, Irealized then that I had only ever been on the edge of the Park until now.

The view from the high point. Note the sheer wall of rock on the right. On top of the world.

Aftertaking photos from the high point, we had a long discussion about what to do.We could try to skirt the rock face and look for a way to continue on theridge. But the geology had changed and instead of the deep spongy soil of thelower reaches, this high point had slippery bedrock and fewer small trees tohold onto. Further, we didn’t know if we could even regain the ridge or if moresheer rock faces waited for us. So we decided to descend into the wildernessvalley below and try our luck making a grand detour around the mountain top. Iwas in the minority against descending because the route I had chosen for ourtrip was to follow the ridges to return to civilization. But if Melvin saidthere was no way to climb the rock face, then who was I to disagree? Besides, Ihad seen this wilderness on maps and aerial photos for years and I was curiousto see what it was like. This was noon.

Try walking sideways along the mountain. Not so easy.

For thenext three hours we descended and skirted the mountain side as we went. Ourgoal was to find a far ridge that would climb back up on the other side of themountain top. It was slow going on the steep sides. Sometimes we would come tothe site of an old landslide with deep chasms in front of us and we would beforced to backtrack and either climb or dip to find a place to cross. Melvinwas awesome. He was patient and careful and chose routes and guided us tofootholds and handholds. He tested the ground as he went and slipped many timesas holes would open up in the fragile soil. He would then pass the message backto be careful and turn around to continue hacking his way through the forestwith his machete.

Hernan looks serious.

At somepoint we realized that we could not camp on the mountain side, and that ourbest chance to find a flat spot was to follow the course of a mountain creek. Iwasn’t thrilled, because up until now my feet were still dry, even though therest of me was covered in dirt and sweat. But I had to agree that we wouldnever find a flat spot by skirting the mountain side. So at the next mountaincreek, we turned and started downriver. Even though it was three o’clock, thedeep creek bed was already darkening, and I wondered if the sunlight ever trulyreached this far down. Going down river was a new challenge. The creek was nomore than five feet across, but it seemed like an expertly constructed obstaclecourse. There were intermittent logs criss-crossing the creek that we had toclimb over or slide under. The rocks were slippery with moss and they wouldsometimes give way when I put weight on them. The gravel of the creek floor wasnot firm, but instead would suck my foot in, like a sort of quicksand. Afterfive minutes on the creek bed I had fallen twice and my feet were both soakedthrough. But I soon learned to navigate. I had to let go of my need to be dryin favor of taking concern for my safety. I would crawl over the slippery logsand step carefully on the dodgy rocks. After about an hour of this slowprogress, we found a small flat spot next to the creek, big enough for twosmall tents, and we gave up the hike for the day. It was the only flat spot Ihad seen since we left the high ridge 4 hours ago.

Our campsite for Friday night. I hope never to see it again.

Now as Itry to finish my spaghetti with little appetite, the reality is settling in. Wehave deliberately descended into this steep valley. I cannot imagine trying tohike out tomorrow by continuing in the creek bed, because there are surelywaterfalls ahead and as the creek joins with others, it will become a ragingriver. The other option is to try to continue to skirt the mountain, and makecareful progress until we find a good ridge to climb out. That option is disagreeablebecause of the ever present possibility of finding a steep spot where we can’tcontinue. Again. It is Friday. My original plan was to hike out on Saturday,and rest on Sunday because my airplane for Minnesota leaves on Monday. We hadbrought enough food along with us to camp Saturday night if necessary. Now, as Idump out my unfinished spaghetti, I start to wonder if we will make it out byMonday and if Delta would honor my ticket on another day if I have a goodexcuse, like being lost in the mountain.

Aftersupper there is nothing for us to do except go to sleep. It is too wet to tryto start a fire and we are all cold and exhausted anyway. By five o’clock weare in our tents and soon I am taking mental stock of my situation. I amcurrently safe and dry. I have three companions who I know I can count on. Iknow that if one of us were to get hurt in the middle of the wilderness, itwould be very difficult to bring him to safety, but we have been through somevery difficult spots today and with calm nerves we have persevered. Slow andsteady wins the race. I am able to construct a shaky faith that I have not ledus into a truly dangerous site. I trust my companions implicitly, especiallyMelvin. As we go to sleep, Adalid and Melvin trade stories of people they knowwho have been bitten by poisonous snakes or gotten lost or injured in theforest. I know this is their own way to cope with the situation, but wish Icould turn off the sound on their conversation.

It rainsall night, but I wake up refreshed and almost cheerful. My tent kept me dry andI actually slept for most of the night. At some point in the middle of thenight I woke up and I realized that in the face of the reality of the situationI could not retreat in fear. I did not have that choice, because my companionsneeded me to keep it together. I also realized that I had been tested duringthe previous day and I had passed the test. I had done a gut-check found that Ihad it in me to face this uncertainty and that I could trust my friends andmyself. Now, in the morning we are all laughing at the place we find ourselves.It really is funny, and we are joking about how this is a trip that only acrazy person would take. We are in the very center of the National Park and weare quite certain that we are the very first humans to be in this spot. It isexhilarating, and with fresh energy we don our wet clothes and put on ourbackpacks.

The last river before we climbed onto the ridge again.

At the camp before setting out on Saturday.

Our morninghike is similar to the mountain skirting hike of the previous afternoon, but bynow we are experienced climbers and after a few sketchy places where weactually put the rope we brought to good use, we find a ridge that lookspromising to climb out of the valley. By noon we are back on top of the worldon the windy high ridge. We have completely circumscribed the rocky peak thathad prevented our progress and now we make rapid progress along the relativelyflat spine of the mountain. When we come to the end of our ridge, the sun hascome out enough for us to see the Comayagua valley stretched out in front ofus, our destination. It is like seeing a long-lost friend.

Now all we have todo is climb down off the mountain into civilization. At first we scramble downthe mountain side until we run into a place where the people have long ago cutdown the primary forest. The re-growth is dense and virtually impenetrable. Butwe are all happy to see evidence of humans and we reason correctly that thesehumans must have some sort of access trails to these places. After about a halfan hour of scouting we find the incredible gift of an existing trail. It is asmall, overgrown track and we lose it a few times, but as the trail descendsoff the mountain it gets wider and more traveled until it brings us out onto anew ridge, covered with immense pine trees and carpeted with rusty pineneedles. The wind in the pines is a beautiful sound. On either side we haveincredible views of the valley below. It is a great comfort to know that we areon a real trail that leads down off the mountain. Soon we exit the pine forest intothe overgrown old corn fields of a village called La Sampedrana. The fields arecovered with an incredible variety of flowers, some growing 6 feet tall andenclosing the trail on either side. It is a magic spot and we stop frequentlyto marvel at the crystal clear views and spectacular flowers.

The pines above La Sampedrana.

Melvin, with Pino Real pine cones.

Soon wefind ourselves on a road used by coffee farmers and we say hello to the coffeepickers and pull out our cell phones to call Hector to tell him where to cometo pick us up. I get out the last of the Snickers bars form my backpack and wepause to reflect on our adventure. The mountain has measured us, has baptizedus. Melvin, Adalid and Hernan are all able to note that God must have beenwatching over us and protecting us. Although I am not a religious person, Ihave to admit that I have hedged my bets and asked for protection from a higherpower more than once during the hike. As we look out over the valley, I have a gratefulcertainty that we have been under protection of some sort. I do not know if Iwill ever go back into that deep wilderness, but I now know that I am capableof it.

The coffee farms of La Sampedrana with the valley in the distance.

Chichicastenango Market photos

2012-01-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Mary buying textiles!
Peggy above the heads.

candles and incense

beans, eggs and ??

Maya ceremony on Santa Tomas Church steps

2012-01-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

The group: Boating across Lake Atitlan, later at a Mayan textile cooperative.

Making history: The first men at the cooperative to try their hand at the back-strap loom.

The past few days has been a whirlwind of travel and activities as our farmer to farmer group delves ever deeper into the culture history of Guatemala. Our journey took on us through many forms of transportation including our maiden voyage across lake Atitlan via speedboat, across the country in a chicken bus and through busy cities in Tuk Tuks. We visited Thirteen Threads in Panajachel as well as a Mayan textile cooperative (see picture above) on the way to Chichicastenango where its main attraction is its famous market which is put on two times a week. The group continues to grow closer through shared experience, open minds and a love for the vibrant culture of Guatemala. Regards from us all to our friends and family back home.

Lakayana and Fitzie.

Around Santiago Atitlan

2012-01-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the 10th we started the day with a great tour of Santiago Atitlan with Deloras, the best tour guide. We then spent the rest of the day visiting Farmer to Farmer families. Here are a few photos of the day!

The group with Rosa, Maria and daughter.

Mimi with F2F member Gregoria and her beautiful embroidery

the streets of Santiago

Peg visiting with the children.

2012-01-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

Lakayana's birthday canoe under the full moon at sunrise on Lake Atitlan! (and Fitzie)

2012-01-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

Guatemala travels

We left Antigua yesterday heading to Santiago Atitlan on Lake Atitlan. We had our own van so could make some stops along the way. We stopped at a small Mayan Ruin - Iximché. It was recommended by Deb Chandler of Mayan Hands and it was lovelyandvery peaceful. As you can see from the photos there were very few tourists.

This photo is Mary and Peggy at the Iximche Mayan Ruins.

Below Mimi, Lakayana and Fitzie at the ruins.

Below: our group heading out from Hotel San Pedro in Antigua.

Left to right: Fitzie, Lakayana, Mimi Marion, Warren, Mary, Peggy and Jody

The van ride through the mountains with the added stops of the ruins and lunch ended up being a 5 hour trip. Just an hour out of Antigua you enter the part of Guatemala that is mostly Maya. We passed through various villages where you can tell where you are by the designs on the womens huipils- shirts. Each woman is a walking work of art!

We had a great dinner sat by the lake and went to bed so we could wake up early to go canoeing for Lakayana's birthday at dawn under the full moon.

Honduras Rio Negro Photos

2012-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

On the road to Rio Negro

Micro Hydro Turbine in Rio Blanco

Important card game at Avilio and Betilia's

looking downhill from above Doña Sirila's house

Avilio's new coffee drying greenhouse

Doña Natalia's new cookstove uses much less wood and has no woodsmoke in the house.

Expert harvester

We make a good harvesting team.

Dariela

It takes a long time to harvest this much coffee.

Hector investigating Avilio's live barriers to soil erosion.

Avilio with his coffee

The whole crew from Rio Negro

Sombreros and Machetes; the life of a coffee farmer

2012-01-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Members of the 2012 Farmer to Farmer Guatemala trip and As Green As It Gets.

"These gentleman are experts on growing coffee, they can tell you just about everything about it from the red seed on the tree to the feel when it germinates..... he knows the coffee is ready because of the color and how it feels against his back molar" explained Franklin, an American facilitator and our guide at As Green As It Gets Fair Trade cooperative. Me and Fitzie, students at the University of Wisconsin Stout, have been in Guatemala for 12 days by the time the farmer group arrived. We had seen many impressive sights including active volcanos, elaborate New Years celebrations and ancient Mayan ruins rising out of the jungle. But there was something unique and inspiring about the coffee farmers we meet at As Green As It Gets Fair Trade Cooperative. Franklin gave a riveting story about the farmers we met who are the face of the agrarian struggle in Guatemala. I had heard of fair trade before and had seen coffee products in the stores, but being here amongst the farmers in their work place was amazing. Coffee is the staple product for these farmers but they have numerous spin off projects run by other family members and neighbors including products such as shoulder bags, face creams, fruits and rabbit breeding. Part of my journey in Guatemala includes conducting research for my senior capstone project on free trade coffee and I could not have picked a more inspiring topic. written by Lakayana Drury

Our first official day with the entire Farmer to Farmer group consisted of seeing the sites in Antigua and meeting and seeing the people and projects of the non profit, As Green As It Gets. Antigua has become a very familiar place to me, so I acted as the "unofficial" tour guide for the group. We toured the awe inspiring ruins of the Catedral San Jose. This cathedral was built from 1669 and completed in 1680, after the previous cathedral was destroyed in an earthquake in 1583. This new cathedral was supposed to be earthquake resistant, but mother nature always seems to have a way to prove man wrong, and sure enough in 1773 the cathedral was destroyed again. Today, visitors are able to explore the magnificent ruins of this immense site. We also explored the more tranquil Monasterio de San Francisco. Part of the Monastery is still used today, but part of it remains in ruins. I can't wait to explore the modern day Mayan culture as we explore Lake Atitlan. I'm reading, I, Rigoberta Menchu, and in Guatemala today, the Mayans are treated as second class citizens. written by Fitzie Heimdahl

Honduras, If it is not one thing, it is another

2012-01-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

We, the intrepid travelers, set out walking down the unpaved mountain road in the coffee growing area of Rio Negro. We carry water bottles, ponchos, and a 150-foot tape measure. Our goal today is to study the area near Dona Sirila's house to see where and how to install a mini-hydroelectric project near her house. Dona Sirila is a single mother from the coffee co-op, who has many children and grandchildren living with her. We visited last year, and we were taken with her story and situation. We turn off of the road onto a deep muddy red trail that splits through coffee farms. The trail follows a ridge and soon we have a spectacular view of the San Jeronimo valley. Ahead of us is Adalid and Hector, who fabricate mini turbines. With the help of donations from Farmer to Farmer members, Adalid has promised to help Dona Sirila install a turbine and have electricity for her house. Adalid has already improved her coffee de-pulper this past year, with donated money from a Farmer to Farmer member. Adalid stops and picks up a stick. He looks back and says "perros bravos" (mean dogs). With that warning, we all stop to pick up a stick. But it turns out that the house ahead is empty. Everyone is out harvesting coffee. As we continue on the path, we start to descend down into the valley. Adalid tells about how when he was a child in Rio Negro, there were not any roads and everyone walked back and forth to Comayagua and brought the coffee out on the backs of burros. This was one of the tracks. Soon the path is dropping steeply and everyone is slipping on the red mud. "Cuidado!" "Hay lodo!" When we get close to Dona Sirila's, her dogs come out to greet us. Adalid keeps them at bay by grunting and periodically pretending to pick up a rock. However as soon as we get to the house, the dogs come and lie down calmly as if they were not just barking viciously at us. Sirila welcomes us by saying that she was expecting us yesterday and that today her kids are out picking coffee at a neighbor's, and are unable to help with the hydroelectric study right now. She sends a child off running to fetch them.

In fact our plans for Dona Sirila's turbine have changed several times since we arrived in Honduras. The initial plan was to actually install the turbine while we are here. We were going to spend the first couple days in Comayagua buying pvc pipes and then send them up the mountain for us to put together. It was an ambitious plan. Before we arrived, Adalid had gone to Sirila's house to measure the distance to the water source. After we had the distance and were all ready to buy the tubes, word came from Sirila that her neighbors would not let her use the water from the spring. They were worried she would use up the whole spring. So she asked at another neighbor and had the same response. Things are complicated. Now we have to do a new study to figure out how many tubes to buy to get the water from the river. So instead of being the great gringo workers installing PVC, we are (once again) the great white watchers, hanging out in her yard taking photos of chickens.

After we get tired of waiting for her sons to arrive, we decide to measure the distance from her house to the flat area near the river. Because we can't use the water close by, we have decided to install the turbine down the hill from her house on a flat spot next to the river. Then they will need to run wires up to the house, and run PVC far enough up the river in order to gain enough water pressure to run the turbine. We need a 60 to 70 meter drop to make the turbine run efficiently. Finally, something important to do! I am used to working, so all this watching people work makes me a little uncomfortable. So I got to hold the end of the tape measure while Adalid set off into the coffee plants down the hill. After three leapfrogs with the tape measure, we are at the river, where Dona Sirila's kids plant beans in April. Her grandchild Fernando is our leader, and he carries a rough-carved wooden toy rifle to protect us. There are beautiful flowers here and there and the crashing sound of white water rushing over rocks. The river is a mountain stream and with a couple well-placed rocks, a person can easily move back and forth across the water. Once we find the distance from the river to the house, there is nothing to do except start exploring up the river. The trail (such as it is) goes along the near bank until the river takes a turn to the right around a steep rocky embankment. We do more hanging out next to a rocky cascade as Hector and Fernando explore ahead. This is pleasant, and we take to looking for interesting rocks while we wait for Dona Sirila's kids to show up to be part of the study. Soon they arrive, but we also notice that the morning has gotten away from us and it is now after one o'clock. As trip leader, I decide to go with the gringos back to Rio Negro for lunch. But Hector and Adalid have come all this way to do the study, and so they stay with the boys and explore further up the river. The rest of us climb back up to Dona Sirila's and have some delicious coffee with her, while Analisa explains the game "Go Fish" to Fernando and the girls. It is an instant hit. Soon we are back on the trail, getting to Rio Negro (huffing and puffing from the climb) in time for a late lunch.

Hector and Adalid arrive much later with an ambitious plan to run a 3 inch PVC pipe over the river using support wire. I'll buy the tubes next week, but sadly, we will be back in the states before the project gets installed.

The used turbine that Sirila's kids have jerry-rigged to a plastic hose. It runs two Christmas lights. Which is more electricity than they had before.

Jeff, trying out the improved coffee de-pulper. With a gear system it cranks much easier than it used to.

Measuring from the house to the river.

Sirila's kids

Quebrada El Gavilan.

Honduras: Safe and Sound

2012-01-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

I am writing from the Hotel Morales lobby in Comayagua, Honduras. Yesterday the Honduras Farmer to Farmer trip began when Jeff and Analisa arrived at the San Pedro Sula airport. There was a little setback because Delta left their luggage in Atlanta, but promises were made on the part of the airline and reluctantly accepted on Analisa's part, so we left the airport with our friends Hector and Hernan. I got to ride in the back of the pick-up with Jeff and we had a beautiful view of the Honduran countryside. Jeff and I talked about what I knew of the history of international aid in Honduras and he told me the same story from a Geography PhD candidate's point of view. It was nice to physically point out different things to highlight our discussion from our reclining open air vantage point. Around San Pedro we saw sugar cane fields, coffee warehouses, and huge free trade zones where Taiwanese and Korean clothing assembly plants sprawled behind high fences. There were armed checkpoints, and an unmarked police pick-up sped by bristling with weaponry. The traffic was constant, with every type of bus, pick-up and motorcycle jockeying along on a road that seemed to have two, three or four informal lanes, depending on the needs of the moment. As we climbed out of the Sula valley, we came into the watershed of the El Cajon dam and we were able to talk of the great cascade of unintended consequences that can come from a huge World Bank project. As the rain started to come down (we were sheltered by the movement of the pick-up truck), the conversation wandered to the vast efforts of aid groups to try to protect the El Cajon watershed, and the game that Honduran governmental and non-governmental agencies play to capture money intended for sustainable development. Later we came in sight of Lake Yojoa, and I was able to tell Jeff of the folly of introducing large-mouth bass to a pristine tropical lake full of endemic species. Later still we passed rows of places selling fried tilapia, the only commercial fish to come out of Yojoa now. As we climbed into the central high plains of Siguatepeque we talked of the vast forests of pine and the incredible corruption of the tragedy which was and is the Honduran forest products industry. We saw coffee farms along the road and it gave us a chance to discuss the failed USAID supported programs of the 80's which were intended to promote hybrid coffee varieties and huge production by cutting down all the shade trees and adding in chemical fertilizers and herbicides. As usual the unintended consequences were completely predictable. As we dropped into the Comayagua valley we saw the meager remnants of the tropical dry forest ecosystem and the brand new four lane highway which is intended unify ports on the Salvadoran coast with Puerto Cortes on the Honduran Atlantic Coast - the completed highway will compete with the Panama Canal, by using trucks to haul shipping containers.

By the time we got to Comayagua we were dry again and welcomed by the familiar hotel and friendly staff.

Guatemala and Honduras Trips begin!

2012-01-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

Our trips to Honduras is going and our Guatemala trip starts Jan 7th. Follow our adventures here!

Rug Hooking Update from F2F members Mary Anne and Jody

2011-03-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:

I hold a debt of gratitude to each and every one of you.

14 months ago you responded to an email I wrote from Guatemala. In the email, I sent photos of hooked rugs produced in a workshop Jody Slocum & I had just completed. The workshop was sponsored by Oxlajuj B'atz' (www.thirteenthreads.org). I wrote:

"these are first rugs, their craftsmanship isn't top notch but the rugs emanate energy and vitality. If my students sold these rugs, perhaps it would encourage them to continue hooking. Would you be interested in buying a rug? Proceeds will go to our students and buy more materials, too".

You immediately responded. You bought rugs- or, tried to buy a rug. In a couple of cases, the rug was already 'taken'. Nonetheless, I am deeply grateful for your supportive response. I want to bring you 'up to speed' about what rug hooking has meant to the lives of our students.

Since that class in October, Oxlajuj B'atz' (OB) opened a Fair Trade store in a town frequented by tourists, Panajachel, on beautiful Lake Atitlan. Our students bring their rugs to the store and the tienda, we learned, is unable to keep their rugs in stock.

This month, from Mar 5 - 22, Jody & I taught a 4th class over three weeks. The point of this class was to work on bigger rugs- to move from small mats (18 x 24") to larger rugs (30 x 60"). Building on lessons covered in previous classes, our students increased the scale of traditional textile elements then applied the motifs to larger rugs. We also focused on craftsmanship standards. Many of these large rugs will be included in an international hooked rug exhibition I've curated for the Anderson Center outside Red Wing, MN. (SAVE THE DATE: exhibit opens Sept 23, 2011).

In conjunction with the Anderson Center show, OB received a grant from the Delta Family Foundation. The grant supplied funds to make our class possible AND it includes funds for two of our students to attend the opening in September. On the afternoon of the opening, if you happen to arrive early in Red Wing, stop by the lunchroom: we're hosting a region-wide hook-in and you'll see many rug hookers from the area hooking alongside my Guatemalan students. In case you can't make it to the Anderson Ct opening, the women will speak about their lives (and sell some new rugs from ALL our students) on September 22nd at the Textile Center, 7 p.m., St Paul, MN. (All of this is dependent upon the women getting visas, obviously, so: keep your fingers crossed!).

To my wonderful friends and initial supporters, the list is not that long. You were amazing, your support was essential and you reside in a special place in my heart. Who are you? Linda Burke & Friend, rug hookers / former student, St Louis, MO; Burneatta Bridge, WI Appellate Court Judge, retired, Madison; Tom Choi, professor U of MN, retired, Seattle, WA; Wendy Coggins, Interior Designer, Mpls; Connee Mayeron & Fuller Cowles, artists, Shafer, MN; Terry Cuddy, farmer, Maiden Rock, WI; Vicki Hoepner, home inspector, St Paul, MN; Sally Kling, volunteer, MN; Wes Kuske, IMS Carpet showroom, retired; Meg Leonard, activist, Evergreen, CO; Rick Nelson, journalist, St Paul, MN; Sandra Roe, volunteer, MN; Doug Spencer & Kathleen Parrish, activists/Water For People Project, Evergreen, CO.

Finally. On the last day of every rug hooking class we conduct a private, one-on-one critique with each student. Knowing that our students are now selling their rugs, we asked: what are you doing with the money from rug sales? Simply put, none of us were prepared for their emotional responses. We had no idea the impact rug hooking has made to their lives. Read on.

Keep in touch.

With gratitude,

truly,

Mary Anne & Jody

Carmen (see photo, below): I am so grateful for OB (www.thirteenthreads.org) and for the opportunity they gave me to be in this class. I am so grateful for everything I've learned here, for the way Mariana y Jody open their hearts and give to us everything. They hold nothing back. I can see that, my campeneras, we can all feel that. Before these classes I believed I was nothing. I was a low person. I believed that because I do not read, I can't write, I don't speak much Spanish... Ive never been to school. If you are that way people see you as a low person. In the first rug class I did not dare to hope because I wasn't sure I could do it (the new rug hooking technique). But now I am selling my rugs and I have a different opinion of myself. I see the world different now and I am happy because I never thought that would be possible. I am not a low person.

Maria: I Am selling my rugs, it's incredible. I have so much gratitude. (breaking in to tears). Praise to god, my son studied in Cuba to be a doctor. I do not now how this opportunity came to him because he has no father, and I never went past third grade. Now he is back in Guatemala and he is an intern but he does not make any money in this position, I give him all my rug money so he can eat. I feel so lucky to sell my rugs and it makes me happy to help my son and that is why I am crying.

Maria (a different Maria): I never went to school, I do not have a husband, I only have one son. I used to go to the mountains every day to get wood to sell. It was very hard work, walking up and down the mountain I worked like a man and I still feel the work in my body. It is shameful to rely on your children but I had no choice. I am grateful for the opportunity to be in this class and for everything Mariana y Jody has taught me. Now that I can sell rugs (breaking in to tears) I do not have to go the mountain anymore. I am a lucky woman and I have a lot of gratitude for this opportunity.

Yolanda (below) has sold all seven of the mats she has made since the first class over two and a half yrs ago. She is involved in all kinds of textile production work: from fair trade scarves, table runners, napkins, and, her own huipils. When asked: "Which technique do you make the most money?" she responds: rug hooking. How does she spend her rug money? She bought six faucets for six families in her small village near chichi. There's a new potable water project in her village but you need a (complex) faucet to tap in to the pipe- Yolanda bought faucets. Note: you will meet Yolanda this fall at the Anderson Center- she was 1 of 2 women selected to come to the US to attend the opening.

Jessica,age 17. Muchisimo gracias por todo...- breaking down in tears - I remember the time OB offered the third rug hooking class and I was not selected to participate. I stayed home and felt sad, thinking about what was going on in the class. I spent the day weaving (on her backstrap loom) and feeling sad. But you called me on my phone and told me to come to class the next day and I want you to know how happy I felt then. I do not have the words to say how happy I was. After that class I started selling my rugs and sometimes I cannot believe it. I am very grateful -all of us feel this way- for a new way to make money,,, when the women in my group (who have taken the class) get together, before we start a hooking session we say a prayer to OB for this opportunity and how lucky we feel to learn this technique,,,we talk about you and Jody and we invite you to come be with us that day. You people were once strangers but we cannot believe it... You live so far away in Los estatdos unidisos and why do you come here to work with us- it's very dangerous to travel- and yet you still continue to come and we do not understand but we feel lucky and we give thanks to god every time because there is no other way to explain it.

Annual Meeting Thanks

2011-03-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

What a lovely day we had on Saturday.

The location was incredible and perfect for our meeting. Our hosts John and Kathy have created a beautiful space out of a restored schoolhouse. The sun was shining brightly and with a south facing bank of windows, the room heated up to the point where the front door stood open for much of the day. We all basked in the sun like cats and admired all the hard work and love that went into the restoration. Check it out: http://simply-dunn.com/

We had an inspiring presentation from Jeanne Duffy from Working Capital for Community Needs. She described the difference that micro loans from WCCN has made in the lives of people in Nicaragua and other Central American countries. We appreciated the history of WCCN, an organization with a history as a solidarity organization, much like Farmer to Farmer. She answered some questions that we had about recent reports of unfavorable reviews of microfinance. I left ready to send some of my own money to WCCN as an investment.Check it out. http://www.capitalforcommunities.org/

We also elected a new board. We welcome Reb Kilde as president, Mimi French as Secretary/Vice-President, Paul Helgeson as Treasurer, Jody Slocum as Communications, Andy Gaertner for International Outreach, Zac Barnes as Local Outreach/Fundraising. Thanks to Donna Goodlaxson and Nick/Steve Hearth, who are both leaving the board.

Annual Meeting this Saturday

2011-03-23T14:50:00.001-07:00

Farmer to Farmer’s Fun and Fantastic Annual Meeting

March 26, 2011

< view other news & events At the Schoolhouse at Simply Dunn
E4606 Ct Rd C
Downsville, WI (5 miles south of Menomonie, WI.)
For directions go to their website http://simply-dunn.com/
Don’t use mapquest! Ph 715-664-8368
Please join us for our Annual Meeting. We have an excellent speaker, Jeanne Duffy, from Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN), a Madison based microcredit organization serving Latin America. We’ll also be sharing stories from our trips to Honduras, Guatemala and Ecuador. The meeting, potluck and speaker are free and open to the public. If you’re interested in getting more involved with Farmer to Farmer, this is a good place to start.
WCCN has a 20-year history of providing micro-finance to farmers and entrepreneurs in Latin America, primarily Nicaragua. Jeanne’s talk will highlight:
• WCCN’s work with small agricultural cooperatives which enables them to offer loans that help their members plant and harvest their crops, improve their farms, provide training on organic and sustainable farming practices, and access international fair trade and organic markets for their coffee and other commodities;
• empowering women by providing grants to help women purchase land and become economically independent;
• WCCN’s new loan program, lending to coffee cooperatives to purchase their members’ coffee, process it, and export it. Two of these cooperatives are in Honduras.
Jeanne can answer questions about the social impacts and values associated with WCCN’s lending program.
Schedule of Annual Meeting
9:30 am annual meeting and board elections
12 noon potluck lunch – great food and conversation
1-3 pm presentation by Working Capital for Community Needs
We will have F2F t-shirts, textiles and other crafts from Guatemala for sale.

USA - HRTI Event on March 5th

2011-02-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about the "New Normal"? That phrase seems to be creeping around and challenging our thinking a lot these days. Gas prices too high? Maybe that is the New Normal. Unemployment through the roof? New Normal strikes again. Worried about drastic weather changes due to climate change? You guessed it, the dreaded New Normal. The phrase has embedded into it that the good old days are gone and now we have to adjust. The idea of accepting negative change as normal has a hint fatalism in it, but it is also going for realism. This is the just way it is folks. Or is it?

We are lucky enough to live in an area where there are some thoughtful folks thinking about the current day issues and proposing a different sort of New Normal. In the Prairie Farm area a group of people has formed a group called the Hay River Transition Initiative. They are looking at the coming changes that will be necessary in communities to respond to a low energy future. They are thinking of community-wide solutions and acting proactively to prepare for change. One thing that they have noticed is that a low energy future does not necessarily mean a dismal life. One unintended result our current unlimited access to cheap fossil fuels is the ease with which people can live lives in complete social isolation. In fact, not only does cheap energy allow us to isolate from other people, but it also allows us to disassociate from the need to use our bodies for productive work. The coming changes could bring people together as we discover that not only do we need each other, but we also enjoy being together in community. What if the New Normal is a party, where everyone works and plays together?

The Hay River Transition Initiative people are having an open event on Saturday March 5th. People from the Prairie Farm area will be gathering to share skills and experiences. Check out the flyer.

http://www.hayriverti.org/

HONDURAS -Some things you just can’t capture with a photo—Río Negro

2011-02-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

by Analisa and Jeff DeGrave

Hues of blue, green, brown and misty white

Sin duda, the highlight of our travels with the Farmer to Farmer delegation to Honduras, was our time in the small community of Río Negro. Located in the cloud forest of Montaña de Comayagua National Park, Río Negro has a pleasant climate and a landscape that defies the camera’s technological ability to capture the depth of its beauty, one that is defined by hues of blue, green, brown and misty white that comes in with the clouds. Our first night in Río Negro we saw this vista lit up by the warming red and orange hues of a sunset while every day after it included a palette of vibrant flowers, electric-blue butterflies, and the deep greens and reds of coffee plants. Rainbows would occasionally appear through the foliage during our hikes through the cloud forest as if this colorful visual effect were dropped into the landscape by Walt Disney himself by request of our skilled Farmer to Farmer presidente, Andy Gaertner.

The brilliance of a night sky

While some of the houses in Río Negro have electricity powered by the micro-turbines installed by Adalid and Hector, at night the community is dark, as the city of Comayaguas’ electric grid does not reach the community. Without the light-pollution to which we are accustomed, looking up at the sky we stood silent in awe of the brilliance and expanse of night. Only in Alaska and the Boundary Waters have we seen such entertainment by the stars and moon of the evening sky.

Candlelight and eco-huts

Like our fellow Farmer to Farmer companions in Honduras—Andy, Zac, Deb and Pete, we stayed in “eco-huts” while in Río Negro. We had the pleasure of spending two wonderful nights at the eco-hut of Lucio and Ana Luisa Yanes. We arrived late in the evening after enjoying a delicious and lively dinner at Avilio and Betilia’s home. The ever considerate and helpful Hector dropped us off at the driveway to the Yanes’ home, and with the use of our flashlight we walked into the darkness to meet our hosts. Lucio and his grandson kindly escorted us up the steps to our eco-hut. Lucio invited us to light the solitary candle to show us around the hut. In the terminology of what one might find in an on-line hotel guide, our hut was “tranquil, spacious, clean and very quiet; private bathroom and a ‘direct from the cool mountain stream’ shower were included; gracious and friendly hosts; delicious and generous breakfast available upon request; magnificent vistas of the cloud forest. And a curious canine friend to greet you in the morning.” Having purchased a bottle of Avilio’s homemade wine (made of passion fruit, cashew fruit and naranjillo), we enjoyed the tranquility and candlelight of an early Valentine’s Day as we heard the rain gently tap on the metal roof of our tropical “cabin in the woods.”

A kitchen window

We met our host, Ana Luisa, in the morning when she invited us to sit down for breakfast in the kitchen of her house. At the table we were drawn to tantalizing smells of our morning meal and the vista of her kitchen window. From this window, Ana Luisa and her family have a spectacular view of the valley—one of those views that is permanently frozen in one’s internal scrapbook. As Ana Luisa prepared our tortillas by hand on a traditional grinding stone, she explained that fewer and fewer families use this technique due to the affordability of pre-made tortillas. I guess technology has its downside, too. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast of rice, beans, meat, eggs, tortillas, cheese, and vegetables—and, of course, coffee. Taking in the view of the valley and savoring our breakfast, we laughed at the Yanes’ dog, who tried to dodge the eye of Ana Luisa while perching his head and paws onto the outside windowsill to inspect this morning’s fixin’s. You can see by the photo that our mornings came with what was perhaps one of the most beautiful breakfast window vistas one can every imagine. At no additional charge.

Our hosts

Back home in Wisconsin as we reflect on our brief time in Honduras, the most enduring memory of our experience in Río Negro is the generosity and character of our hosts. The Hondurans’ hospitality, generosity, and kindness were truly the warmest colors of all.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala images

2011-02-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Full moon over the lake.

Hayley, Amy and Hannah canoeing.

Brenda kayaking Fisherman and his dog

Images from Guatemala

2011-02-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

Touring the Open Door Library Traveling to visit the coffee farms.

We're home settling back into the Wisconsin winter wonderland. It was 12 below zero yesterday morning! I want to just put up some photos from our trip to share across cyber space.

Giving out student scholarships in Santiago Atitlan.

Honduras - Musings on Biochar and Carbon Sequestration

2011-02-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

by Andy

Bocashi fertilizer at Don Chico's farm, contains biochar.

When I was recently in Honduras, my organic farmer friends kept talking about using crushed charcoal as a soil amendment. They mixed it with worm compost to make a soil mix for a tree nursery, and they mixed it with other ingredients to make bocashi fertilizer. My friend talked about the discovery of black dirt in the Amazon, known locally as “terra preta,” which was discovered to be a human-made soil that has persisted for thousands of years without losing fertility. The studies revealed that ancient civilizations mixed charcoal with pottery fragments to create a soil resistant to the weathering effects of rain and heat. I came back from Honduras curious about soil charcoal, and I discovered that there is a lot of excitement here in the States about using charcoal in the soil to sequester carbon to reduce greenhouse gases and also secondarily to improve the soil quality. They call it “Biochar.”

As an organic farmer I am aware that there are many “miracle soil amendments” out there. For $59.99 I can buy a bag of this or that microbial mix or mineral mix. You can buy fish meal, and bone meal, and fish bone meal. It is seductive to think that all that is necessary to grow incredible vegetables is to find the secret magic short-cut formula. The list of odd soil amendments is long and varied. In BioDynamic farming there is a preparation that involves burying a cow horn with manure in it and then waiting a year and then using that potentized horn manure to inoculate some rain water for spraying on your fields. At our previous farm, we tried using horn manure and actually had very good results. I don’t begin to know why. There are many mysteries in soil health and in human health.

As a person who was trained as a scientist, I am skeptical of things that I can’t explain; I am also drawn to them. Charcoal seemed to be another such thing. The magical dust for the soil? The missing ingredient in our soil health recipe? Maybe magic is real. My interest was piqued, so I did some internet searches. Sadly, there is no magic here. It is actually pretty straightforward. Charcoal is carbon from organic sources that is stable in the soil; because it has been cooked, it doesn’t have any food value for soil organisms. This means that it does not decompose. This is a bonanza for the soil structure and fertility.

Carbon is what makes soil black: the blacker the soil, the more carbon. Carbon in the soil is always the result of the decomposition of dead plants, insects, and animals. As these plants decompose, the nutrients are released through the action of the soil microbes and soil fauna. These ionic nutrients are available to plants to help growth and vigor. As the dead material decomposes and releases nutrients, some of the carbon is released in the form of the gases carbon dioxide and methane and some of it stays in the soil as humus. Over time, if no carbon is returned to the soil in the form of new dead plants or manure, then the soil will slowly lose its microbial life and soil fauna. The soil will go from black and crumbly to gray, brown, or red. This is bad for the soil and for the planet. An agricultural soil without much carbon in it requires more and more chemical fertilizer to make up for the lack of nutrients. To make matters worse, the stable carbon in the soil (humus) on the cellular level looks like a convoluted honeycomb with lots of charged surface area for retaining ionic nutrients. Without such carbon, the soil does not retain nutrients as well. To further complicate matters, the humus particles in the soil improve the soil structure, because they are relatively large and contribute to the crumbly texture that allows air and water to penetrate. Without carbon, the structure disintegrates and water is more likely to run off and the depleted soils can become crusty and hard and vulnerable to erosion.

In organic farming, one of the main ways the farmer amends the soil is by adding sources of carbon. Cover crops, straw mulch, manure, compost, dead leaves, and other sources are all added to the soil. Of course, because the microbial activity is always “burning up” the carbon, the organic farmer is always thinking about how to add more and more carbon. However, too much carbon (like sawdust) can tie up nutrients (especially nitrogen) while the microbes are decomposing the dead plant material, so it is a balancing act. But generally, if a person is adding more carbon than is being burned up each year, then the soil is improved structurally and in nutrient holding capacity and carbon is being “sequestered” in the soil, at least temporarily. The promise of Biochar for organic farmers is that by adding charcoal to the soil, all of the benefits of adding carbon will be realized without all the losses to decomposition. The carbon in the Biochar will also be sequestered for a very long time. Of course, non-charcoal organic matter will also have to be added for the available nutrients, but when those nutrients are available, the Biochar will act like humus and hold on to the ionic nutrients.

The prospect of adding Biochar to the soil is exciting for us in this part of Wisconsin, but the real promise for Biochar is in the warm tropical climates. As air temperature rises, it increases the biological activity of the soil. Decomposition of organic matter is much faster in the tropics. Also heavy rainfall in the rain forest area means that water-soluble nutrients that are not bound in the soil are quickly washed away. This means that in tropical ecosystems, most of the carbon is not usually in the soil, instead it is tied up in the vegetation. This means that the amount of carbon that can be sequestered is limited to the living vegetation. In a functioning old growth rain forest, that is still a lot of carbon, but in a pasture or farmed fields, it is not very much. Also, because of the temperature and fast decomposition, tropical organic farmers have a hard time adding enough carbon to improve the soil. If people are going to continue to live in the tropics, then the long term soil health is important. Without soil health, farmers are forced to clear more and more forests to find new soils that have not been totally depleted. This clearing can have a disastrous effect on the local micro-climate, drying up springs, increasing temperature swings, and decreasing rainfall. In the global climate, the clearing of tropical forests is even worse, releasing all of the carbon stored in the vegetation and contributing to global climate change. If Biochar could be widely applied in the tropics, then less arable land would be needed to feed the same number of people. Then less forest would need to be cut down and therefore carbon could be sequestered in the forests and in the soils.

There are complications and questions. Where would the carbon source come from to make charcoal on a large scale? Could we ever add enough charcoal back into the soils to make up for all of the coal, gas, oil and wood that we are currently burning up? To impact the climate, we will actually need to sequester MORE carbon than is being added to the air. I have been talking Biochar to anyone and everyone lately. A friend (Thanks Peter!) mentioned to me that in his understanding, Biochar may be the ONLY way to really sequester carbon, because the traditional way to sequester carbon by planting forests only sequesters for as long as the trees are alive, then they decompose and release much of their carbon back to the atmosphere. Another question is whether we could sequester carbon fast enough to halt the wheels of climate change.

Here's an article from someone who made her own biochar.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.aspx

Video promoting biochar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzmpWR6JUZQ

USA - New Blog Post Guidelines

2011-01-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

by Andy

Guidelines:

1. If the country name does not appear in the title, then write the country as the first word followed by a dash and your actual title. That way a person who would like to follow just the Guatemala, Ecuador or the Honduras trip can focus on the relevant entries. Also on the display on the side it lists the entries from the month, and a person can click directly to them, instead of scrolling down.

2. Identify yourself in the first line of text. First names are all that is necessary. This is helpful because we have multiple authors.

3. Photos only is fine too! Do no feel like you need to write anything if you just want to post photos and captions.

4. You can link to YouTube videos and other sites from the blog. Please feel free to link to other sites that are relevant to your photos or stories.

5. If you are posting from your hotel and are still on the trip, identify that by using the word "HOT" in the title. This will separate out the retrospective posts from the in situ posts.

This blog is really fun and I have been having a ball looking back at my photos and reminiscing. I really encourage everyone who went (is currently) on a Farmer to Farmer trip to post photos and stories. Last night I got to see some of the photos from the Guat trip and I was left wanting more.With multiple trips happening at about the same time of the year, we needed some guidelines for posting for clarity's sake. If you have other suggestions for guidelines, please post them as a comment.

HONDURAS - Farmer Profile – Don Chico

2011-01-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

Organic microbial fermentation fertilizer at Don Chico's farm

Don Chico's home coffee plantation. Note that he has planted the coffee under pine trees, which is unusual for the area - mostly the pine is cut down and replaced with other shade trees

Don Chico's Front yard, complete with the Caja Rural's wooden shack, Don Chico's coffee-drying hoophouse, the Caja's truck, and Hector's truck with our backpacks

Don Chico (yellow shirt), daughter (to his right), wife (to his left), and grandkids and friend

Don Chico and Family

Don Chico's grandson posing for us in front of the house

The Caja Rural's Store

Don Chico posing for us in his coffee plantation

Coffee with Shade trees

The Caja Rural's meeting notes.

by Andy

During our recent trip to Honduras (Dec 31st to Jan 14th). We first met Don Chico (Francisco Alvarado) in Comayagua at Adalid’s house. He had come by to check on a coffee de-pulping machine that Adalid was fixing for him and we were there planning the backpacking trip to the cloud forest. Adalid introduced us because Don Chico is in the coffee co-op, and I started to tell him all about Farmer to Farmer. After a little bit, I figured out that he was in a hurry and we decided to wait for the whole story. Even through my cultural barrier, I could tell that he was a man on a mission. Later, when we stayed at his house, we discovered that this is his constant state. He is into everything and moving forward on all fronts.

This year, during our visit to Honduras I was determined that we would visit the community of El Sute, where some of our coffee came from last year. Last year when we came, several farmers from El Sute had walked 2 hours to join the meeting we had with farmers from El Tamarindo. So this year we decided to go the extra distance to see their farms firsthand. To get to El Sute, we took the road from Comayagua for about an hour of bumpy dirt roads all the way to El Tamarindo, then we continued on a new road for another 45 minutes through pine forests climbing up and up all the way to the communities of El Horno and El Sute. We had climbed a total of over 3000 feet from Comayagua and now at every turn we had a fantastic vista. When we got to El Sute, we stopped at the first house along the road and we were instantly greeted by Don Chico. We did not know it yet, but for the next 24 hours we would be under the spell of his frenetic hospitality.

Instantly we were brought up to see the compost piles. They had been working with the culture and growth of microorganisms to fertilize the coffee plantation and he was eager to show the results. Along with Zac and I, we also had Hector (an agronomist) and Adalid (the president of the co-op), and Don Chico was checking to see if he was doing it right. They talked about the finer points of organic fertilizer and then we went to see the hoophouse where they dry the coffee beans. Eventually we ended up in a wooden shack in his front yard, where we drank coffee and waited for the other farmers from El Sute to show up for a meeting with us of the co-op members.

Here in the shack we came to appreciate some things that make El Sute different from the other communities we have visited on the mountain. There was a blackboard on the end wall with the proceedings from a meeting of the “Caja Rural” of El Sute. The Caja is a mutual lending group, where the members each make an initial investment to build up capital. Then the members in the Caja use the capital to make loans and investments within the community. This benefits the recipients of the loans and over time builds the capital. On the blackboard we could see that the Caja members had investments in a pick-up truck, beef cattle, and organic fertilizers. Don Chico’s house appeared to be a center of both the Caja and the coffee co-op because the truck was parked outside and there were several grazing animals tied up in various locations around the house. Inside the shack was a Lenca flag. The Lenca are an indigenous group which historically occupied most of central Honduras. From Don Chico we learned that although El Sute and El Horno just recently got their first roads, the communities are very old, dating back to colonial and pre-colonial times. The people take pride in their native heritage, and continue to identify as a native community. This is in contrast to Rio Negro and some of the other mountain communities that have come about in the last 50 years as people move into the mountains to grow coffee. In fact, in El Sute coffee growing is relatively new. When I was there 15 years ago in the Peace Corps, the whole region was a patchwork of corn and beans and pasture, with very little coffee.

During our meeting with the farmers Don Chico powered up the generator so we could have electric light. After the meeting, piles of food were brought out and then we were offered a place to sleep in the same wooden shack. Although we had already made arrangement to stay in the school at El Horno, we were much happier here with Don Chico. The next day, Don Chico canceled his plans to go to Comayagua in order that he might take us to his coffee plantation. First he showed us the plantation by the house. We took numerous photos of his grandkids picking coffee, and then he brought us up the mountain to his other plantation. Along the way we saw the store that is operated by the Caja Rural. Each Caja member has to take a month off out of each year and tend the store. From Don Chico’s plantation we could see the whole valley. His coffee was dense and verdant, under an abundant canopy of shade trees. He and Adalid talked at length about managing the plantation, from fertility to pruning to managing the shade trees.

It is exciting to see the synergy between the Caja Rural and the coffee co-op. It is also thrilling to meet someone as serious about his community as Don Chico. We will definitely be back.

HONDURAS - Farmer Profile - Dona Cirila

2011-01-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

Dona Cirila

The harvest of the gringos!

Adalid showing off the de-pulped gringo coffee

By Andy

We recently went back to Rio Negro, Honduras during the Farmer to Farmer trip in early January of 2011. When we visited Rio Negro in January of 2010 we had had the goal to visit every member of the coffee growing co-op in the community. It had rained the entire time we were there, and there was one family who we decided not to visit. We were wet, cold and tired and they told us that to visit Dona Cirila would be an hour straight down the mountain on a muddy trail of slippery red clay. We declined. This year however, the weather was bright and dry, and since we had visited most of the other farmers in the previous three years, we had all afternoon at our disposal.

After a pleasant hour-long downhill hike we finally came to the coffee finca of Dona Cirila and her family. What a relief. The lush green plants were thick and as we pushed our way down to her house, the dogs came out to greet us. Her house of red clay adobe was fronted by a patio of packed red clay. Children of all ages were engaged in various activities that sort of shifted focus to us as the horde of Gringos tumbled out of the green onto the patio. Dona Cirila came right out and shook hands with us and we started to get her story.

First off we learned that we made the right decision to visit her because last year she had waited all day for us and this year had been expecting us much earlier in the day. She is not the type of person who I would want disappoint. We learned that Dona Cirila is a single mother of ten children and four grandchildren, all of whom were milling about as we talked to her. Her husband had left her 7 years ago and now he lives elsewhere in Honduras and has a new wife with four children. At least she was able to keep the farm. She told us how her children have to climb that hill every morning to go to school in Rio Negro and how all supplies have to be carried in and all the coffee has to be carried out on the shoulders of her and her children. Each one has to carry as much as he or she can when hauling out the coffee.

We learned that her oldest son just graduated from grade school and he would like to continue to study, but that would cost at least $500 per year and she would lose one her best workers. We could see how prized of a worker he is because while we were talking, he was running a hand-crank coffee de-pulper. Soon our interest shifted to this boy and the machine. We had seen coffee de-pulpers that are run by generators and also those run by hydro-power, but this was our first hand-crank de-pulper. Zac took a turn cranking. We asked Hector and Adalid what it would take for Dona Cirila to have a hydro-power for de-pulping coffee and for electricity. It turns out that they have already done a study and calculated the number of PVC pipes that it will take to bring enough water with enough head to run the turbinita, which Hector and Adalid would donate.

Jeff and Ana were outfitted with baskets and Adalid took them out to learn how to pick coffee. While they picked, I played some soccer with the young boys and Dona Cirila prepared some incredible coffee for us. I left Dona Cirila’s house with a deep sense of respect for her life and what she has to do every day to keep her family going. Her children were happy and playful despite the obvious difficulties. She herself presents an implacable and dignified surface. I cringe a little when I think of how it must appear to have six Gringos show up and start taking pictures. Our immediate impulse was to start asking for numbers for how much it would cost for her son to go to junior high or how much to pay for the PVC tubes. The visit to her family stimulated something in us, a sense compassion and anger at the whole situation, and our first thought is what can we do to help? I am not saying it is a bad impulse to want to help, but that can cast us into the two-dimensional roles of helper and helpee. I was glad that it took so long for us to get there, because that meant that we were inclined to stay a while. In that while we settled in and met her kids and talked some more. Over the steaming cup of coffee she became a little more three dimensional. Farmer to Farmer is a about relationships of solidarity and dignity. We can also see the potential that Farmer to Farmer paying a fair price for coffee can have to impact the lives of all the people in this family.

Guatemalan adventures from Margee

2011-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Bicycle powered coffee depulping machine

Woman selling home made lotions

I thought I would just give a brief description of several of the experiences I have had while here, in order to give people an idea of the huge variety of learning opportunities available on the trip. I will headline them, so you can skim through and read the parts that interest you.

Reconstructing homes after tropical storm Agatha; starting home enterprises

While in Antigua early on, we hooked up with Franklin from As Green As It Gets in a small village a few miles out of the city. We were able to visit people in their homes who have received help from that organization, seeing the cement block construction of one family's home, the small home businesses several young people were getting started (hand creams and lotions made from shade tree products from the coffee fields, totes made out of burlap coffee bags, apprenticing to learn construction work, handmade aprons and herbal teas in paper boxes, and lip balm). It was really heartwarming to hear the young people present their products to us and see how empowered they seemed to feel. We asked lots of questions, and bought some of their products before we left. Being able to talk a little with their families and get an up-close look at their homes and lifestyle was really special.

Making tortillas with Rosa

Stove on the third floor - making tortillas to sell

This year's corn crop

Smiles with F2F youngest scholarship recipient

Land purchased by F2F for the cooperative - Matt translating

Visiting the weavers cooperative

Here in Santiago we visited Rosa and Francisco's home and 'tienda', with their son and son-in-law's mechanic shop next door. Up on the third floor/rooftop, Rosa was making tortillas. She explained the ingredients and process to us, told us about the ways she sells and uses them each day, and let us all give it a try (and a taste). The smokey stove was an issue for our eyes and lungs, even with all the fresh air around up there, so you can imagine what a problem it must be within smaller, more enclosed rooms. Later we all crammed into one of the pick-ups that serve as cheap taxis, along with what already looked like quite a lot of people to us. As Rosa said when she saw our surprise at riding for that long so squeezed together, "Haci la vida aqui"--this is life here). We rode out to a piece of land Farmer to Farmer purchased for the cooperative. We hiked quite a way up through other people's coffee farms, until we came to an extremely rocky slope with what was left of the corn stalks already harvested. There is still part of that land unplanted, because it takes so much time and labor to clear the rocks, and they have to pay members of the cooperative to do that strenuous work, labor which also keeps them away from their usual daily work. The acre or two of land is typical of what's available, and yet quite expensive. This year the crop was mostly ruined by extremely heavy rains. (Lake Atitlan is between two and three meters above normal, and you can see the mudslide areas in stripes down the mountainsides.) At the meeting during which we gave out scholarships the day before, they showed us the two bags of rather poor ears of corn they will share--the total harvest from that piece of land this year. Brenda (speaking in Spanish) and Paul did a nice job of presenting the scholarships at that meeting, with clerical help from Hannah! Matt and Zach have been excellent translators/interpretors, so both parties are able to catch a lot more of the subtle details of the conversations. The fondness these people have for Jody specifically, and for Farmer to Farmer in general, was obvious. Students who were able to be there ranged from a 5 yr. old little boy to a young woman in law school. They all seemed really pleased to receive the scholarship envelopes. After the meeting we went to the weavers workshop and store, and bought some of their work. Some of you reading this, may be the beneficiaries of these shopping sprees! (note to friends and family of Amy: she gets the prize! Amy finds something wonderful to buy everywhere we go, sometimes feels bad about trying to get a lower price, and is really happy to spend her money helping these people make a living.)

Learning about other projects

One day while here in Santiago, we went to ADISA, a workshop for physically and mentally disabled people. It is run by an association of parents and friends of people with disabilities. We were all impressed with what they were doing with such limited resources. The director of the program showed us around and we saw how each person was completing a step in making the products they sell. We were glad to purchase the bowls and other things they make from recycled newspapers. Amy asked the client who took us into their showroom, if any of the pieces available for sale were made by him. He replied, "we all make them all--everyone has a part to do." Hayley was especially interested, as she also works with disabled people--she returned the next day to get more!

Down the road from our Pasada is a children's library, and (started just this week!) a preschool for local children, started and overseen by Amanda Flayer, with Mayan women employed as the head librarian, traveling librarian to area schools, and teacher. Amanda and I (Margee) are planning to meet, in hopes that I can offer some tips and share ideas from my many years of preschool and child care work. She is really trying to 'do preschool' in a creative, less structured way than what people here would more typically think of as schooling. Since preschool is not very common anyway, it is all a new idea to parents, but Amanda says they seem to be reacting positively. The library is important as a support to the education of the Mayan children, since they do not have books at home or opportunities to read outsideof school. There are resources for 'investigation' (research), as well as the school text books available for the kids. Another set of shelves has story books, concept books, and children's literature. They have 'baby and mom' activity times scheduled weekly, and the space is available for community use too. Donations of Spanish books and books with both Spanish and English would be really useful to them, as would any arts and crafts materials. I'm thinking it might be a great opportunity for individual school classes, child care centers, or local libraries to take on as a service learning project!

We briefly visited the hospital here, and received an email update from their volunteer fundraiser, letting us know how much they still need additional help. For example, they have 40 cleft palate reconstruction surgeries scheduled for May, and need to get the in-patient area, where those surguries will occur, completed by then. To find out more, their website is http://www.hospitalitoatitlan.org/. Several people we talked with shared their excitement over the opening of the Hospitalito at the end of November. Farmer to Farmer has been donating to them in the past, but currently does not have the capacity to continue that support. Please consider donating individually with a note specifying that cause, if you are intersted.

We may still fit in a visit to an elder care program. It's a day program where elders can come during the day to receive a good meal, some company, and a little extra care. Many older people without families live alone, and others must be left alone, while their families are off working--a problem we have in the United States as well, of course, but the living circumstances are more severe for these people.

San Lucas Toliman

Paul already told you about the tour of the various projects at San Lucas. I was especially impressed with the way the man in charge of the reforestation project spoke. He was a natural poet--his deep love for his work and for the earth just poured from his entire being! Casey was at San Lucas as a volunteer for a few months a couple of years ago, and it was nice to get more detailed explanations from him as we toured. Father Greg has been there for over 40 years, and his efforts have clearly had quite an impact. He saved many lives during the 'time of terror', and somehow survived that period himself! He is very intent on making sure all of these projects are led by Mayans and that the mission serves the people through Mayan decisions. Only three 'gringos' were currently on staff, although groups come to visit and learn regularly. One thing Paul did not mention in his earlier blog, is that young adolescents, who otherwise are on the street trying to get money anyway they can, have been allowed to come work at the mission to help feed their families. Using hand tools, they learn some basic skills, and often keep coming for years and years. The building that stores the coffee there, was actually built by this group of youths, and had already been expanded from the time Casey was there (sometimes working alongside them). San Lucas also has beehives and produces honey, but that building was already closed for the day by the time we got there.

Thank you, Jody!

Just want to say that it is really generous of Jody to give so much time and energy to these trips. We have experiences one would not get as a simple tourist, and she works really hard to help individuals see the things that interest them. She has more energy than I do, that's for sure! The ongoing relationships that she maintains with such sincere joy and compassion probably do as much good as our Farmer to Farmer funds from afar. She is a great ambassador for us!

Foods of Honduras

2011-01-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

Celebratory tilapia after making it safely home from our backpacking trip.

Ana and Pete savoring the chicken picnic.

Hernan after making baleadas for two hours straight.

By Andy

Every time I return from Central America, I go through a week or two after I come home where I eat rice and beans and tortillas as often as I can. I crave avocados and long for a real banana. It is as if my body wants to stay in the tropics for just a little longer. In honor of my lingering cravings and as the Wisconsin cold keeps me inside the house remembering my trip, I offer a report on the food of Honduras.

Bananas and Plantains. We ate bananas or plantains with just about every meal and often in between. Ripe plantains can be sliced thin and deep fried to make a crispy chip called a “tajada de plantano.” These are shelf-stable and can be sold in plastic bags to bus travelers or flavored and sold in foil packs like Doritos. Really ripe plantains, “maduros,” can be fried, baked or boiled and served soft and slightly mushy for breakfast with a little crème fraische. Somewhere in the middle in terms of ripeness, a plantain can be sliced round and then flattened to form a round a crisp quarter inch thick “toston,” which literally means 50-cent piece. Green bananas can also be fried as “tajadas.” These we ate like French fries with fried chicken or fish. Of course we also ate bananas the normal way. Is it me or do they taste better when they haven’t travelled 1000s of miles? One of the yummy treats in the fresh banana world is the “datil,” or finger banana, which is slightly larger than a man’s thumb and very flavorful.

Juice. Every day our hotel served a fresh juice, water and sugar mix called a “refresco natural.” This is ubiquitous in Honduran restaurants and shops, the only question is what kind of refresco natural they will have. We were offered “mora” (like a blackberry), hibiscus flower, passion fruit, pineapple, papaya, orange, cantaloupe, watermelon, lime, naranjia (a weed in the tomato family but tastes like an orange – sort of), horchata, mango (from frozen mangos because sadly they were not in season), and something called a “nance,” which is like a mushy yellow cherry-like fruit. People in Comayagua are under no delusions that their tap water is drinkable, so all restaurants use bottled water to prepare beverages and ice. This makes me happy because I could drink the refrescos naturales all day with confidence. One variation on the fruit juices was the homemade wine made by our host in Rio Negro, Avilio. He makes a big batch from sugar and whatever fruit is available and buries it for a few weeks in a clay vessel to ferment, followed by bottling in used rum bottles. One night we put away six bottles around Avilio’s big homemade table. Smooth.

Beans and Tortillas. If a Honduran eats a meal that does not include red beans and tortillas, it is as if he or she has not really eaten. Every meal includes a small stack of corn tortillas. We found the best tortillas in the mountain communities where they raise and grind their own corn. These tortillas are a little thicker and are just better tasting than the city tortillas, which are often pressed thin by machines in the tortillerias or made from MASECA commercial mix. An El Salvadoran variation on the tortilla that has become street food all over Honduras is the “pupusa,” which is corn tortilla dough surrounding a melty white cheese and then fried in front of you on a very hot griddle. On the road home from the airport, we stopped and drank some sweetened corn gruel with cinnamon called “atol,” which for Deb was the food high point of the trip – it did hit the spot. Beans come in many variations, but are necessary on every plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can find them boiled, fried whole, mixed with rice and spices, liquefied, liquefied and then fried, and I’m sure I missed some variation. Our friend Jauna invited Zac and I to her house for some traditional Honduran food and served us “catrachas,” fried tortillas smeared with thick bean paste and topped with a crumbly white cheese. We could have eaten those all night. Probably the most uniquely Honduran street food is something called a “baleada.” A baleada is a fresh hot flour tortilla smeared with liquefied beans, topped with thick crème fraische and folded in half. From there you can get variations that include fresh avocado slices, fried eggs, crumbly cheese, and different types of meat. Our friend Hernan made awesome baleadas for us for the good-bye party. I ate 5. When we were waiting for Deb and Pete in the airport, we saw a Honduran arriving from Miami and his family handed him a baleada as if to say “you are home.”

It is hard to tell how much meat normal Hondurans eat, because our special circumstances as visitors means that we are constantly being offered meat to eat. We are also eating in restaurants quite often, which are meat heavy. I didn’t mind. On New Year’s Eve, Priscila made a baked chicken that had been baked in something called “naranja agria,” a special type of orange which people use only for cooking. Then on New Year’s we had a chance to eat “nacatamales,” which are spiced pork tucked inside of a corn dough and cooked in a banana leaf. Special treat. On the day we made bocashi fertilizer at Hector’s farm, Adalid’s family made something called “carne asada,” chunky grilled beef strips. The meat was tender and pleasantly charred over a charcoal fire. We had salted strips of beef up on the mountain in El Sute – they lack refrigeration, but the reconstituted beef can be intensely flavorful, like thick beef jerky. Tilapia can be found everywhere, the result of ever-increasing fish farming in the Comayagua valley. On the day we returned from the hiking trip on the mountain, we all headed to a place right next to a fish pond for fried tilapia and green banana tajadas. Likewise chicken is affordable and available in innumerable variations. The most memorable for me was the rotisserie chickens we brought with us for a picnic on the way up to Rio Negro. A close second was the chicken at “Pollolandia” in La Entrada on the way to Copan.

A special mention must be made of Betilia, who made all of our meals in Rio Negro. She cooks incredible food over a wood-fired stove. There is a large variety of vegetables (including our beloved pataste/chayote), with flavored rice, beans, special roasted meats, and always the best tortillas and refrescos naturales. We were WELL taken care of! Betilia’s coffee wins the award for the best I had in Honduras, but really since we were hanging out with coffee farmers the whole time, we were never far from a good cup of coffee. In fact the comment from one of our travelers was that if we sat down anywhere for long enough, someone would inevitably hand us a cup of coffee. Just watch out if you don’t like pre-sweetened coffee.

A second special mention must be made of the food on our backpacking trip. On the fifth day we lunched on all the best of the leftover lunch items. We had flour tortillas, with bean paste, avocados, crumbly white cheese, Spam, and peanut butter, in various mouth watering combinations. Yes Spam!

Thanks for reading and now it is time for lunch.

Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala

2011-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Photo Paul canoeing on Lake Atitlan
By Paul Helgeson

Yesterday we arrived at beautiful Lake Atitlan after a six hour trip from Huehue that featured spectacular mountain scenery. We are staying at the Posada de Santiago. This morning the early risers took to the Pasadas canoes to joined the local fishermen in thier dugout canoes on the lake.

This afternoon we piled into the back of one of the Toyota pickups that are a favorite form of mass transit here in Guatemala. Our first stop was the new Hospitalito in Santiago - a beautiful new building that replaces the hospital destroyed some five year ago by mud slides. After another 40 minutes ride on mountain roads we arrived at the San Lucas Mission. We toured several San Lucas projects.
The first was a project where new housing is being built for people that lost their homes as a result of heavy rains (Agatha) in June of last year. Nearby is a building that will eventually house a womens center . Then we walked through San Lucas medical clinic. The tree nursery was impressive with several varieties of trees grown for refosrestatin of the mountainsides and shade for the coffee. The final project we saw was the coffee project. At five oclock, each day, the

delivering the coffee

growers start bringing the days harvest for processing.

The heavy bags of green coffee beans are carried up the mountainside to the new processing on the mens backs. The coffee is weighed, moved by water to a huller, then to fermenation vats. After a couple days the beans are laid out on drying floors. The whole process is extremely labor-intensive, but the San Lucas produces high-quality coffee. It was a great visit!

A Visit to APUFRAM in Honduras

2011-01-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

A student at APUFRAM showing off his artwork depicting the coffee harvest.

By Andy

During my recent trip to Honduras, we had the chance to visit a boarding school called APUFRAM. As we arrived at APUFRAM, darkness was falling and our group was hungry and eager to get home to Comayagua. I was also anxious because our driver needed to be back home, and our friend Hernan was waiting for us and he had prepared food for the whole group. We had decided to stop at APUFRAM because Zac remembered that there was an art studio full of incredible student paintings and Deb and Pete were looking for a painting to become the label for the coffee they were going to sell. Also, Adalid’s three kids had all been students there in the past year and we had grown close to them and wanted to see where they went to school. I wanted to be in and out in ten minutes, but this was not to be the case.

We pulled in to the school store and Hector informed us that we would be met by none other than Padre Emilio. To meet Padre Emilio and hear his story is to witness the results of a simple plan executed over the course of more than 35 years. When he came to Honduras he realized that the opportunities for rural youth to attend school beyond the elementary level were few and far between. All of the junior high schools and high schools were located in big cities, and rural people who wanted to send their children would not only give up a valuable farm hand but also be burdened with the costs of housing and feeding their child far from home. In fact, according to APUFRAM more than 90% of Honduran adolescents do not go to school beyond sixth grade. Padre Emilio saw this and realized that these people did not need a hand-out, but rather they needed an opportunity, a hand-up. He founded a “boys and girls town” near Flores Comayagua. APUFRAM is essentially a boarding school for poor rural young people. The families must pay something, but the cost is based on what they can afford to pay. The students help keep costs down by balancing their studies with work.

As Padre Emilio switched to English, he told us that the work component was not just to help make the program more affordable. He repeated several times that the entire program was designed to help the young people to help themselves. The work is deliberately diverse and this contributes to the students feelings of competence. The students farm to raise and prepare their own food, they have a carpentry shop to sell goods and learn a trade, they have a retail shop and a repair shop. The students work for 4 hours and study for 4 hours every day. He told us about how in his estimation by making advanced education available to rural young people, that at least fifteen people would be positively affected in a chain reaction. He spoke of how many of the students go on to University and how most of the current staff are actually alumni of the school. Padre Emilio took a break from telling us about the school to ask us about who we were and where we are from. When I mentioned that we were from rural Wisconsin, he spoke of his own rural root in Salina, Kansas. How he easily adapted to the simple life of rural Honduras when he arrived 40 years ago because he was raised in the country. He went on to praise the work ethic of the young people who come to the school in Flores. He talked about how people love the work and are grateful for the opportunity. He spoke about how there are almost never any fights, and he ascribed this to the rural upbringing of the young people. As we looked around we saw cheerful young people and the buzz of intentional activity.

As a Montessorian, I quickly recognized that Padre Emilio had inadvertently set up the ideal Montessori environment for adolescents. In having a rural boarding school with a focus on productive work, he has exactly matched the developmental needs of the age. Adolescents need to be brought into society through experiences of making a positive contribution to a community. The boys and girls of APUFRAM make a daily contribution to the community and to their own education. When a person is in an environment that meets his or her developmental needs, it tends to have a “normalizing effect” on the behavior of the person – meaning that the person will exhibit positive social traits and work productively. My guess is that Padre Emilio’s observation that there are no fights and that the students love their work has as much to do with the fact that the school has a normalizing effect on the student body as it does with the rural upbringing of the kids.

Have you ever avoided something because you knew that to see it would challenge you to change something about yourself? For years I have avoided seeing Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, because I don’t want to stop driving and move to a solar-heated straw bale house. Looking back, there is a part of me that would like to have missed the visit, because to visit APUFRAM is to be confronted with a picture of what is possible when vision, compassion, intelligence and resources come together. Once a person sees what is possible, the question becomes “what is stopping you from realizing an equally big vision?”

GUATEMALA - UPC Coffee Cooperative

2011-01-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

By Casey

Today we visited the headquarters of the UPC cooperative in La Democracia, outside of Huehuetenango. Our group received a wonderful tour of some of the farms of families participating in the cooperative. We traveled far up into the hills to see and learn about the beautiful farms these hard working families have cultivated. The farmers were doing great at using by-products and recycling waste in sustainable ways. The one waste product that was not able to be reused was what is called “honey water” (aguas mieles). It is a watery sugar by-product created from fermenting and husking the coffee fruit. A farm we visited was running the liquid into a trench in the ground which solves the problem of honey water running into the river, causing environmental harm. However, Zac and I were wondering if there is any other use out there for this by-product. If anyone has any ideas or knows of ways coffee farmers are already using this by-product, please leave a comment on this webpage. Here is a video made last year of the UPC...

GUATEMALA - Antigua and Common Hope

2011-01-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

On our first day in Antigua, Jody, Margee, Brenda and I visited an organization called Common Hope. Started by a couple from Minnesota, Common Hope works with Guatemalan families to support education, among other things. By holistically supporting families economically, educationally, and through psychological and health services, Common Hope assists affiliated children and their families as they go through school. Additionally, Common Hope links Guatemalan children with a U.S sponsor who supports their education and receives letters in return. Jody and Brenda were able to meet with the children they have sponsored while Margee and I went on an excellent tour of the organization. We truly enjoyed learning more about some great organizations in Antigua and are looking forward to meeting with the coffee farmers of Huehuetenango tomorrow!

Hannah

GUATEMALA - Mayan Hands

2011-01-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

Leaving Antigua with a full minivan heading for Huehuetenango - the Guatemalan adventure begins to unfold. The first stop is a small Mayan village and a meeting with the Mayan Hands women. They were formed in 1990 during the civil war when many were widowed and some were orphaned as children. They weave baskets from pine needles making things to sell to earn money. I was moved by their pure innocence. They giggled and laughed as we all told our stories. The children were curious and friendly. I am continually moved by the strength of the human spirit.

Brenda

Guatemala Delegation - Climbing a new mountain!

2011-01-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

We´ve had a few days to connect with Farmer to Farmer friends (As green as it gets) in Guatemala´s old capital, Antigua and are now off to Huehuetenango and Santiago Atitlan! We´ll be visiting master weavers and ironing out our next shipment of organic Guatemalan Coffee from a women´s cooperative in Huehuetenango! We hope to post photos soon but the bus is leaving!

HONDURAS - Rio Negro

2011-01-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

by Andy

Just about every time I come to Honduras, I pay a visit to the mountain community of Rio Negro. Consisting of just 80 houses, Rio Negro does not even make it onto google maps, but the community has had an exaggerated role in the development of the National Park.

When I was here in the Peace Corps, one of my free time activities was to go and visit other volunteers. Those of us who came in at the same time had a special affinity for each other, having bonded through several months of sequestered training in language, culture and technical skills. Luckily when I discovered that I was to be assigned to Comayagua, I learned that one of my training class, Bill, would be actually living in one of the communities in the buffer zone of the park. Bill was assigned to Rio Negro and his goal was to help install drinking water systems for four different communities near Rio Negro. Bill hit the jackpot in terms of Peace Corps sites, partly because he landed in the house of Don Maximo Velasquez, both a loving family and the center of life in Rio Negro. At first during my service I would go up to Rio Negro to hang out with Bill and visit him, but almost instantly I realized that Rio Negro could be a starting point for visiting the cloud forest part of the National Park.

I would bring friends from Comayagua to Rio Negro and Bill would take us to see the dams and pipes of the water systems of the communities he was helping. We noticed what was obvious to everyone in Rio Negro already, that the creeks near Rio Negro were beautiful. To follow the creek up to the place where the communities draw their water was to walk through marvelous 20 year-old cloud forest in then process of recuperation. There were tree ferns, orchids, palms, and wildlife. Right along the creek there were remnant trees from the original forest, massive towering trees that carry vines and bromeliads and other life up to the canopy. The creek itself was crystal clear and rushed in and around polished boulders, some impossibly large. When we finally get to the place where the community draws its water, we realize why they stopped there. There is a waterfall that is at least 100 feet tall.

We picked out Rio Negro as a place to start bringing people to the Park. One of the goals I had was for as many people from Comayagua as possible to get to visit the cloud forest on the mountain that has been looming over them for their whole lives. Once people visit the cloud forest, they return with a new energy to protect it. Rio Negro was perfect because the creek creates a microclimate that brings the cloud forest down to an accessible altitude. Of course, there were other benefits. The view is fantastic, the people are friendly, and if you want to climb the mountain there are trails that take you up to the ridge where the old growth forest is. We brought high schoolers, business people, gringos, teachers, and everyone was transformed by the experience. It was like discovering a treasure in your back yard. People could see the direct relationship between the forest and water, especially drinking water. When the National Park was to receive a grant, we instantly thought of Rio Negro as a possible site for a visitors center. When there was a national call for people to go on an Ecotourism course in the U.S., I thought of Avilio, Don Maximo´s son and one of the most animated people I have ever met.

When my family came to visit, of course I brought them to Rio Negro. My father opened my eyes to a new type of tourism that I had not thought about yet. Agricultural tourism. As enchanted as he was with the forest and the waterfall, he was thrilled to see the entire process of coffee production. He had been drinking coffee for his entire adult life, and had never really experienced the other side of it. For him it was like meeting a long time pen pal, face to face. Avilio and I talked for hours about the tourist potential of Rio Negro and how if people could make money from the forest in that way, they might not cut it down.

Now flash forward fifteen years. Avilio has three eco-huts that he built to house tourists. Other people in the village have constructed their own eco-huts. The visitors center is about to be inaugurated. The people make incredible artisan goods to sell to tourists. The attention to the watersheds has meant that there is still a significant and growing forest cover above Rio Negro, where in other communities the destruction has advanced considerably. There is a tour guides collective, which functions by having them take turns leading people to the waterfall. Many of the guides have learned English. The families have been trained in how to prepare food for tourists. Rio Negro has found its way into various guide books like the Lonely Planet. There is a steady and growing trickle of people coming to Rio Negro. It has fame throughout Honduras.

Our trip was exactly what one could hope for from an eco-agro-tourism perspective. It is thrilling to look back and realize that I had a hand starting everything that has happened in Rio Negro.

photos from rio negro, honduras!

2011-01-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

Riding in the pickup on the way to Rio Negro.

Andy with Donn Natalia, Don Max, and Avilio

more photos available at http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1835188638908#!/album.php?fbid=2741456214701&id=1206312977&aid=8068636&notif_t=photo_album_comment

let us know if you have questions for farmers here in honduras and with farmers and weavers with our next delegation in guatemala!

HONDURAS - We´re back from Rio Negro

2011-01-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today we are back in Comayagua after three days on the mountain in the community of Rio Negro. We visited coffee farms, saw microhydro projects, had meetings, went to the waterfall and ate and drank a lot of good stuff. Photos and stories to come soon.

HONDURAS - Making Bocashi Fertilizer

2011-01-09T04:59:00.000-08:00

by Andy

Me having lunch in front of the coffee nursery during Bocashi day.

Adalid's Family (Front to Back): Dariela, Cindy, Suyapa and Melvin

Yesterday we went to visit a piece of land owned by our friend and guide Hector Oviedo. Hector is a tireless thinker and worker for sustainable development in his country. He is a person of principals and purpose. He was my best friend while I was in the Peace Corps here. At the time Hector, who is trained as an Agricultural Engineer, had just lost his job with the state-run agricultural service because his political party had lost the recent elections. That meant he had plenty of time to hang out with me and hike around on the mountain and talk about protecting the forest and sustainable agriculture. Since then, his life has revolved around numerous projects, all aimed at improving his country.

Hector has done trial plots of organic agriculture, he has a business installing microhydro turbines for electricity, and he has a machine that make economical blocks for building houses out of packed earth and cement. Five years ago he bought a property close to Comayagua, with the intention of setting up a demonstration organic farm. It is in the hills, where pine and oak mix with other species. The land is hilly and some parts are degraded from over-use. But there are beautiful forests and a small creek that flows through, and Hector made a decision to do everything he could to rehabilitate it. He started by not cutting down any trees and allowing the forest to recover.

Now it is 5 years later and pine trees are sprouting everywhere and the creek area is lush and shady. After aborted attempts to grow lychee trees and some other crops, Hector is setting up a small plot of coffee. He wants to do it organic from the very start. The nursery was started using a soil mix that is part charcoal and part worm compost. He has thousands of plants lined up in a shady spot near the creek, all ready to plant. As we pulled up, he had 4 people digging holes to plant the coffee plants. Our job was to make bocashi fertilizer to feed these new plants after they go in the ground.

Bocashi is a type of compost that Hector learned to make in Costa Rica. It is a Japanese invention that involves fermentation, sort of like making yogurt or sauerkraut with soil amendments. When we arrived Hector had set up the piles of the ingredients and and had a flip folio of paper to teach us how to make the fertilizer. Adalid and his family were there and they had set up a sort of camp kitchen and were roasting meat and cooking beans. It was a fertilizer picnick. Hector started by talking about how a Japanese volunteer had come to vegetable growing region of Costa Rica, where they were using a lot of chemicals and still having problems with pests, disease, yields and weeds. After the introduction of bocashi and other organic methods, an organic movement started, which was rooted not so much in trying to get higher prices, but rather in the health of the plants and improved yield. We were all intrigued.

Hector gave us the recipe for bocashi, and then we got to make some, followed by a great lunch. The basic recipe is to take a source of dry manure (chicken and goat) and mix it with a source of carbon (coffee hulls) and some soil and then start adding the extras. There were three bags of ground charcoal, a bag of rice germ, a bag of agricultural lime, a gallon of molasses, and also a bag of finished bocashi as a starter. You mix it all together with enough water for 50% moisture and then you mix and monitor over then next 7 days. Essentially you have made a big pile of pickles for the earth. Not only does the bocashi add activated minerals, but the main function is to improve the microbial balance in the soil. It is sort of like an acidophillus pill for the soil. As an organic grower myself, I am certainly interested.

After the work and lunch, we toured the rest of the farm and learned about weeds and which ones are good or bad for the coffee.

HONDURAS - The gang is all here!

2011-01-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a transition day for us. I picked up our laundry in the morning while Zac went to San Pedro Sula to meet Jeff and Analisa. Later, Hector and Adalid and I went to Tegucigalpa to pick up Deb and Pete. We all were reunited last night here at the hotel and ate huge quantities of food at the hotel restaurant accompanied by cerveza with lime. Alll is well.

Today we are going to Hector´s farm to make Bokachi fertilizer for his coffee plot. Looking forward to a nice picnick.

HONDURAS - In the Cloud Forest

2011-01-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

A typical cloud forest view

In the morning before the clouds cooked off

Melvin, Hernan and Che Barnes in front of a massive fallen tree

Bromeliads and vines cover the trees in the cloud forest

Looking up at a cloud forest tree. Notice that the lateral branches are literally covered with aerial plants.

By Andy

We got back yesterday from our camping trip to the cloud forest and I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Our plan was to cross the mountain from the southeast corner of the Comayagua Mountain National Park starting in a place called El Horno, hiking up to the cloud forest on the ridge and then following the ridge to the center of the Park in order to hike down into Comayagua, which is straight west of the mountain. On the way up we wanted to visit coffee farms of the people in the organic coffee co-op, but my main plan was to spend a good chunk of time in the cloud forest. We succeeded.

The way the mountain ecosystem is stratified means that in the valley there is a tropical dry forest. As you go up the mountain, this gives way to a pine and scrub-oak forest, which gives way to a pine and sweetgum forest, which is replaced by cloud forest as you get closer to the top of the mountain. The cloud forest is a rich jungle-like ecosystem which receives both abundant rain and horizontal precipitation when the clouds come in and all of the vegetation captures the moisture and the drops fall to the soil. The forest has many types of ferns, palms, moss, orchids, bromeliads, bamboo-like plants, and vines - all are capable of capturing the moisture from the clouds. Where rivers and creeks flow, there is generally also a corridor of broadleafed trees extending down from the cloud forest through the pine. This stratification is dependant on temperature and moisture. In different areas of the mountain the point where ecosystems change is higher or lower, depending on moisture. The rains in Honduras generally come in from the Carribean in the north, so on the north half of the mountain the cloud forest starts at about 1500 meters above seas level, while in the dry south, the sweetgum and pine extend all the way up to 1800 meters. The presence of the cloud forest is why the Mountain was declared a National Park, both for the diversity and because the cloud forest captures and stores gajillions of gallons of water. Where it has not been cut down the cloud forest consists mostly of giant trees, all covered with plants of many types. It is a magical place, and I was looking forward to being there for a good long hike.

The first day we spent driving up to El Horno, skirting the south side of the mountain through the dense pine forests of El Tamarindo, where we met with three of the farmers from the coffee co-op. Once in El Horno, we went to an area on the edge of El Horno called El Sute, where we met with 8 farmers from the coffee co-op and stayed at the house of Don Chico (Fransisco), who is the leader of the co-op in the El Sute. The next morning we spent hiking to visit three different coffee farms in El Sute. Beautiful! Then after lunch at Don Chico´s, we got our gear together and hiked back to El Horno to meet up with our guide, Melvin.

Our group consisted of myself, Zacarias Barnes, Adalid (President of the coffee co-op), Bayron (who works with ECOSIMCO, an NGO working to protect the park), Hernan (my friend from Comayagua), and Melvin (who lives in El Horno and works sometimes as a park guard). Six men with backpacks, tents, a big pile of food and a desire to climb the mountain - it sounds like a recipe for trouble. Climbing up from El Horno I got my first taste of what the hike would be like. As we climbed through pastures and pine trees on a well travelled path I was soon breathing heavy and sweating profusely. My pack was full and the path was steep. We climbed 300 meters in about 20 minutes and we soon had a spectacular view of the valley. For the next hour we climbed and hiked upwards and laterally across the mountainside through thick forest regrowth and pastures, until finally we reached the ridge that we would follow for the next three days. The temperature had fallen by several degrees and soon we were in a dense broadleaf forest. Finally! The first day in the cloud forest was like visiting an old friend. I was back with the tree ferns and purple orchids and the bromeliads of all sizes. Moss covers everything and the thick cap of organic matter made the soil bouncy. We camped and although the wind blew and it got cold, we were warm with the fire.

In the morning I noticed that the cloud forest we were in was actually secondary growth. Our guide, Melvin, explained that the owner abandoned it and focused on other land that was more easily accessible. The forest was only about 30 years old. I was amazed at how quickly it had regained the appearance of a cloud forest. During that day we soon found ourselves in virgin forest. The distinguishing feature was that There were fewer trees, but most of the trees we saw were enormous. They were also covered with aerial plants. Sometimes the aerial plants would grow so thick on the branches that the branches would fall off and land on the ground, blocking our way. Sometimes whole trees would topple leaving a gap where light streams in. Then we would get a chance to see what the canopy was like. It seems that the aerial plants can create an ecosystem of their own up in the canopy. They trap and store water, and as leaves decay, a sort of soil is formed on top of the branches. This happens to the point where when we see a fallen branch, it is often more plants and soil than wood. I love this image of plants growing on top of plants on top of plants and I just wanted to stay in the forest primeval marvelling. But it did not last long. The ridge is a dry place and we were out of water, so we climbed down into a valley and found water, and then located a trail that led us through abandoned fields and some corn patches and pasture. As thrilled as I was to see how quickly the forest regenerates, I was equally disheartened to see the burned stumps of the recently cut forest.

After we left the deforested areas, we entered the nucleus of the park and soon we were back in the primary old growth forest again. Walking along the ridge was slow going, because there were often massive trees that had fallen and there was no trail to begin with anyway. Melvin led the way, hacking at the undergrowth and advising us on the best route to climb over or under fallen trees. He can cut a trail with his machete as fast as we could walk. Quite amazing. Our second campsite was more protected than the first, and we had a nice fire again. Our fourth day we spent entirely in untouched cloud forest. We never even saw signs of human existence, such as evidence of cut undergrowth or clear trails. Sometimes Melvin would scout for us and I would just marvel at the beauty. Bayron, who had been working to protect the park for three years, had never been this far into the center of the mountain. He and Adalid and Melvin kept talking about how if people could only see the marvels that we were seeing, they would have to protect it. They also were hatching plans to create a network of trails following the ridges, with marked campsites and park guards in every community. We tossed around the idea of having a place that would rent out tents and sleeping bags and drop tourists off in a mountain village, where guides could lead them to the primary cloud forest. There was a lot of dreaming about what it would be like to have a well-developed national park. It was awe-inspiring to be in the midst of such an extensive forest. That day we reached our highest point, 2360 meters above sea level. The afternoon sun came through the trees on the summit while we relaxed and ate chocolate and checked to see if we had cell phone service.

In looking back on the trip I notice how much I identify with the mountain and the cloud forest. I have emotionally and mentally adopted the entire mountain. I rise when I see recuperated forest and I sink when I see a clear-cut. My heart swells as I walk the ridge looking for a quetzal, and I die a little bit inside when I hear that hunters recently killed a jaguar (or was it a puma?) in the outskirts of the park. In retrospect, I am taking a dualistic view on things. My brain likes to divide things into good and bad. I cheer for one team and wish ill upon another. This is a dangerous stance to take. As an accidental dualist, I place things and people into categories based on what they remind me of. I am quick to judgement and once something has been judged it loses its vitality. It becomes a thing that I know about that I can either hope for or fear. My challenge is to keep an open mind. In talking with Melvin, I got a deeper understanding of the complexity of the situation. I want to save the forest by removing as many people as possible. Obviously protecting the forest is good. But many on the people deforesting feel the rights of ownership, and although the state has declared the land a national park, it has not indemnified anyone. People need to eat, and my own idea of what a national park is might be getting in the way of what a national park could be. Maybe it is not an on-off switch, with people kicked out of the park completely. I don´t have answers, just awe and questions.

HONDURAS - I am so tired

2011-01-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

We walked down off the mountain today after hiking for three straight days in old growth cloud forest. Both Zac and I plan to blog about the trip. For now check out some photos at the farmer to farmer facebook page. For now very very tired.

HONDURAS - January 1st - A Day of Rest in Comayagua

2011-01-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

By Zacarias

Waking up a bit later than I hoped, I was overjoyed to hear the knocking of Andy bringing in a fine breakfast in bed as the kitchen was ready to close before I was up and out of bed! Huevos, frijoles, jugo de mora, jamon y pan a las Nueve y media! The luxeries of our hotel (Hotel Morales) continued to surprise us (Farmer to Farmer makes this a yearly stop in Comayagua) as showers provided us a comfortable wake up with warm water and very comfortable beds to slowly soak in the realization of the new year (and exciting date of 1-1-01!).

After deciding to stay another night at this location and not relocate to a friend´s home on the outskirts of comayagua (our hotel feels centralized, safe, very welcoming and connected.) and not having to move to a less walkable, perhaps not being able to enjoy the great variety of foods avaible in the downtown markets, restaurants and great concentration of new years celebrations spilling out into the streets. From these windows flows music and dance, the smells of home made delicacies and community of a warm greetings and unbelievably generous invitations. We celebrate friendships, new and old, burning scare crow like symbols of the new and the old... perhaps a cleansing that comes from farther back than any of us are aware of.

As we walk the streets I can feel some of the similarities and differences that draw farmer to farmer to such places as Comayagua. I carry a bottle of purified water that helps during a good amount of walking through this vibrant city, my paces seem to take the upbeat rhythem of a unadapted and certainly a non-catracho. Even my shoes seem larger than life to people as they speak to my dedication to efficiency in walking from point A to point Z, shadowed by a pair of athletic shorts and tshirt... hardly the usual getup for a day of celebration! Most Catrachos (Hondurans) are very well dressed and are hardly as ready to commit their clothing selections to short notice excersize or simply the clothes that might alow you to make that impulsive jump! Though I stand out here, the people we great on the street and share our day with are tremendously forgiving and seem to accept my style of what someone might wear to the gym, as well as my attempts to speak Honduran Spanish!

Andy and I have found that we are constantly eating a large quantity and great diversity of food while in Honduras (It´s quite hard to say no to so many great invitations and food). As two travelers that live to enjoy the fine fruits and vegetables, baked goods and beverages, seasonal delights and the occasional street food (we´re quite careful to make sure that things are thuroughly cooked and try not to consume water from the tap) we look forward to stepping back from so many in between meals and large traditional meals to hike up and around the mountain (Comayagua National Park) with three other friends that will help us follow old trails and perhaps machette our way through numerous new routes we plan to make in order to visit several small communities that grow amazing coffee for farmer to farmer.

In getting ready for the trip we visit a few old friends to see maps, get updates on the politics and community dynamics that relate to the strength of the Cofeacoma Coffee Cooperative. At one of these visits (visiting Andy´s old friend, Cerritos) we are welcomed with the surprise of ESPN2 and american futbol broadcasting the bowl games of the day... including our own Wisconsin Badgers! During a grocery run we happen across two more old friends that our delegation was able to visit last year and plan to visit again after our delegation of six returns from a second trip to the mountain (visiting the pueblo of Rio Negro and numerous eco huts, cofee growers, womens artisan groups, scholarship recipients, and more). These friends hope to show our delegation their farm and model for exporting chinese vegetables to a global market of cucumbers, chives, and other vegetables), share a meal and discuss the partnerships developing in the community with farmer to farmer.

New years parties take away some weekend possiblities in the city as everyone tries to be at home with friends and family (their family businesses stay closed for a few extra days around this time of year), so our meals are detoured to be shared with a chinese family restaurant (we´re fed very well with fried rice, wontons, bread and iced tea) and then with our friend Hector´s family for a dinner of potato salad, pickled vegetables, chicken and bread. We are fortunate to have friends growing their own coffee or getting it from the very mountain that we will camp tomorrow (Sunday) through Thursday.

The last events for our day of rest (farmer to farmer doesn´t really rest on these trips!!!) is to pack our bags of food and camping gear for an early departure to the mountain, and these two blogs that summarize some of the more urban experience we´ve had so far! We can´t wait to tell you of the reality of our four day hike around the national park of comayagua, visiting the park´s nucleus, bird watching, searching for cappuccin monkeys and visiting the small communities that make the park a future destination for farmer to farmer delegations.

I believe that´s all for now! Happy new year and let us know if you get to try some farmer to farmer coffee from your local cooperative or neighborhood store, we look forward to sharing more of the struggles and joys of this beautiful place and better and better coffee and human connections, peace and understanding.

December 31st, 2010 Comayagua, Honduras

2011-01-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

By Andy

Yesterday was my first New Year´s Eve in Honduras in more than 15 years and it did not dissappoint.

In the morning, Zac and I found the bus easily in San Pedro, and I even had time to buy a cell phone. For $25 I am now living at the same pace as literally every Honduran. Our number is (504) 99034869. Call us. The bus ride was full, full, full, with people standing in the aisles the whole way. But I beat out a single mom with a teething baby to secure my seat, so you don´t have to worry about me standing. The ride was uneventful, although it was nice that every so often people would come on the bus and offer things we might need, like cold drinks in a plastic bag, fried chicken (throw the plastic out the window, please), fried plantains, candied squash, and a three-disc set of childrens´bible stories ($1.50 in case you were wondering -I passed).

I was able to call all my friends from the bus (yippee!), so once we arrived in Comayagua we had Hector and Adalid waiting for us. We dropped our stuff at Hotel Morales and went straight to Hernan´s house where we proceeded to talk for 2 hours while Hernan brought food out at regular intervals. Hector is our guide here and an old friend from my Peace Corps days. Adalid is the President of the Coffee growing coop here and also the installer of the microturbine system for producing electricity. We had a long talk about the difficulty they had last year getting the coffee adequately dry. Apparantly, according to Adalid they did a very good drying the coffee, but that the mistake they made was storing the coffee in the houses in the mountain village instead of bringing it down into the dry valley. In the moist cloud forest climate it seems that the coffee re-took on moisture while waiting in the storage area. So now we know not to have them store the coffee on the mountain.Adalid has a place in the valley, so this year they´ll store it there.We had incredible mandarin oranges, luscious papaya, and some meat that Hernan had roasted for friends the day before.

Then we went straight to Priscila´s house. I lived at Pris´s during Peace Corps and her daughter Xochitl is mine and Jen´s goddaughter. Pris was planning on having us over for a new year´s eve party. We caught up with Pris and Xochitl and Pris´s sisters Marta and Luzli. Her neighbors were cranking the music as we played cards and ate garlic toasted casabe (Casava cakes) with Salva Vida cerveza. We were on Pris´s new patio and from inside we could smell the chicken roasting. After we ate the truly fantastic food, we decided to go up to the central plaza to see what was happening for New Year´s. I was not prepared for what we saw.

First off, as we were walking to the plaza, it sounded like we were in a war zone. All day people all over the city had been setting off fireworks. As it got closer to midnight, the good people of Comayagua took it upon themselves to redouble their efforts. Smoke hung in the air like a thick fog and there was a strong smell of sulfur. Near the park, some kids who should have known better were throwing firecrackers into metal garbage cans and making some pretty impressive booms. Then, a block away from the Central Parque the fireworks gave way to a booming sound system. As we got closer I saw that there was a small military presence, which probably kept the firework-wielding delinquents away. They were protecting a massive stage that had been set up in front of the Cathedral.In addition to the stage, there were various screens around the park projecting close-ups of what was happening on the stage. The park was full of people, most dressed to the nines for the party. There were people walking around passing out free glow sticks and it seemed that there were a good many people with ¨Happy New Year¨plastic fedoras.

We had walked right into a media event.The music and festivities were being broadcast to all of Honduras. They had chosen the Comayagua Central Park as their own version of Times Square. Instead of a ball dropping, they had the oldest functioning clock on all of the Americas. When that clock would strike 12 times, the confetti would drop and people would wave their glow sticks and blow into the noise makers to beat the band while real fireworks went off right over the Cathedral. Until then, it was one lip-syncing act after another, with booming sound and a lot of patriotic pop songs. It was actually pretty cool.

In talking with Pris, her take was that the current President had commisioned the party and the national television coverage as a distraction from the continued effects of the coup from 2009. The deposed President Mel is living in the Dominican Republic and his supporters are still working to try to bring the leaders of the coup to some sort of justice. As the months pass, the government that was elected following the coup takes on more and more a sense of legitimacy. But the problem of the disenfranchisement of nearly half the population still exists. Of course, in this context, Pris might be right to regard any state-sanctioned display of patriotism to be a side-show, an attempt to get back to business as usual. There had been rumors that the President (Pepe Lobo) would show up in a helicopter to count us down, but we waited til past midnight and he never showed up. But they did bring out a big salsa band and people probably danced until the wee hours.

In the end it was an entertaining side-show and it probably brought some great attention to Comayagua, a city which deserves to be noticed for all of its history and beauty. I found myself imagining what would happen if Comayagua hosted this event every year. It could grow into something big. We could see people traveling from all over to have an all night party in the parque.

As we walked back to the hotel we re-entered the war zone and in some places we saw the remains of a Honduran custom of packing an effigy with fireworks and setting it off to represent the passing of the old year. The roosters and fireworks continued well into the night, but I was so tired that I went right to sleep.

Farmer to Farmer´s Honduras Delegation is off to a Great Start!

2010-12-31T08:20:00.000-08:00

Andres y Zacarias arrived with great success late Thursday evening to spend the night at a fantastic spot in San Pedro Sula! Dos Molinos B&B (http://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotel_Review-g292025-d1077841-Reviews-Dos_Molinos_B_B-San_Pedro_Sula.html) connected us with two current peace corps members, provided us with a great pancake breakfast and now will help us get to the bus, taking us to our new years celebration in Comayagua with many friends and great food, music, games, stories and joy. We hope to have photos for next time!

Guatemala!

2010-12-23T09:00:00.001-08:00

We are set to begin our trips. We hope you'll follow this blog to keep up with our travels. Below are some shots from our past trips to Guatemala.

the local market

Lake Atitlan

coffee

Testing the invitation

2010-12-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

I Think there is a monkey in this photo somewhere. Photo taken in mangrove swamp near Tela, Honduras.

Hello all,

I invited Jen and I to contribute using our other e-mail account. I am posting this to be sure it works. It looks like in order to post, you will need to set up a google account, but that does not mean you need to be using gmail. Just sign in using your regular email as a username.

Welcome to the Farmer to Farmer Blog

2010-12-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Intrepid Web Users!

As we are about to embark on three different trips to Central and South America, we decided to initiate a blog, so people could post stories and photos from the trips.

Please contact me (Andy Gaertner <farmcrew@centurylink.net>) to either send me a post that I can put up or I can send you an invitation to become an author on the blog.

Disclaimer: This is a blog for a non-profit group in Western Wisconsin dedicated to solidarity between people of of Central and South America and Wisconsin and Minnesota. It is not a blog for a USAID program.

On the way to Rio Negro in Comayagua, Honduras