Tierra del Sol: Agroecological Villa

Scenario

In the Central Valleys of the Oaxaca region of Mexico,intensive agriculture and subsequent deforestation have led to progressive desertification of the land (Da Ponte, 2015),soil depletion,pollution and contamination of natural resources such as rivers, lakes and underground aquifers. The scarcity of rainfall has prompted every small farmer in the area to dig wells and tap deeper and deeper underground water supplies.

This region is the only flat area in the area, located at 1500 m a.s.l. and surrounded by mountain ranges that reach an average of 2800 m a.s.l. Being located in the middle of the tropics, the area has a 9-month dry season and a wet season in the summer months (May-August).

It is one of the regions with the oldest agricultural finds in Central America; the discovery of a pumpkin seed for agricultural purposes is dated around 7000 B.C. (Hurd, 1971).

The toponym associated with this place, in the Zapotea language, meant“wet, cultivated basin.” Numerous archaeological finds testify to the flourishing of Mesoamerican cultures that inhabited and built settlements around the rivers and in areas of greatest water runoff from the surrounding mountains (Watershed).

Prior to the Green Revolution, the lowlands in the central valleys of Oaxaca were dominated by forests; at present, however, monocultures (mainly corn) have occupied more than 80 percent of the lowland territory (Navarro, 2019). Territories close to the mountain range are still occupied by forests, and rainfall in the mountains is twice as high as in the lowlands. Land management and deforestation do not allow water flowing from the mountains to infiltrate into the soil through the deep roots of trees (Ojeda, 2019). Even from satellite photos, the stark difference between agricultural areas and the surrounding green forests can be seen.

All of these phenomena-the removal of trees, the spread of intensive monoculture with extensive use of pesticides and herbicides (which has led to a significant reduction in biodiversity), soil compaction due to the use of heavy machinery, the burning of organic matter, environmental pollution, and widespread misinformation among farmers-have gradually destabilized or even disrupted the natural cycles of water, minerals, as well as local ecological energy and knowledge (LEK) flows. All this has compromised theabundance of life that once profoundly characterized this area.

Description

Since 2001 Pablo Luiz Lavalle, a former airplane pilot born in Mexico City, understands the fragilities of this territory and decides to buy 2 hectares of land in the central valleys of Oaxaca. Founding afarm and a regenerative agriculture center, he recovers and studies how to counteract the various problems in the area, restoring the natural cycles of matter, energy and information, collaborating with local communities and disseminating the knowledge he recovers and structures, sharing it among local farmers, with a great effort to change the mindset of those actors in the area who have been using the methods of the “green revolution” and the linear thinking related to it for years.

In addition to the systemic view of the surrounding ecosystem, land restoration is done through composting of own-grown vegetables,extensive animal husbandry, and reforestation operated in an agricultural setting. Paulo has also developed a concept that allows the construction of eco-structures from scratch and made entirely from locally found and sustainable materials. The entire eco-village was self-built by sharing with other locals the construction techniques, use and processing of the materials used. The costs of the works are very low due to the use of naturally occurring local resources such as (self-produced) timber, minerals and local clays. Through e-commerce Pablo also sells workshops on eco-building to foreign tourists (mainly from the U.S.), at the same time obtaining the labor needed to construct the same buildings more quickly and efficiently.

Tierra del Sol also uses a system to recycle black water from toilets in the village. This prototype, invented by Pablo himself, is not connected to the city sewer system. Quoting Pablo, “Why should we have such a large amount of precious organic matter and water, which we have been trying to restore to this area for years, flow to the oceans?” Thus, each toilet is divided into two sections, one for collecting liquid and nitrogenous material(urine) and one for collecting solid waste(feces).

Underneath the toilet are collection containers. With each use, instead of flushing the toilet (not present), one simply throws a handful ofcompost (self-made soil and compost) into the toilet with the help of a scoop. This compost allows no odor to be experienced in the toilet rooms. The collection containers are emptied once a week and left in special aerobic composting units designed independently for 3 months. The liquid parts, on the other hand, following treatment with charcoal, become a very effective nitrogen fertilizer to be used in homeopathic doses. Pablo explains, however, that the use of this type of organic matter is only intended to feed trees without edible fruits, as the possible presence of chemicals and antibiotics in human waste prevents its safe use in organic farming.

To date, the farm has 5 hectares in total and is completely self-managed. It is also home to recreational stays, indigenous cooking workshops, fermentations, dye production, eco-building, permaculture and the use of eco-technologies. The enterprise has strong replicability in other similar settings in most countries around the world.

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