On Thursday the October 15th we began a series of workshops on urban agriculture in CASA Chapulín facilitated by a compañero from the Siembra, Lucha, and Cosecha Collective.  Below is a picture of participants testing the soil and compost to use for planting.

One objective of the workshops is to demonstrate in the CASA house some of the techniques to produce food in the city.  The techniques can be created in small spaces, recycling our organic trash into compost and our non-organic trash into containers for plants. Another objective of the workshops is to meet and include more homes with similar ideas and invite neighbors in the city to join a network of food exchange, creating more food security and autonomy.

Summary of the first Workshops

“… in Latin America campesina agriculture has resisted the attacks from capital which for all the weapons and trade agreements it has imposed has not been able to defeat it. Many are developing proposals that seek food sovereignty as a part of a much broader struggle. Today social movements are focusing on agro-ecology which is not only a technical proposal. It is also a political one that can transcend and change. The MST (Landless Workers Movement) in Brazil has taught us that recovering land and using it to produce in a healthy way is a fundamental in improving the lives of families. In addition in the process important spaces for political participation can be created. The Zapatistas are also an example to follow.  In each municipality there is a Agro-ecology commission that works to conserve native seeds, improve production for self-consumption, and to sell what they can into order to maintain the movement.  

It is out of that context that urban agriculture proposals which focus on making the high percentage of the population which live in urban areas less dependent on production from agro-businesses. But focusing only urban agriculture is not sufficient. It needs to be thought of as part of a series of strategies for regional production in rural and urban areas and local trade which me must begin to organize and create…”

Objectives  

The purpose of the workshop is the construction of an urban garden which can be a space for demonstration and in the process the newer participants can learn some of the basics as some of the participants with more experience share what they have learned.

To create a space in which we can reflect on the importance of producing our own food in the context of the economic crisis and social mobilization and join in the networks of production and interchange for food sovereignty and autonomy which already exist in Oaxaca. 

Methodology 

We propose five, two hour sessions.  The first hour will be spent sharing practical techniques in the garden and the second hour will be for discussion and analysis springing from the practice and selected articles.        

Program  

Thursday October 15^th  

1. Composting and Worm Composting

Thursday October 22^nd   

2. Creating planting pots.  

1. Seeds to plant directly into the soil.  

2. Seeds to plant in pots.  

Thursday October 29th    

3. Creating a garden bed.  

1. Planting directing and transplanting

2. Dates to plant:

Moon phases

            Season and specific plants

            Weather and Freezes

3. Distance to plant.

Thursday November 19th   

4.  Managing pests

Thursday November 26th  

5. Diversity in the garden

1. The importance of diversity in the garden

2. The importance of flowers in the garden 

6. General comments on plants:

1. Noting basic facts

2. Creating a planting calendar.

Discussion Topics:

Introduction: Importance of producing our own food.   

Free trade agreements and Campesina agriculture   

Genetically Modified Food  

Pesticides: danger to the health of farmers and consumers  Bio-fuels and green deserts  

*Note: During the course we will define new topics for discussion according to the interests of the participants.