Beyond the City

Today we returned from a two-night trip to Mala, a valley almost two hours outside Lima.  We left Thursday morning and first stopped at a market in Mala, where Ana - a mesa alumni who participated in two exchanges to the US - has a stand.  Energized with some smoothies from the market, we visited and took off for Yuli's farm nearby.  There, we began by hearing from her father Pedro, the man who struggled as he switched his farm from conventional to organic, but has reached a place of equilibrium.  He tells us that one cannot quantify the value of organic farming - health, harmony, stability for his family.  He is a man filled with wisdom, guided by the traditional teachings of his past combined with modern innovations and technical knowledge.  He hopes to turn the farm into a center of learning and exchange, which it already is, of agronomic and gastronomic knowledge, experiments, and shared interaction.  Pedro has many dreams he tells us, and I hope to return some day to see his vision transformed into substance.  The work that Pedro and his brother, and sometimes the rest of the family, do is unbelievable; I have difficulty imagining most people in the United States working as hard and for as long as they do.  His passion, creativity, and energy were incredible.

After an amazing Pachamancha lunch prepared by Julia, Pedro's wife, we took a much-needed walk.  The lunch was huge, and somehow I ate all of it minus the meat...plus a bit of Savannah's.  We topped the meal off with some of Pedro's peach wine, honey, and apple dessert made by Julia.  We walked to the top of a huge mountain that overlooked the entire valley, the "poor people" on one side and "Asia" - the land-grab area of exclusive beaches that have taken much of the water from agriculture - on the other.  The juxtaposition was stark.  Yet in the midst of such apparent inequality and unfairness, Pedro, Ana, and Tete maintain such optimistic, bright attitudes, able to joke about the differences in way of life surrounding them.  It amazes me that they don't seem bitter or angry; they are constantly laughing, joking, and sharing what they have.  After our walk, we harvested apples and eventually departed from the farm after our goodbyes.

We spent the night at the lovely La Manantial and woke up the next morning for a day of harvesting and preparing for the market on Saturday.  Julia and Yuli brought a delicious lunch of spaghetti, this dried potato, chickpea, fava sauce, some greens, egg, and yucca that we all shared.  A bit more harvesting, relaxing, check ins on our action plans, dinner and sleep.

4 AM wake up for an extremely eventful transport of the crops to La Bioferia in Lima.  After a bit of breakfast at La Bioferia, an organic farmers market, we split up to work at stands.  I worked a goat cheese, yogurt, milk, etc. stand with three women and a man - rather overwhelming at first, but I started to get the hang of it :)  I left with a gift of delicious herbed goat cheese from the woman.  For lunch, a stuffed yucca from this awesome vegan stand and after a bit of looking around, we headed back to the hostel for rest, showers, and dinner prep.  Now, sitting here getting ready for dinner, a webinar, and celebration introduction with MESA alums.

Interesting Observations to think more about ----
the migration to urban areas surrounding Lima
Ana's struggles with establishing her women's cooperative in Mala
the incredible disparity between the farmer's work and their economic success
the people's attitudes on development in Lima
what do people want in terms of progress and growth?
imperialism and its affects on South America, particularly agricultural markets
possibilities for connection between these small communities and the US

Photos soon, I hope! XOXXXX