I have been dividing my time between the farm and working for the Permaculture Institute that is based here in Suchitoto. The administration office is here in Suchitoto but they also have a piece of land near Suchitoto that is used as a demonstration plot for the communities they are working with. On the land they are currently growing corn, eggplant, okra, tomatoes, peppers, red beans, green beans, green onions, yucca and cucumbers. Since the land is used as a demonstration plot, experiments with natural pesticides and fertilizers are constantly being applied. There are also experiments with planting according to the moon cycle to compare the yields of each crop.
The mission of the Institute is to work with rural communities in areas of food security and biodiversity. They also work over long periods of time teaching the importance of experimentation of natural pesticides and fertilizers along with understanding the ecology of their land. It is important for each person to be able to identify pests and deficiencies in the plant and not just know the recipe for the insecticide. Deforestation has lead to an immense amount of soil erosion all over the country. Conservation work with natural barriers and terrace farming is also an important.
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