ACÁ (Asociación Communitaria de Auto Suficiencia A.C.) is a non-profit agricultural education association located in Jalisco, Mexico. Their mission is to assist local communities in developing sustainable resource management and self-sufficiency, while improving the health of the environment and communities. ACA is planning a Sustainable Development Lecture Series called “ECO TALKS”. All lectures are on Tuesdays from 12 – 2 pm at LCS and cost 50 pesos per session. Proceeds benefit ACA Eco Training Center.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LECTURE SERIES
Tuesday, April 1st
Wine, Cheeses and Nuts unique to Mexico - lecture and taste testing will be presented on from 12 – 2 pm in the L.C.S. Gazebo.
Did you know there are seven states in Mexico that produce more than 40 wines? Just to name a few:
- Casa Madero - Red and White
- Pedro Domecq - Red
- Santo Tomas - Red and White
And that there are more than ten different cheeses in Mexico. Won’t it be nice to know what cheese to substitute for my recipes?
How about adding a few nuts to your recipes such as cashews, pecan, pinus cem broides (Mexican pine nut) and maybe some walnuts.
Find out more about these exciting wines, cheeses and nuts.
Tuesday, April 8th
Engaging in Social Ecological Action - enriching your experience of this culture we share will be presented on from 12 – 2 pm in the L.C.S. Gazebo. Proceeds benefit Green spaces in Ajijic
Wednesday, April 9th
Abastos Trip Exploring Regional Fare- Mercado de Abastos & Fish Market
Join us for a third guided tour of the Mercado de Abastos and see where many of the restaurant and vendors at Lakeside purchase their produce, its a great way to introduce regional specialties you won't often find at lakeside stores..
Fish Market in Zapopan and Mercado de Abastos is Guadalajara's wholesale produce and fish markets, the second largest in Mexico. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you'll find candies and goodies, meat, and cheese, and any dried spices or herbs you want. Wendee will briefly review the seasonal regional veggies and fruits, and explain how to buy them, and show you her favorite locations in the Market as well as provide a map overview of how Abastos is laid out, and a list of Spanish Shopping list terms. One of the past participants who joined in on one of the past trips prepared a " how to drive" handout if you choose to drive there yourself or follow the bus. Just Email me and I'd be pleased to forward it to you.
Schedule for the next Abastos Trip April 9th from 10 - 4 p.m.
8:30 Bus leaves Eco Center
9:00, Check in: Ajijic Auditorium.
9:15 For a brief intro & buying regional produce, a short orientation in front of the Auditorium grassy area.
9:30 Sharp the bus leaves
10:15 – 11:15 1st stop arrive at the Fish Market in Zapopan.
11:15 Back on bus to go to Abastos
11:30 - 12:30 2nd stop Front end of Abastos Market mini tour to explore regional seasonal varieties of fruits cheese and vegetables
12:30 to 3:15 Lunch and peronal shopping
3:15 to 4:00 Board the bus, to return to Ajijic
What to bring: Bring your coolers with ice and shopping bags, bottled water and toilet paper. And when the shopping is done, enjoy lunch! (not included during 3 hours of your shopping time)
The Cost: The cost for the day trip will be 150 pesos (A minimum 41 people is required) Lunch is not included. Storage under the bus is available. Lunch is not included. Proceeds benefit ACA Eco Training Center. Please sign-up at the office at LCS and if you have any questions, please email! The bus leaves at the Ajijic Auditorium. If you have any other questions email Michelle Oconnor mocajijic@yahoo.com or myself at acacentroecologico@gmail.com
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LECTURE SERIES
April / May Calendar
Tuesday, March 25: Sauces and Salsas - using local Ingredients and preparation of amazing flavors of this region. Jose Melendrez, 12 – 2 pm, L.C.S. Gazebo
Tuesday, April 1: ** Wine, Cheeses and Nuts unique to Mexico.- lecture and taste testing. Wendee Hill, 12 – 2 pm, L.C.S. Gazebo
Tuesday, April 8: Engaging in Social Ecological Action - Mexican Endemic Medicinal Herbs vs domesticated culinary herbs. Xill Fessenden, 12 – 2 pm, L.C.S. Gazebo
Tuesday, April 9th: **Guided Trip to Abastos Market to explore seasonal produce, nuts and seeds in Mexico. Wendee Hill, 10 am – 4 pm, Meet at ACA Eco Center 8:30 or Ajijic Auditorium at 9:00
Tuesday, April 15: Getting Green - from the inside out using and cooking greens. Wendee Hill, 12 – 2 pm, L.C.S. Gazebo
Tuesday, April 22: **Eco Spring Fling - Earth Day Anniversary Tour Lily Sale and Super Salad bar available. Wendee Hill, 11 – 4 pm, Picked up at L.C.S
Tuesday, April 29: Botany on your plate - Culinary Herbs - how to use' em. Jose Melendrez & Wendee Hill, 12 – 2 pm. L.C.S. Gazebo
Tuesday, May 6th: Week 1- Film – An inconvenient Truth Film- ACA ( change booking to the SALA)
Tuesday, May 13: Week 2- Engaging in Social Ecological Action— Xill Fessenden
Tuesday, May 20th: Week 3 – Endemic herbs for Natural Butterfly Gardens—Phil Weatherby
Tuesday, May 27th: Week 4- Growing organically 101—Marie Pruden
**Additional fees apply to cover additional expenses.
Could you end with an invite to Spring Fling? to tour the Eco Center?.
ACÁ and Its Mission
Growing and Teaching Organics in Mexico
ACÁ's is advancing regional sustainable farming ,inspiring people to practice integrated ecological resource management methods, training hundreds of children, youths, adults, low income families, educators, schools and consumers about sustainable organic agriculture.
ACÁ A.C is a non-profit agricultural educational association, with a training site located in Jaltepec Jalisco, for the last ten years, ACA has taught sustainable, organic farming methods. Its programs have a multiplier effect and are the catalyst to long-term change in communities. ACÁ programs promote eco-safe solutions by means of providing garden development and support based on ecologically sound standards which conserve natural resources, and develop community markets and opportunities from the ground up.
Jalisco's Needs and ACÁ's Initiatives
Many villagers in Jalisco suffer from poor nutrition, lack of income opportunities, and an environment of soil degradation and water pollution. Much of the pollution comes from large-scale, non-organic commercial farming operations which are contracting use of the land and water, exposing not just the soil, but a new generation of women and youth agricultural workers to unhealthy pesticides. .
ACÁ's initiatives to offset this, is to teach the fundamentals of agro-ecology demonstrated in our organic farm produce, in the eco training Stations at the Eco Training Center where they hold Eco Discovery Day Camps. ACA has also completed a pilot Edible Schoolyard project and are now enhancing that with forming a traveling Eco Club Green Team. These pilot projects have potential, as ongoing programs, and are expected to generate results that will impact community and eco system health in the long term.
ACÁ has found that young people are open to new knowledge and experience. ACA Training Projects link the classroom and in-field training and bring it directly to the table. In this way it reaches families who can use the knowledge at home to create, nurture, harvest and cook their own garden produce, whether in a small backyard garden or a row of clay pots or old coffee cans. The activities taught by the Eco Club leaders help establish eco literacy in villages and schools. Each edible schoolyard garden is not only a place for children to gain academic education, but also a place for families to come together to learn sustainable farming techniques. Perhaps most importantly, we are teaching youths, who will remember our lessons all their lives and incorporate them into their futures.
ACÁ’s Head Start
Over the last 10 years ACÁ has seeded and developed a local curiosity in agro-ecology creating an "urgency of interest" that never existed before. The association has developed the Eco Training Center, which has emerged as a leader in practicing non-toxic agriculture and NRM technology. ACÁ has already accomplished much of the community groundwork; our past students are now teachers, and participants of the existing programs. ACÁ and trained teachers, CETAC, an research collaborators are prepared to support the projects outlined in this proposal.
ACÁ is in a unique position, having cultivated valuable partners among individuals, communities, educators, schools, agro-ecology groups, and local producers. The essential next step is securing funds which would allow ACÁ to improve the existing training facilities while expanding our training scope and community based impact.
ACÁ Eco Training Center
The Eco Training Center acts as a prototype of regenerative eco-agriculture, modeling how innovations can be implemented in different regions and ecosystems.
The Eco Training Center demonstrates sustainable farming models, but it is more dynamic than that. It is also a place where past and present students learn agro-ecology in-field and learn to teach it using eco activities. The center also gives educators access to applied eco curriculum materials and support for teaching environmental awareness in the classroom. The Eco Training Center on the farm is now set up so that the farm staff, our volunteers, and our interns can guide people through demonstration stations, explaining how organic farming works—composting, vermiculture, soil management, insect and disease control, crop rotation, seed harvesting, irrigation. This field-to-classroom experience of environmental changes is needed in the communities. We end with the experience of seeing our rows of beautiful vegetables and fruits.
ACÁ Eco Stations and Training Models
The following organic food production models have been developed by ACÁ to specifically address local issues in the central Jalisco area:
- Organic cultivation inter-cropping with a diverse variety of plants in the same garden.
- This stimulates beneficial insects and organisms and integrates the natural properties of herbs and vegetables.
- Vermiculture program to raise worms to aerate the soil and provide worm castings for organic fertilizer.
- Soil Enrichment, preventing erosion with ground covers and mulching.
- Composting to create natural soil amendments and refuse recycling.
- Water conservation with affordable drip irrigation.
- Diversification of crops and integrating small animal production of rabbits, ducks and turkeys.
Each model can potentially be used in any area of the world to combat poverty and malnutrition. They are simple, low cost, and can be duplicated with little or no innovation, and each is designed with economic benefit for the center and any area that adopts them. Because of this, the Association is continuing to benefit the community from the established facility.
ACÁ is working to integrate educational ecological activities into school program curricula and promoting sustainable agriculture practices based on the production modules operating at the Eco Training Center . We have developed a process of teaching organic agriculture that works in this culture and will result in improved nutrition, avoidance of agrochemical contamination, increased income opportunities, and creating a new generation of eco culture. Simply put, we have learned that the best way to teach is by demonstration and example.
Who Is ACÁ Teaching?
Experienced Trainers
Eco Center Staff, who have years of in-field experience in sustainable farming methods, are team leaders in teaching youth Eco Day camps. They teach each of our demonstration models. This hands-on learning method works for everyone who visits us on formal school field trips.
ACA Eco Educational Training - ACÁ is now recognized as an ecology leader within various communities and enjoys a full range of community participation, which enables us to have a more diverse educational impact than ever before. These efforts have been recognized by the state of Jalisco, which officially has designated ACÁ as an eco training site (Centro de Capacitacion Ecologico). Collaboration with CETAC gives us accredited status with the Secretary of Education, and over the years ACÁ has won various community service award recognitions. by design trained interns perform continual needs assessment surveys, laboratory analysis, and implement Eco Training Clubs, teach activities, inspire edible Schoolyards, and promote nutritional snacks and farm to kitchen cooking program..
Briefly, here are the groups that we are targeting with our education:
Area Schools
The schoolyard garden pilot project in 2005 - 2007 in Ixtlahuacán has shown how a vegetable and fruit garden can be used to teach children, educators and parents, all at the same time. We completed a pilot project at a special education school and proved that our methods work and that we can use this model for future schoolyard garden programs in other schools in poor areas throughout Jalisco. The pilot edible schoolyard garden prompted the development of a proposal for an integrated school program. In the Ixtlahuacán pilot project in 2005, 2006 and 2007, the parent survey revealed a dramatic improvement in their own homes, with the children engaged in growing, planting and showing improved behaviors and increased school attendance and performance. The teachers themselves used participation in the garden program as an incentive for good behavior. Produce was grown and shared by participating families and the surplus sold by participants.
Hungry Families
Our turkey giving project was initiated in 2006 as a way to improve the nutrition and money-making ability of local poor families. It was a well-received success, and it is expected it to be an integrated year-round part of our future outreach to the most marginalized of families. We are following 15 local Mexican families who gratefully took in "young turkey couples with family expectations" and received education in how to raise them successfully. We have a waiting list for families wanting turkeys, as well as a waiting list of expatriates to sponsor them. The turkeys' purpose on the farm is to illustrate how turkeys can eliminate bugs on crops and provide fertilizer to improve the soil (an Integrated Pest, Plant and Poultry Management model), and when adequate funding is secured, this program can be expanded, with valuable dividends to the participants and the Eco Training Center. The turkey program is a win-win proposition for us on all levels.
National CETAC Interns
ACÁ now has a written collaboration agreement with CETAC (Centro de Estudios Tecnológicos de Aguas Continentales) to develop and teach a “professional practicum." CETAC is the local high school/junior college that teaches ecologically sound water technology to reduce water pollution and support clean water for community health and sustainable fishing. The interns' contribution of 480 work hours each with ACÁ as their social service requirement has allowed us to begin the initial phase of leadership training from an engaged pool of resources, the student interns. We are now training six National Intern students using educational activities that are based on each of the ten eco models of IPPPM (Integrated Pest Plant and Poultry Management) and NRM (Natural Resource Models) at the ACÁ Eco Training Center. Through this recent collaboration with CETAC, we believe we can expand our ecological training to a new generation of leaders needed to increase our geographical impact in more marginalized communities.
Village Youth Eco Clubs
The Eco Club Test Pilot we conducted recently (January - February, 2008) in San Antonio Tlayacapan provided us the opportunity to test the eco curriculum combining it with leadership capacity building of national interns. In a six-week trial in the San Antonio children's Bibliotheca, we held a series of Eco Club activities which proved so successful it has been expanded upon and revisions are underway to expand it to a 10-week eco activity program. The intern leaders essentially take what they have learned from the NRM farm models and transplant the knowledge into the minds of village youths, extending the educational scope of the ACÁ Eco Training Center and bringing it to a wider audience. This youth program increases eco-literacy interest in ecological issues and ways to address them throughout the village.
International Interns
ACÁ receives approximately 40 to 60 student intern applicants a year, including some with exceptional undergraduate and post-grad qualifications who can contribute directly to the education components of ACÁ training. This natural and renewable resource keeps ACÁ current and increases our capacity to impact a greater number of people globally. Our interns bring experiences from, and take them back to, recognized institutions such as Middlebury College, Vermont; Northwestern University, Chicago; George Brown University, St. Louis. Individual interns provide a link connecting us to countries around the world including Belgium, Poland, Australia, Canada, United States, Sierra Leone, Colombia and Singapore. Each intern brings something valuable to the table and is funded by established internship fees which vary depending on length of stay and level of participation. Last year roughly 30 interns participated.
Local Farmers (both large and small-scale)
The Eco Training Center has visitors from the Lerma River Basin who are already interested in eco safe agriculture. Even though these farmers already produce organically they lack the resources to specific organic production issues. The very knowledge and training necessary to have a reliable supply of produce, and the contacts necessary to place their product, along with other primary concerns such as quality seed supply, adequate refrigerated or cool room storage and prohibitive transport costs. These are consideration all rural farmers here face ACA included.
We meet through our involvement in agricultural associations, including (a) over 30 farmers from the Council of Rural Development, CMDRS, who have been to the farm and cooperatively work with us to improve the situation for small and medium-size farmers; (b) the Jalisco Director of Rural Development and officials from the Jalisco Department of Agriculture, who have visited us several times this year in both the old and new administrations. One of our past students was instrumental in establishing cordial relations and a dialogue with farmers in agricultural associations in Jalisco; now we are welcome and respected in these groups. He has now gone on to a government position in charge of creating organic market opportunities for the rural sector.
The 2008-09 ACÁ Training Plan
ACÁ has learned that one of the best approaches to community development is to start with educating the children, but it can't stop there. The 2008-09 ACÁ Training Plan is comprehensive and broad based and truly empowers students on all levels, and engages educators, provides resources to progressive schools.
ACÁ's increased range of networking abilities facilitates dialogue, decisions and direction-setting that is community inspired. Education literally rooted to the land allows students, parents and other participants to gear programs and modify models to the needs of their communities. Also, it gives them access to valuable eco knowledge and sustainable options that are not being provided by government programs. This strategy is well-adapted to serving different cultures and regions.
ACÁ Eco Training Center Objectives
While the Eco Training Center teaches self-sufficiency, it is not self-sufficient itself, although the organization shows a 3-year trend toward this. While we have focused in the past on teaching at the expense of infrastructure improvements, we recognize that we must take the appropriate steps to become self-sufficient in order to prove the potential profitability of our organic methods, and to provide for the secure continuation of the Eco Training Center and its programs. The following objectives will facilitate this:
1) Training Stations & Models Capital investment to improve our training models and upgrade our existing infrastructure in order to maintain the present level of operations. We have now demonstrated that each model has the potential to contribute to sustaining our operations on a long-term basis. Developing these models is important to secure our future. This does not, however, cover emergency contingencies, such as was experienced in April 2007 when our water pump broke.
Each model is the basis of our ability to simultaneously train interns to run Eco Educational Training Program. Each of these models demonstrate viable NRM methods which are used in the training process of both school children and farmers, The ACÁ Eco Training Center has evolved as a demonstration to the habitually skeptical agro community, its successes with simple low cost methods provides a synergy that combines formal presentation with practical demonstration. Essentially the ACA Eco Training Center is an educational incubator which provides the necessary models and training to branch out and mobilize other eco action groups' increase our capacity to teach more people
2) Develop an integrated research component (outlined below) to provide a method of evaluation and measurement. We have started a comprehensive Lakeside community needs assessment in six villages which will give us the necessary baseline metrics for measuring the impact. By identifying the needs of marginalized populations and utilizing the available internship resources, ACÁ can maximize impact in the areas with the most need, transferring the skills for the ongoing community development and duplicate applicable demonstration models to best meet the needs of each community.
3) Develop an integrated "Green Team" comprised of CETAC Interns to facilitate the formation of village Eco Clubs that teach eco activities in each participating village. This would augment the curriculum of our existing Eco Discovery Days and further develop course training materials that facilitate the formation of ongoing youth Eco Clubs in targeted villages.
The Eco Club Concept
- Addresses critically low levels of eco-literacy
- Secures the ongoing human resources needed for ACÁ outreach programs
- Integrates CETAC Interns as Eco Club leaders
- Impacts various age groups, through teaching school youth locally in five schools/community centers
- Motivates the establishment of Edible Schoolyard gardens
- Generates teacher support materials to add to school curriculums
- Facilitates parent involvement and ownership of programs laying the groundwork for healthy-option food concessions.
Currently ACÁ receives requests for assistance and training from numerous schools at the primary, secondary and college level indicative of the existing community recognition, integration and positive reputation. It is ACÁ’s goal to be able to provide assistance to all of these schools and many more. ACÁ has an intimate knowledge of the agricultural resources available within its service area, as well as an established rapport with most of the schools that would be eligible to participate.
Collaborative Research
The past year has been a planning phase for this, where we have cultivated relationships with a larger degree of commitment (and resources), and participants with joint vested interests. ACÁ Interns from CETAC will perform laboratory analysis of the following:
- Comparative fertilization value between Vermiculture fed with lirio, weeds, or animal manure to determine the best sources of substrata
- Soil and water analysis for heavy metals and toxic residues to determine use and prevention. to determine the risk level of toxic exposure in each village.
- Community Needs Assessment
Why support ACA?
This organization has done the groundwork necessary to carry out the proposed plan and is rooted in the community with the support and participation of a full board of directors, advisory team, staff, farming cooperatives, individual organic farmers, eco groups, educational institutions, and existing organic markets.
ACÁ's proposal brings improved nutrition, educational training, the development of diversified eco safe agriculture practices and lucrative market opportunities to these marginalized communities. Which are the solutions to the global issues of poverty alleviation, food security and self reliance, ecological management of productive resources, empowerment of rural communities, and the establishment of supportive policies.
ACA serves the needs of the communities with grassroots solutions, they are recognized by, but uncompromised by bureaucratic slow downs and each area they operate do so on an as funded basis. Mostly ACA is funded by individual donors and church groups who donate earmarked funds for specific development or outreach. The value is the awareness that ACA has gained within the Lerma Basin , resulting in significant support for its projects and educational programs. ACA's participatory community outreach approach allows for planning, monitoring and constantly evaluating.
A Roadmap Based on the Village Voices
To the extent funded, the targeted marginalized rural villages (who were participants in the survey noted above) will be our focus for 2008-09 programs, and program design will be guided by this initial research. The Community Needs Assessment has been completed in three villages (Jocotepec, San Juan Cosala and Tizapán) and interviews are due to resume in March/ April and June.
The Lerma Basin is our long-range geographical focus area: the villages identified correspond to Community Needs Assessment and Water/Soil toxicology research that started in November 2007 and continues to date. A research biologist, Erica Gwynn, a Rotarian Scholar, has completed a pilot study and is due to return to complete her master's thesis in toxicology research. She is collaborating in this joint research project with ACÁ
Creating a Brighter Standard for the Future
Educational outreach programs for farmers, schools and communities are on as an as funded basis, exclusively through grants or individual donors. While writing grant proposals has been an important process in planning, resulting in a clear directional roadmap of the most effective direction and outline of what can be accomplished in the future. They take time and effort (to which volunteers contribute greatly), to date these potential funding sources are promising but have not yet resulted in tangible financial support.
2008 Funding Request
Imperative to the plan for this proposal is the creation of a team of agricultural educators the "green team" using student interns from CETAC. We feel this will achieve the best outreach impact. With your help ACÁ intends to create strong community traveling "green team" that conducts our 10 week eco course in cultural centers, schools. National educational institutions such as CETAC These interns are now being taught about the existing NRM models at the ACÁ Eco Training Center and improving the Eco activities, after completing a trail eco Club this year in San Antonio. Eco Club activities are designed to compliment the small scale NRM Models that can be implemented. by easily sizing down the models to transfer them into communities. Eco Club activities demonstrate the principles of agro ecology and how communities can integrate sustainable resource management and ecology.
Eco Training Center Models to the extent necessary to accommodate increased flow of training.and capital needs Your support to expand the eco center, its infrastructure or a program, helps us expand the scope and impact into more severely marginalized communities, where Eco Training clubs would do well.
Poultry project
Forage Feed & Fertilizer System
Eco Training Supplies and consumables, Training supplies for the leadership training guide, print the eco activity booklet, to promote and expand the Eco Club effectiveness.
Student Internship Training Subsidy Fund ACÁ is already training selected candidates to become group leaders of the Eco Educational Training Program at participating schools, they will be volunteering with ACÁ as their social service requirement. Interns will perform all community needs assessment and evaluation surveys as well as the laboratory analysis of soil, water, and produce. to form a 6 part-time employment opportunity for national interns, who have completed the 480 free training hours.
A Green Team, to continue community needs assessment survey to teach eco activity days this summer at the Eco Center, using the 10 week eco sessions they have helped develop..(supplies and training costs ) June- August.
It's Easy - Use Pay Pal
If you want to support organic farmers, if you want vibrant local agriculture systems, if you want to train a new generation of leaders to promote ecological sustainability, then we have one request for you: Right now, make a tax-deductible gift via our Pay Pal account. Make your monthly pledge of $50 or $100 USD per month, to cover our monthly operating costs and help us build the resources to avoid catastrophic shutdowns. Such a pledge is the kind of gift that lives on and allows us to concentrate on what ACÁ does best, producing good food and teaching agro-ecology. We can't meet the local demand for Eco Center training or produce enough Great Greens without your support for 2008. Please make your pledge today and make a wish for ACÁ come true!
ACÁ’s new website www.greatgreens.org