I appreciated your suggestion.
>Why not form Northern Hemisphere/Southern Hemisphere organic grower
>cooperatives.
The International Tropical CSA initiative proposed a few months ago is
now closer to becoming a reality, on this end.
On the U.S. - Canada end - I've been out of touch and would certainly
now like to pick up this thread again with any and all interested
parties. In fact, one of the principle reasons for the move to Cordoba
was access to the internet / email. It's at the entrance to the
Papaloapan (as well as nearby other important southeast growing
areas), where we continue to maintain activities, but with much better
communications infrastructure, including a freeway system.
There are more farmers involved here in the southeast than in western
Mexico, where we continue to maintain activities. I have previously
been in touch only from our Jalisco and Texas Border (Mission /
McAllen / Reynosa) bases of Operation.
Also, almost all agriculture in western Mexico depends on irrigation,
which is not the case in southeast Mexico. On the other hand, the
infrastructure is a better in the west and there are somewhat fewer
agricultural pest & disease problems - which may make southeast Mexico
a better lab and showcase for sustainable technology and practices.
>Organic produce would come from the south during the
>winter, to stoke up the northern organic grower/marketer, and
>northern organic produce would go south to stoke up and support
>southern hemisphere growers in their winter. Doing it cooperatively
>with a reasonably large group would ameliorate shipping costs.
You are right, but remember that the established market for organic
produce in Latin America (Mexico is NOT in the southern hemisphere, of
course; just far enough south to produce most tropical and many "off
season products for more northern markets), is only incipient at
present. That and the difference in purchase capability will mean
that the flow will probably be somewhat one-sided at first, unless you
count the resources going south in terms of investment, technology,
machinery, packaging materials etc.
Present imports in appreciable quantities include Apples, Pears and
Grapes; so something COULD be done soon in those areas. (Where apples
are concerned, each state requires certification for exporting their
product to Mexico. Washington, Oregon, Idaho and I don't recall which
others are currently certified to do this. Michigan had applied for
certification some years ago and may have received theirs - I haven't
checked recently. The same scenario may apply to pears - tree fruits
in general are subject to stricter regulations on entering either the
U.S. or Mexico - while grapes probably don't require this).
Mexico is THE major importer of these U.S. crops, so the possibilities
are real and I have the infrastructure on hand in the border town of
McAllen TX required to realize the in/out (the term used to describe
the change of trucks and paper/work required). For products coming
from the Pacific West, I'm not far from having that in Nogales AZ,
also. (Friends of mine do that there and I've had contact myself with
the people we'd need involved).
>I know this is logistically difficult, but where there is a will, and
>a common culture (organic ag) there is probably a way, and the
>internet could provide some of the infrastructure and planning.
Dale
Very true. Perhaps the time is near - let's keep working on this,
and count on me to do what I can.
Dale is clearly identifying solidly with organic agriculture and I
think that's great. (Although I feel that all farmers are potentially
organic, most have just received the wrong influences and information).
Douglas Hinds, Dir. Gral.
CeDeCoR, A.C.
(Center for Rural and Community Development)
Cordoba, Veracruz
Tel: (intl. dial out code from your country) + 522 713 2888 (Direct)
or 01 2 713 2888 within Mexico
U.S. Voicemail (email linked) 630 300 0550
U.S. Fax Mailbox (email linked) 630 300 0555
dmhinds@acnet.net, cedecor@acnet.net
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