Plantations, Coffee, and Third Degree Burns

My agriculture trip was coming to a close as I made my way Lucita's cart in Chiapas, Mexico.  I knew this was going to be the last place I would visit before heading back to my hometown of Mukwonago. I also knew that Mr. Montanye would be very disappointed if I didn't check out a coffee plantation since he is extremely obsessed with coffee (think Benny from the Lego Movie but with a coffee cup instead of a spaceship).

As we drove to Lucita's plantation she laid down the "ground" rules.  Basically, since I wasn't used to hard labor, she wanted me to not dehydrate or seriously injure myself.  This was to be an enjoyable experience, not a cursed memory.  

So when we got to the plantation, she put my things in her room and we made our way to the plantation.  She lives on the plantation where she eats, sleeps, and works.  Of course she can go into town to buy whatever she desires, but her job and home are basically the same place.  

I followed Lucita through the fields and found that coffee beans weren't like little bean stocks.  They came from very bush-like plants that have to be handpicked. Coffee beans look like beans!

The tour continued as we met with one of Lucita's plantation manger, a stern looking gentlemen.  Lucita explained that they try to get the most out of the labor force without pushing them over the edge or not using them at all; the perfect middle spread. 

We further saw how commercial coffee truly was as when I thought our tour ended as we approached the top of the hill, I couldn't believe that fields continued for almost another half mile.

On our way back, I noticed I was feeling really hot on  my back. Lucita was mad at me and after we arrived back her small house, I discovered I had third degree sunburn because of my lack of sunscreen. OWWW!

Lucita didn't stay mad at me long and so we spent the remainder of the night in her room with a tube of aloe vera and adventures of finding the best coffee beans. 

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China Day 5: Intensive Subsistence (No wet Rice)

I took the bus from Zongmeng's home to the Jilin Province (Northeast China) which is about a four and a half day drive to get where Fen lives.

As my bus slowed to a stop, the driver gave me directions to Fen's home.  It would be about a mile and a half walk to her home, but I knew she would meet me half way so I wouldn't be entirely lost.

Fen greeted me and we walked back to her home. I asked as we neared her home which crop her family grows.  Fen laughed because she said they didn't just grow one crop every single year.  She described to me how they have to rotate the crops yearly so the soil wouldn't be exhausted.  I then asked if she grew during the winter and she retorted no as it the weather is much to harsh for crops during that time.

Arriving to her home, I saw many people working in the fields.  It turns out that Fen's family, while part of a commune and share with others, they have private ownership on some parts.

We walked into the fields and noticed that her family were harvesting corn this season.

Fen made sure I knew that everyone in her family worked on their farm and usually the neighbors as well.  They were a community of farmers helping each other out especially during this season due to the lack of rainfall which caused a minor shortage in product.

After the walk around her stalks, she led me inside her home and made me some chicken corn soup.  Which to me was the perfect way to end the day.

China Day 1: Agriculture with Intensive Subsistence Farmers (Wet Rice!!)

I met Zongmeng at the airport as I was retrieving my bags.  He was very solemn and I couldn't believe he was the one so interested in having me over to look at his rice farm. I guess my perception of him was a little different then what outwardly showed.

After we drove for about 2 1/2 hours south of Nanchang, we arrived at Zongmeng's family's farm.  He began to explain to me that their family is typical for Chinese subsistence agriculture.  The area he showed me seemed smaller then expected again ( I had a lot of expectations).  Zongmeng told me all about how his ancestors lived on this same plot of land and that his great great grandparents were in these same fields harvesting rice.  He was a very proud man.

As I gazed over the field, there was no land wasted.  If there wasn't rice planted, they put small walkways.  I about any livestock or animals and he answered they could not be put here.  This was their livelihood.

I wanted to get a rundown on what it took to prepare this land and so I asked him the preparation, the ongoing treatment, and any problems he runs into while his family tends to their farm.

1)  His Ox,You, ( which translates to friend) plows the fields and then irrigated.  Zongmeng's father makes sure of how much water is let in because too much can cause serious problems of the plants drowning and too little can cause plants to dry up.

2) The next step is to take the seedlings which were basically being incubated for about a month and place them in the field: transplanting.  Then when harvesting time comes, they separate the chaffs (husks) from the seeds.  The rice are put on trays and carried to their house.

3) The biggest issue Zongmeng has is when his family double crops, they are always afraid of colder winters which could create a smaller yield of rice crops.

We then walked through the field, Zongmeng making me take off my shoes because he said that it is extremely wet and dirty and I may not be accustomed to it.

After that we walked back to his house and I met the family.

It was super awesome that Zongmeng and his family allowed me to see their way of life. Thank you so much Zongmeng!

In a couple of days, I will be visiting an entirely different way of producing agriculture in China with my friend Fen.

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Hanging out with a Pastoral Nomadic Tribe in Kashmir

As I ascended the mountainous regions of Kashmir, I found my escort, Kailash, guiding his herd of goats on the side of the mountain where patches of grass lay waving.  I asked him if he could explain to me what type of farmer he would consider himself to be.  He said he would explain to me his way of living as we headed down the mountain to his campsite.

First he explained to me that he was a subsistence farmer, one who relies on animals more than crops.  As he told me this, one of his goat tugged on my backpack with its teeth.  Kailash laughed and said that the goats were used for their milk and hair. While explaining the intricacies of milking a goat, we passed by another group of nomads heading up the mountain. Apparently, this mountain contained a passage to this other group's territory.  They were fine to pass, but Kailash whispered to me as they passed that he had previous trouble with this group of nomads stealing his goats.  Nomadic people are very territorial, they don't just wander aimlessly through the desert.  Kailash gave this specific herder group privilege to pass through the mountain, but concluded by saying if they were to bring other "friends", he would "get their goats."

As we entered Kailash's campsite, I asked him if he would consider himself to be a transhumance herder. He didn't know what that meant.  I further exacerbated that if he was the type of nomad to migrate his livestock between mountains and lowland pasture areas.  He said yes because during the winter, the goats, while very durable, the goats get too cold and, therefore, he has to make sure his herd get down to the valley regions of his territory.

Kailash sat me down by a fire and gave me a cup.  I was exhausted from walking up and down the mountain and would accept anything to quench my thirst.  With my first sip came a surprising sour and a weird taste, I swallowed it but before taking another sip, I asked what was in the drink.  He said that it was goat.  I later found out what part of the goat it was made from; its milk and some of its blood.

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My Travels to the Tropics for Some Shifters of Cultivation

The rickety yellow stopped on dusty road for me to get out.  As the dust cleared,  the driver told me to head down the path and I will know when I arrived at the village.  Before I could ask him anything else, the car did a Y-Turn and left the way we came. I began to travel through the rainforest, but it wasn't long until it cleared into a wide field, cleared of trees and some people picking at the ground.  I asked where I could find Raul, my guide of his settlement for the day. They pointed to one of the houses in the distance and I continued through the cleared area.


Raul, a member of the Kayapo people, met me outside of his home where he gave me a huge hug and began to explain to me what type of cultivation they use and how they proceed on planting their agriculture.  He began to talk as we walked around the perimeter of the swidden (cleared area) which were, when he explained it to me, consecutive rings so they could plant more vegetation in each ring.   He said that they first use axes or machetes to cut down the trees and then they burn the undergrowth. When the rain comes by it washes away the ash into the soil, creating a nutritious land that bares great vegetation...for a while.  The most productive year for them is the second year after the initial slash -and - burn; they were in their third year.  Raul said this was the last year they could use this land before it was unbearable so he should me the next plot of land that the villagers would use for the upcoming year.

He should me some of the harvested food of last year which was maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, and other vegetation.  He then gave me some for a snack as he continued to talk about how much his people benefit from using this land.  In the back of my mind, I thought of the deforestation of the rain forest and while it is great for them to utilize the land, I was troubled with how much it ruins the land around them after they are done.

I then returned back to the road where I came from where the yellow car was waiting for me.



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