I have worked in food and agriculture for the past 12 years; from farming, to supplying restaurants and families in Mexico City. My company, works with small-scale farmers in agro-ecology and fair trade.

I believe food is a key element in the conversation about health and conservation.

What we eat and from where we get our supplies has a tremendous impact on our health and on the health of our planet.

I see peasant (campesino) farmers as the guardians of the earth, since they take care of our soil, water and air while providing us with food rich in nutrients and culture.

From this perspective, one of the biggest challenges lies in being conscious of the limitations that farmers face as well as understanding what our food landscapes have to offer in terms of seasonality and variability. Wanting to have “everything” no matter when, has stressed our resources and our culture in the name of profit and availability, without paying attention to livelihoods and the environment. More and more people are starting to realize that constraint and “sacrifice” can lead to a more healthy, harmonious, and rich life. A life that supports and promotes life.

Half of the metropolitan area of Mexico City, where I live and work, is supposedly destined to environmental conservation and food production. In particular, the chinampas – millenary farm islands in the south of the city – could make up for most of the vegetable consumption in Mexico City.
Our mission is Conservation producing or producing and conserving together while safeguarding a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that are the chinampas: a way of life that has survived for more than a thousand years, giving way to a culture that is in danger of extinction.

This is not an impossible mission as many may think.

Stakeholders – business operators, communities, and consumers – request changes and welcome improvements in the food ecosystem.

Working with different agents: farmers, consumers, chefs, artists, NGOs, Travel companies and weaving a strong network of collaborators makes the movement resilient: Chefs as opinion leaders have somewhat led by example by sourcing their ingredients from small scale organic farmers.

On the other side: a renewed recognition of the values of freshness and a more seasonal approach supports farmers and the environment. We have seen a rising interest from people who want to reduce their consumption of meat and processed foods and yet don’t often have access to local and healthy produce.

Online platforms and apps, moreover, have helped connect farmers with consumers, enabling them to purchase online and choose products, making the adoption of healthier diets easier for consumers.

Evidently, the direct contact with the consumers requires adaptation.
It demanded, first of all, a support from technology in helping farmers organize their production and harvests in order to supply the produce according to the customer’s demands.

In addition it has emphasized the relevance of diverse forms of communication as, often, consumers need to be informed in a clear and attractive way about the benefits of this type of food business model.

Social networks are included as part of the communication strategy.
Visiting farms has also worked very well for us and proved to be the most powerful way of gaining trust and engaging consumers.