Over the past month, Himalayan Institute Mexico’s plot of land has been transformed into an inviting and effective demonstration farm.
After Arturo, a civil engineer from the Jonotla City Council, donated his time to create a design for the land, a team led by two brothers, Humberto and Manuel Arriaga, immediately began putting the infrastructure in place.
The hillside plot of land now has level paths winding throughout it, bringing order to the property as well as welcoming people to walk through and view the land. Once the paths were in place, the Energy Farming team mapped out its vision for installing demonstration areas where visitors can learn about such concepts as terracing, composting, organic fertilizers, and crop diversification.
The first installation was a large compost bin, constructed from bamboo and wire. This entire area of the land is on its way to becoming the compost zone, in which Himalayan Institute Mexico will model numerous methods of composting, including heap composting, bocashi (a form of fermented composting), vermicomposting, and the production of liquid composts and biofertilizers.
On a lower portion of the land, where a level portion forms a natural terrace, a shadehouse was constructed from bamboo and wire supports, with shadecloth over the top.
Meanwhile, in the upper part of the land, another team of workers built an open-air pavilion. With three large tables, the shelter will be used as an outdoor classroom and will provide a shaded place to rest while enjoying the view of the demonstration farm.
The demonstration farm will host its first round of visitors on April 29, when Himalayan Institute Mexico has its Gran Apertura (Grand Opening) in the community. But the land won’t be a total surprise—many curious neighbors have already begun to stop by.
