Controlled Environments for High Production

Controlled Environments for High Production

By | 2018-06-12T05:22:25-04:00 October 19th, 2010|Mexico|

Located high in the mountains along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, Jonotla—hometown of Himalayan Institute Mexico—experiences rain year-round. Moist air is carried over the continent from the ocean which then condenses in the mountains and falls as rain and fog, right at the altitude of Jonotla. The driest time of year still sees rain every few days. For this reason, many of the staple vegetable crops that are sensitive to excess moisture cannot be grown or have short windows of growth, causing the people of Jonotla to have to pay higher prices for vegetables imported to the region or travel to other towns to go to market. Some farmers succeed at growing more fragile crops, but rely on chemical controls to fight the mold, pests, and fertility issues caused by climatic conditions.

Fortunately, the simple technology of greenhouses can solve the problem of too much rain and cool temperatures, so that some of these crops can be grown right at home. The Himalayan Institute Mexico greenhouse is currently being used to grow vanilla and tomatoes.

Greenhouse technology can be as simple as plastic stretched over a small wooden frame, which is then placed over a bed on the ground, or can be larger scale, such as the Himalayan Institute Mexico bamboo frame house. At any size, the materials necessary to construct a greenhouse are relatively inexpensive and are readily available to farmers in the Sierra Norte. Growing in a controlled environment that is favorable to a particular plant is one method of avoiding chemical pesticides, fungicides (especially in the case of tomatoes), and fertilizers, which become necessary when growing plants outside of their preferred environment.

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