At the beginning of March, HI Mexico hosted a special three-day workshop to train another local non-profit organization in organic growing methods. The local branch of Fondo para Niños de México, which is the Mexican arm of ChildFund International, found out about HI Mexico’s work with sustainable agriculture in the Sierra Norte via the new [...]
A milestone in Himalayan Institute Community Center history has been achieved! For the first time, a major training course was organized and taught completely by local staff. In December 2010, nine more students graduated from the second round of Himalayan Institute Mexico’s (HIM) Sustainable Agriculture Training program, which was taught for the first time in [...]
Once a year, the town of Jonotla holds a huge celebration called La Feria. The festival commemorates the miraculous appearance of an image of the Virgin Mary on the mountainside above the town. People from all over Mexico journey by bus, bicycle, horse, and foot to Jonotla for the 3-day event filled with dancing, eating, [...]
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 [...]
Biofertilizer is a type of fermented liquid fertilizer that is packed with energy, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms. A technique learned from local Energy Farming staff at the Himalayan Institute Mexico, this is now one of the core types of fertilizer promoted through the Energy Farming program in the US and Cameroon, as well. It utilizes [...]
For the first time, a Himalayan Institute Energy Farming program has integrated chickens into its organic farming model. They are especially appropriate in Mexico where most families keep chickens. HI Mexico will help families learn how to take full advantage of these valuable animals, who provide eggs, organic manure and pest control on the farm. [...]
Himalayan Institute Mexico’s demonstration farm now features a brand-new greenhouse. Constructed of high-grade plastic sheeting stretched over a frame of locally grown bamboo, the greenhouse will provide a controlled environment for nursing herbs and vegetable seedlings, growing specialty crops like vanilla, and extending the growing season for staple foods such as tomatoes, which cannot grow [...]
With the graduation of 17 students from the first month-long intensive training program in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture, the Himalayan Institute Mexico is on the way to fulfilling its mission of creating a lasting change in the lives of farmers in the Sierra Norte. True sustainability as an organization means having a strong local infrastructure [...]
Class began on June 1 for Himalayan Institute Mexico’s first intensive training course on sustainable agriculture techniques. There were 18 students, ages 18 to 41, enrolled in the month-long course, which will meet for four hours every weekday in June. Each day will begin with two hours of theory and scientific background, which will be [...]
A rainwater catchment and irrigation system has been installed on the HI Mexico demonstration farm in Jonotla. The land does not have access to the city water system, so rainwater catchment is a great way to ensure a consistent supply of water. [metaslider id=43283]
