agroecology & food sustainability:
sowing for the future
In 2020 we started the first small-scale agroecological production campaign in the Reserve, free from the use of agrochemicals, in the search of generating our own food in harmony with the land, as an alternative to conventional production.
Cereals, legumes, and a sector of fruit trees, joined the garden started a couple of years earlier to grow our own vegetables, with the idea of moving towards self-sustainability, and organic consumption of proximity.
the biodynamic orchad
At El Potrero we know that building a respectful relationship with nature also implies moving towards a more sustainable and organic food. That is why, several years ago, we decided that the vegetable garden should have a fundamental place in our project.
Since 2018 we started to give shape to the idea of producing our own food. A garden space that, in addition to providing us with fresh products in our own home, would allow us to work communally, intertwining stories and knowledge.
With the purpose of training ourselves, we carried out biodynamic cultivation workshops, a technique that allows us to obtain organic products with greater production and balance than with traditional techniques. Since then, year after year and according to the planting calendar, we harvest all kinds of vegetables and leafy greens for our own cooking and that of those who work at El Potrero.
QUINTA & CHACRITA
In 2020 we added a space for planting fruit trees, vegetables and seeds that required more land (different varieties of squash, pumpkins and potatoes, melon, watermelon, sweet corn, peas and sunflower). More than 150 fruit trees were planted, chosen from among the varieties best suited to the area, including citrus trees (oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and lemons), peaches, apricots, plums, pears, apples, quinces, figs, kiwis, grapevines, blueberries and blackberries. In addition, a special sector has been set aside for nuts such as almonds and pecans.
In addition, at the end of 2021 we carried out tests for cotton cultivation, with a variety without chemical treatments and not transgenic, donated by the Agricultural Experimental Station INTA Sáenz Peña. This experience was part of a textile project of Esperanza Pereda.
cereals & legumes
During 2020 and 2021 we conducted a campaign of agroecological production of vegetables and grains on a small scale. This project had the purpose of supplying all the families living in the Reserve, complementing the vegetable crops, fruits and vegetables, and also being consistent with our vision of producing in biodiversity.
We plant wheat, oats, lentils, chickpeas, different varieties of peas, rapeseed and buckwheat. We worked manually or mechanized according to the type of crop, carefully controlling the moisture of the grain and the natural cycles of each seed.
During the time that the project was active, we helped to supply the picnic areas and canteens of our area, through the social area, to promote healthy eating in children, providing quality proteins to the diet of many families.
