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WEAVING THE FUTURE:
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Locations:
Mexico DF
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AGRICULTURA ORGANICA
E-mail: danamex@mail.internet.com.mx
Mexico, D.F. & San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas
Tel. y FAX 525-666-73-66 (DF)
Asociacion de Dana, A.C. was constituted on October 26, 1987 in Mexico City by Ron
Nigh, Marta Zarate, and Kippy Nigh. Its mission is to contribute to ecological health and
social and economic development through the promotion of ecological methods in agriculture
and forestry.
Dana Association maintains extensive organic gardens in Chalco, in the
south of Mexico City
As a non-profit, non-governmental research, consulting and educational
organization, Dana seeks solutions for the numerous problems facing rural communities
throughout Mexico. Our methods rely on indigenous knowledge as the basis for food
production and ecosystem management, incorporating modern agroecology for increasing
sustainable productivity and for new marketing strategies. We provide training and
technical assistance on conversion to organic production methods and marketing, primarily
to indigenous communities in various parts of Mexico and Central America.
DANA´s non-profit organic store is supplied by Mexican farmers
In 1994, DANA inaugurated LA GRANJA ORGANICA, a non-profit store located in the Ecological Park of Loreto y Peña Pobre in Tlalpan, Mexico City. The store offers Mexican organica products as well as information about organic agriculture and farmers´ organizations to consumers in an effort to stimulate a domestic market for organic food.
OBJECTIVES
Dana`s primary objective is to promote the practice of organic food production and
marketing throughout Mexico and beyond. It carries out activities that serve to orient
small farmer organizations concerning the alternatives for agroecological production and
the opportunities of the organic foods market. Through LA GRANJA ORGANICA Dana seeks to
educate the Mexican consumer as to the nature and advantages of organic food and the
importance of supporting the efforts of farmers to make the transition to organic
production. Dana participates in alliances with other organizations to create a national
legal framework for organic production and certification and to influence policies that
favor small farmers and consumers. Dana participates in international networks and forums
for the purpose of fostering socially equitable and environmentally sound global
agricultural and trade policies.
CONSTITUENCIES
Dana works directly to benefit small farmers and their communities, organizations or
social businesses throughout Mexico. Dana also seeks to provide Mexican consumers with
quality information on the advantages of organic food and the importance of the organic
movement for the environment. Additionally, Dana provides potential national or
international buyers and others with the contacts to organic growers and processors.
PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
LA GRANJA ORGANICA: One of Mexico's first "ecotiendas" that serves as a meeting
place between the country and the city, offering organic products and information about
farmers, their organizations and communities and their efforts to create a Mexican organic
agriculture. Dana now operates a direct order process that delivers 1.5 tons of fresh
organic produce per month to subscribing consumers. The shop offers a range of dried and
processed "natural" and organic products, privileging direct buying from small
growers or their organizations. Since there is currently no domestic certification system
functioning in Mexico, Dana directly inspects farms to assure, to the best of its ability,
that organic farming and quality standards are being met. Dana also operates a 2 ha
demonstration organic farm that supplies the shop with fresh vegetables, herbs, eggs and
other products. This program seeks to create a more direct relationship between urban
consumers and small organic farmers and promote alternative marketing schemes that reduce
the number of intermediaries between farmer and consumers to achieve better prices for
both
ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN XOCHILMILCO: Last year Dana began training in
compost making and organic production planning in Xochimilco, Mexico City.
The "chinampas" of Xochimilco are a pre-hispanic
treasure
This historic zone in the south of the city is known for its 'chinampa'
agriculture. A chinampa, one of the most productive and sustainable
farming systems ever, are fields raised from the lake bottom. They are
fertilized with water plants and silt from the lake, supplemented by animal
manure from the household stable. The system has deteriorated over the years,
due to the pressure of urban development and competition for water
resources. Dana is collaborating with the city government and the Fundación
de Desarrollo Rural in a program that will eventually begin reahabilitation
of 150 hectares of chinampa through organic agriculture techniques
NETWORK OF ORGANIC GROWERS: Dana maintains a database of organic growers, coops, etc., with information about organic products they offer. This unique list is widely consulted by buyers, government and other NGOs. Dana also maintains information on markets and attempts to link growers with marketing opportunities, both domestic and export. The list also serves as a mailing list to keep growers informed of important issues concerning organic agriculture. The database also includes consultants and inspectors.
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:
The organic cocoa workshop in Tabasco
Dana has sustained, over the past decade, a constant program of education in all aspects of organic agriculture, offering workshops, training and consulting services. Workshops vary from general and introductory - giving participants a global vision of a socially, culturally, environmentally and economically appropriate agriculture - to specialized topics such as organic fertilization, ecological soil management and organic pest and weed control. To mention only the most recent.
In 1997 and 1998 Dana carried out a training program for agronomists in the state of Mexico for the state governments program of organic gardens for women. The project resulted in installation of 2,000 organic gardens by rural women. Dana edited a manual with the state government entitled Mujeres en Desarrollo, used as the basis for the agronomist´s extension activities. This Dana is giving 12 forty-hour workshops on organic fertilization and lombriculture for an indigenous community near Altacomulco, Mexico. These programs are carried out in the support of INI and the Secretary of Labor´s CIMO (Calidad Intergral de la Mano de Obra) program (a World Bank-funded program for improving labor quality).
In Chiapas Dana works with an Indian educators association, Union de Maestros para la Nueva Educacion de Mexico (UNEM) to develop methods for teaching organic agriculture in primary school and using school gardens as aids to teaching science. Recently discussions have begun on novel ways to finance improvements in education (i.e. teacher training) through productive activities.
Dana gives two general workshops at the national level each year. In 1999 one was given at the Agriculture Faculty of the University of Chiapas in April, and in November in the state of Mexico, given jointly with Nonantlal, A.C.
ECOTOURISM AND ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN LAKE MIRAMAR, CHIAPAS: This is the principle program of Dana Chiapas and is focused primarily on one of the four ejidos surrounding Lake Miramar in the Cañadas region of the southern Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas. Dana supports the development of a community ecotourism business on the shore of Lake Miramar. Training in organic agriculture is also provided. The program focuses on the potential of organic cacao production as a strategy for improving income and fostering forest regeneration and biodiversity conservation in the region. Technical assistance for the development of organic cacao into a commercially viable crop is obtained through an alliance with Asesoria Tecnica en Agricultura Organica, A.C. (ATCO), a sister organization in Villahermosa, Tobasco. ATCO and Dana have organized an exchange between the ejidos of Miramar and the organic cacao coop Costa de Tabasco, SSS. We are currently developing relationships with organic cacao buyers to develop this market for the Chiapas and Tabasco growers. This program receives technical assistance and other support from the International Indian Treaty Council, backed by Land O´ Lakes International Development Division and its Farmer-to-Farmer program.
ORGANIZATION: STRUCTURE, LEADERSHIP STYLE, FINANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
DANA founder Ron Nigh in the organic garden in San Cristobal
Dana is asociacion civil (A.C.) with a minimal operating structure. Two officers, the President (Ronald Nigh) and Treasurer (Martha Zarate) make the day-to-day administration decisions. The structure is based on projects, and project coordinators associate with Dana to carry out their programs. Dana administers project fund but each coordinator has full autonomy of his project, including obtaining and spending funds. The actual leadership is very horizontal. At the time of this writing (June, 2000) only two officers and one additional person are coordinating projects. Dana hires 4 full-time employees (as well as occasional hands) for the LA GRANJA ORGANICA and three field hands for the demonstration.
Dana´s primary steady financial support comes from the sales of LA
GRANJA ORGANICA.
Martha Zarate, teaching earthworm composting to a farmer
Workshops and training activities are usually funded by government agencies, Federal Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Social Development, Instituto Nacional Indigenista and the Secretary of Education. Local governments have contributed also, such as the state governments of Queretaro, Sinaloa, and Mexico and other local institutions such as the Fundacion Produce (Queretaro, Sinaloa) and the Fundacion Colosio (Chiapas) and others. Farmer organizations have also paid their own training activities and if no funding is available Dana will donate its time and labor to social organizations who want training in organic agriculture.
Support for specific projects have come from the InterAmerican Foundation, the Fondo Mexicano para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza, The Nature Conservamcy and Land O´ Lakes Cooperative among others.
STRATEGIES
SERVICE: Dana´s fundamental strategy is to provide quality information and assistance to
farmers and social organizations to help empower them to be the principal actors in
sitting the policies and practices of agriculture in their regiones. Its programs, written
material and actions are farmer-driven in that the interests of the farmers, farm
families, communities and organizations are centrally placed. Another aspect pf this
strategy is a "hands-on" approach. Dana stays close to the problems of organic
farmers by participating itself in production and marketing activities on a non-profit but
economically self-sustaining basis.
ALLIANCES AND NETWORKS: Dana works with social organizations and other NGOs to further its objectives. It participated in the foundation of the Asociacion Mexicana de Agricultores Organicos, A.C., (AMAE), a network of organic farmers and organizations from the entire country and both the private, social and academic sectors. As "vocal de certificacion" Dana personnel edited AMAE´s organic standards and later participated with other organizations in the writing of the national organic standards. Currently Dana is participating in the formation of a new national network to carry on AMAE´s work. Dana also maintains a netwok database, primarily of organic producers in Mexico to facilitate communication in the organic movement. Dana is associate with Foro para Desarrollo Sustentable de Chiapas, A.C.
Dana also participates in international organizations such as IFOAM
(1992-1996) and is a signatory to the Statement From Members Of International Civil
Society Opposing a Millennium Round of Comprehensive Trade Negotiations (September 15,
1999), along with 113 other organizations from 87 countries.
RESEARCH: Dana personnel are actively involved in research on different aspects of organic farming, agricultural policy and marketing trends. The results of this research inform all its programs and publications, such as the manuals given to the participants in the workshops. Dana´s president is a member of Mexico´s National Research System (SNI) and a full time research scientist at a public research institution (CIESAS). He conducts research and publishes in national and international academic journals on Mexican agriculture and environment, agroecology, global environmental change and related themes.
FINANCING AGRICULTURE: Dana is currently initiating a new program to seek new forms of financing agriculture and production activities in the rural sector through strengthening local institutions and organizations. For this, among other motives, Dana participates in the programs of Foro para Desarrollo Sustentable, A.C. Dana´s treasurer apart from her activities giving workshops and growing organic vegetables, is an active certified accountant.
CONCERNING GLOBALIZATION
The people at Dana consider that globalization, rather than being something one is for or
against, is a process that is occurring in the world today. They support the position
taken in the 1999 Human Development Report (UNDP), that while globalization has potential
to bring widespread benefits to many, the effects so far have been to increase
concentration of wealth and resources in fewer hands, to generate inequality and poverty
and to undermine attempts to achieve a more sustainable economic system. In order to
assure that the potential benefits are shared equitably, new and more democratic forms of
governance, national and global, need to be invented. Dana members believe that organic
agriculture has a role to play in emergence of these new more equitable and ecologically
sustainable social and economic structures.
SUMMARY:
* "Dana´s greatest strength is its objective - the determination
to work for the benefit of small farmers and rural communities and, in this way, for the
benefit of all"
* Dana is recognized as a reference source for all aspects of the organic movement in Mexico by farmer organizations, NGOs and government agencies.
* Nearly 12 years of professional experience in the processes of strategic planning and high-quality training in organic agriculture.
* Dana generates sufficient income from LA GRANJA ORGANICA to cover fixed costs and communications of the Mexico City office, including salaries of 5 employees.
* The unity and clarity of purpose of its members and collaborators is its strength.
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