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Update of art 32. Of petals and changing perspectives

Visiting Agustina and Alejandro's farm in Mashpi - Ecuador again after five years: organic cocoa, environmental protection, ecological justice and collaborative economics are still on the way to becoming a sustainable and contagious model.
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It has been almost five years since the Almanac of the Future visited Agustina and Alejandro’s farm in Mashpi, located in the Andean Chocó of Ecuador. As a result of that first visit, we shared the motivating experience “Chocolate and something else”, dealing with issues of organic cocoa cultivation, ecosystem conservation and recovery, ecological justice and collaborative economy. Here are some aspects, observed and discussed in this new visit, which reflect the dynamics and new milestones in this transformative process.

Consultation and biosphere reserve

One of the most significant developments in the territory inhabited by Agustina and Alejandro is the recent confirmation, through popular consultation, of the will of the citizens of Quito to prohibit mining exploitation, on any scale, within the Metropolitan District, which also includes rural parishes such as Mashpi. The work of the Mancomunidad del Chocó Andino has allowed an enriching coexistence between urban and rural areas, establishing a sort of umbrella of protection for this Model Forest against the voracious appetite of extractivism. In this context, the work of Mashpi Chocolate is extremely important, because it demonstrates that another economy, another agriculture, in general, another way of relating to the forest is possible.

Change of view

The biodiversity of the area is, in part, attributable to human presence. An example of this is the Amazon forests, which, far from being “virgin” territories, were planted to generate abundance. This is also the case of the forests of the Andean Chocó, which were managed, Agustina tells us, “for thousands and thousands of years by cultures such as the Yumbos”, whose traces appear constantly in the form of vessels “everywhere you dig”. Diversity, therefore, does not signal the lack of human intervention, but rather the understanding of our mind as we integrate ourselves into the ecosystem. “At the beginning we felt very alien”, says Agustina, “now we know that we are part of it”.

Syntrophic agriculture

On Agustina and Alejandro’s farm there are several syntropic plots, helping to recover agrobiodiversity, regenerate the soil and at the same time increase food production. Emulating the principles of forest succession and growth, syntropic agriculture proposes to take advantage of the associations and strata that species will reach to generate high density and diversity. Together with other neighbors, rotating meetings have been held in the territory to support and share knowledge about syntropic gardens with different purposes and, therefore, designs. Even with the passing of the years, as Agus says: “the agroforestry systems continue to mature as well as our knowledge. This is also the case of Mashpi Shungo, which has been in existence for 15 years and is constantly renewing itself, for which pruning is fundamental”.

By pruning the trees, it is possible to take advantage not only of the biomass produced but also of the sunlight windows from the most emerging strata, allowing disruptive moments that stimulate vegetative growth in the lower strata, thus avoiding a forest in decline. Agustina observes: “Many times agronomists say that this type of agriculture requires a lot of labor, otherwise it is not viable. But I say, this is a potential: to include human beings in the productive systems, in nature”. With emotion Agustina shares anecdotes of healing experiences that she and her team have had working with forests. This awareness, as “a very deep connection” with nature, invites us to read its cycles, to work according to the needs and times of the ecosystem, instead of imposing the agenda, “like the conventional agricultural system, which plans everything in terms of the calendar of when the ship leaves to export”.

From the labeling mess to the Participatory Guarantee System

Another element that forces the market is the sanitary registration, which is very expensive and has to be updated every year, so Agustina and Alejandro no longer meet their conditions, but took the decision to abandon the line of commercial organic certification. However, the corresponding public entity of Ecuador (Agency of Control and Sanitary Regulation – ARCSA), arguing that the products of Mashpi Chocolate, despite having their respective health certificate cannot carry on the label the characteristics of agroecological – organic, in the absence of a specific certificate. With the help of members and friends of the Red de Guardianes de Semillas (RGS, Network of Seed Guardians), and dedicated to advocacy, they have achieved the acceptance by the agency, based on the Constitution that explicitly recognizes agroecology as a right as well as the domain of the Ecuadorian people. On the other hand, the approach of the RGS to “organic” is much deeper and more comprehensive than the absence of pesticides. This is why they have developed several years ago a Participatory Guarantee System – PGS.
This is a self-organized mechanism of the RGS that allows agroecological community certification. To visualize the criteria, a guarantee flower is used, composed of eight petals; each petal for a relevant category from the concept of regeneration, among i) regenerative production, ii) ecological inputs, iii) zero waste, iv) local markets, v) family artisanal production, vi) health and environmental protection, vii) social equity and viii) collaborative economy. Mashpi Chocolate currently achieves 7 and a half petals because the chocolate packaging (third category: zero waste) still fails to avoid certain non-biodegradable waste, a circumstance that has led to an arduous analysis of alternatives for the chocolate bar wrapper. It is worth mentioning other relevant differences between certifiers and the PGS, which is that the latter does not limit itself to qualifying, determining whether the certificate is received or not, but rather the PGS is a process of counseling and collective strengthening. Multiple aspects that are not usually valued in the production, give account of conditions towards regeneration not only ecological, like the petal, but also of social equity.

Routine change

Karina is a single mother and has been working with Agustina and Alejo on the farm for ten years. She is used to seeing Alejo when he participates in the housework. This led her to complain at home that her father does his share of the housework. When he protested that this is not work for men, Karina explained him that it is necessary to change his attitude since Alejo, being a man, is doing it too. These criteria of respect for other beings is a culture that is spreading beyond the farm. Recently Mashpi Shungo received visits in the new open farm format, where they share with interested people how the PGS petals are seen in practice. It was a great success.

Conscious Customers

Aligning all the processes of production, relationship with the forest and work team towards coherence is a merit that motivates us as a society and customers to unlearn. Based on Agustina and Alejo’s decision not to continue with the farce of the commercial organic certification, due to the high cost of three thousand US dollars, as well as its dubious veracity, Mashpi Chocolate Artisanal’s customers abroad, in Japan and the USA, not only understood the decision but continue to buy the chocolate.

In the process of cooperative and local strengthening

Agustina’s sister Manuela is a partner in Mashpi Chocolate and responsible for marketing. Manuela, together with Agus, Alejo and other people from Mashpi are pushing the idea of organizing a cooperative among those who have farms or agroforestry plots in the area in order to share marketing mechanisms. Currently, seventy percent of the final price of the products goes to transportation and intermediaries. “That is why we need to strengthen more farms, so that quality products can be obtained and income can sustain a joint marketing system”, concludes Agustina. This vision of planting a lot of turmeric, ginger, among other fruits that could be processed, is already reflected in her plot and those of her neighbors.

The text was elaborated, based on conversations in situ by Michelle Ruiz, coordinator of the RGS RBU pilot project and Jorge Krekeler (coordinator of the Almanac of the Future – facilitator of Misereor on behalf of Agiamondo) in March 2024. Many thanks to Agustina for having received us, giving us the gift of her time and to Michelle for having accepted the co-authorship of this text.

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Authors:

Design:

  • Gabriela Avendaño
  • Ida Peñaranda

Photos:

  • Jorge Krekeler
  • Michelle Ruiz

Contact information regarding the documented experience:

Edition:

june 2024

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