Sustainable agriculture
Dr. Valle planted six Inga plots at FunaVid’s 200-hectare property on the mountain in 2006. The FunaVid area includes a small watershed 5 kilometers east of Balfate, Colón. Dr. Guillermo Valle and fellow professors from CURLA (part of the University of Honduras) have been teaching local rural high school students about sustainable farming and the Inga system at FunaVid using these Inga plots. This is now to be expanded over much of Honduras, but instead of teaching the students directly the teachers will be taught. They will then teach the students, year after year and far more students can be covered than if the CURLA professors tried to teach them all directly.
Charles Barber, chairman of Rainforest Saver, learning Spanish from a group of students at FunaVid before start of sustainable farming class (Photo opyright Tiiu Miller 2010)
In 2008 FunaVid / CURLA began a joint venture with the Great Britain based Rain Forest Saver Foundation (www.rainforesttaver.org) to expand the use of the Inga system in Honduras.
Through consultation with Dole engineers and CURLA professors it was decided that the area nearest the beach would be planted with African Palms. The repeated planting of different Coco Palms have consistently died due to endemic diseases. Approximately 7500 African Palms have been planted and are doing well.
Great progress has been made in both developing and implementing plans for the promotion of the sustainable system of Inga alley cropping. FunaVid was able to purchase some additional land next to the existing FunaVid land high up the mountain. This whole area will be planted as a large, very visible Inga demonstration facility of about 6 hectares.
Close up view of the FunaVid Inga area to be planted as an Inga demonstration facility. (Photo copyright Tiiu Miller 2009)
The whole area is clearly visible from afar, and situated among slash and burn farmers, some of whom will also be planting Inga in the rear future.
Distant view of the FunaVid Inga demonstration facility. (Photo copyright Tiiu Miller 2009)
A large tree seedling nursery is has been created on flat and more fertile land near the shore. It has been supplied with proper soil mixes to plant the seeds or seedlings.
This will serve to supply the FunaVid Inga plantation and farmers with the Inga seedlings, but will also supply other useful tree seedlings for the eco-tourism trail
(see Eco-tourism). This trail will go all the way up to the Inga plantation and so be useful for both publicity and educational purposes.
Creation of the tree seedling nursery (Photos copyright Dr. M.L. Dodson 2011)
The nursery is now operational. Recently a bus load of various tree seedlings was delivered from CURLA.
Interior of CURLA bus filled with tree seedlings (Photo copyright Dr. M.L. Dodson 2011)
Students unloading the bus at FunaVid nursery (Photo copyright Dr. M.L. Dodson 2011)
The teaching of sustainable agriculture at the local schools has continued. This is done in association with CURLA. In September 2011 a group of senior high school students completed a 6 week internment at FunaVid. This was a great success. As well as classroom learning he students participated in many practical activities.
Internship students in the front row at the end of a very successful six week course. Dr. Valle is in the middle at the back. (Photo copyright Dr. M.L. Dodson 2011)
Students at work in the Inga alleys on the FunaVid mountain (Photo copyright Dr. M.L. Dodson 2011)
Students caring for seedlings in the nursery (Photo copyright Dr. M.L. Dodson 2011)