DON LOTTER IN LATIN AMERICA: A collection of earlier reports
Letter from Highland Guatemala
26 years later: How has farming changed
for one Mayan family?
Don Lotter returns to the Catu family after 26 years to find that much
remains the same in the highland corn culture of Comelapa, Guatemala
http://www.newfarm.org/international/guatemala/index.shtml
The price, processing and production challenges
of growing coffee profitably & sustainably in Guatemala
Don Lotter visited three midsized shade-grown plantations and a variety
of small growers. He found that many of the innovations in growing and
processing coffee are coming from the medium scale certified growers.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/guatemala/coffee.shtml
OPINION/ANALYSIS
Reflections on Cuba ... and the rest of Latin
America
Despite its dismal commercial sector and well-documented tyrannies, Cuba
is remarkably free of the violence, poverty and lack of education that
plague Guatemala, Haiti and other countries in Latin America. As an example,
Cuba offers real hope for the rest of the region.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/0703/cubaoped.shtml
Out of the ashes of the coffee crash, Costa Rican
organic is born
Costa Rica is home to a growing number of organic farmers who are selling
both locally and internationally ... and it’s home to first-rate
institutions investigating solutions to pest, disease and nutrient problems
in organic tropical systems. Don Lotter takes you on a tour of organic
farming coops and research institutions.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/0603/cost_rica/index.shtml
TALKING SHOP: Havana,
Cuba
Cuba's 5th conference on organic agriculture features
the fruits of a decade-long focus on organic
Better biological pest controls, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, multi-use plows,
new intercropping techniques ... necessity (and high-level government
commitment) has inspired dozens of exciting new developments in organic
production.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/0703/cubaconf.shtml
TRANSCONTINENTAL FARM TOUR: Crossing Canada with Don Lotter
When it comes to organized support for CSAs,
Canadians have a thing or two to teach us, don’t cha know?
The D-Trois-Pierres CSA, outside of Montreal, Quebec, is part of a well-organized
network of around 70 farms that are actively promoted and supported by
Equiterre, a Quebec-based organization that champions sustainability and
fair trade worldwide.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/canada_don/quebecCSA/DTroisPierres.shtml
Hemp heaven… and hell: A story in two parts
Part 1: Industrial hemp’s benefits as fiber, oilseed and as food
vs. barriers in U.S. production
Part 2: Conventional and organic hempseed growers make a go of it in Manitoba,
Canad
http://www.newfarm.org/international/canada_don/manitoba/index.shtml
The good life of a small-scale Ontario dairy
farmer depends on being part of a dynamic coop
Odelia Osthaus likes her herd at its current size. She likes the life
she and her children lead. … and the savvy marketing and smart management
of the OntarBio organic farmers’ coop make it all possible.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/canada_don/ontario/index.shtml
Three generations of cereal farmers in Saskatchewan
grow organically on 3000 acres
Small by Saskatchewan conventional farming standards, the Bodera farm
is large for an organic farm in the region. Father, son and grandson have
been growing flax, wheat, barley, oats and mustard organically since 1989.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/canada_don/saskatchewan/index.shtml