Ecobreves – CHILE: Planting in the Desert

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

SANTIAGO, Jan 6 2003 (IPS) - Former miners and retired workers in the town of Canto de Agua, 700 km north of the Chilean capital, are growing organic oregano in the middle of the desert, joining the ranks of the expanding mode of farming that is free of toxic chemical substances. These new farmers obtain water from subterranean aquifers to irrigate a quarter hectare of oregano, though plans are to extend production to nine hectares. The only fertilizer used on the field is goat manure. The National Agricultural Development Institute (INDAP) is backing this endeavor through a support program for low-income farmers.

There are hundreds of farmers in Chile who use organic methods to produce vegetables, avocados, citrus fruits, honey, strawberries, cherries, and the quinua grain, as well as innovative organic worm farms.

In 1999-2000, income from Chile's organic product exports totaled four million dollars. Farmers here have developed organic farming with “high standards of quality,” says INDAP director Ricardo Halabí.