Day 33

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1) early morning workout in the gym
2) fruit at breakfast and guava jelly
3) chaupi molino farm, 10 hectares of organic farm! has been run by this family for past 38 years
4) lots of farm work! mostly related to soil health, which is a big deal. this farm has 12% organic matter in their soil, which is v impressive. we shoveled sawdust and cowpoo onto the compost pile, then collected weeds from the fields, then turned over the compost. super steamy! lots of layers and components to make the compost active and feed the soil. no chemical inputs here!
5) a little snack break of arepas and homemade guac, yumyum
6) envi class talking about different ag systems, focusing especially on the traditional milpa and chakra as agroecological systems that were v productive (supporting aztec, maya, incan empires) and using nature and symbiosis for diverse yield of food for food as opposed to food for profit (ie corn today that becomes animal feed or ethanol)
7) delicious lunch made at the farm: soup, salad, quinoa, roast veggies, sheperds pie with veg and cassava on top. rhubarb crumble for dessert. yum yum
8) interviews with local people at the farm. i spoke with a farmer from the cotopaxi region who used to practice chemical ag but switched over to organic 20 years ago. he spoke about how health is more important than money for him and he likes being able to feed his family and see how nature works together for organic ag
9) a walk and a run on the trail near our hotel
10) word(s) of the day: time outside














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