Cooper Institute - L'institut Cooper

From September 16 - 19, representatives of the Mexican Network of Organic Markets - an organization that links organic, producer-operated markets across Mexico - visited P.E.I. as part of a tour organized by the Falls Brook Centre in new Brunswick.  The Network, which links organic farmers markets across Mexico, was formed to make locally grown, organic produce more available to local consumers, and to increase  public awareness of organic products and their benefits to human health and the environment. The network promotes participatory organic certification, which is a system of peer evaluation that eliminates the need for a third party inspector and focuses on allowing producers to educate each other in sustainable farming practices.

The visitors (see bios below) visited the farms of local organic producers Margie Loo, Reg Phelan and Ranald MacFarlane.  The had a chance to share a meal and meet with members of the Growing Circle Cooperative, and they made presentations at a breakfast for the P.E.I. members of ACIC and a session for the P.E.I. Food Security Network.  To top off their visit to P.E.I. they visited the Charlottetown Farmers Market on their way back to New Brunswick to catch a flight home to Mexico.

Juan Moran, from the Tlaxcala Organic Market, was one of the representatives who took part in the Maritime tour.  He says, "In reality I'm very new in the Mexican Network of Organic Markets; this is my first year participating with them, but it is very interesting and I can see it as an alternative to solve the marketing problems of all the farmers who are producing in sustainable ways and have to compete with traditional farmers who are contaminating the earth we are leaving to  the future generations.  I graduated from the State University Of New York in 1974, Associate In  Applied Sciences in Agronomy.  I have worked for the Campesino a Campesino program for over 25 years, and right now I'm working in a project producing organic produce to sell it locally and eventually we hope to be able to export."

Rocío García Bustamante, another of the visitors, says “ I was born in México City but I have lived in Puebla for more than 20 years.  I am married .  I started the project called “Tianguis Alternativo de Puebla” www.tianguisalternativodepuebla.blogspot.com  5 years ago with some friends. I got a degree in Commerce International but also I studied a master degree in “environment and regional development” at Universidad Iberoamericana.  I am a university professor. I work also in an NGO called “Desarrollo y aprendizaje solidario” (something like “Development and solidarty learning”, in english), where we work with small producers and responsible consumers. We  promote organic agriculture, Fair Trade and sustainable consumption.”

Santiago Mtz Bringas  has completed part of a degree in Architectural Studies and is currently studying cultural management, and working with performing arts concepts. He is the Coordinator of the Organic Market in San Jose de los Cabos; his position involves visits to the market vendors' gardens to inspect organic production.  He considers himself a beginner in participatory certification, and currently is responsible for the Project "Ruta del Arte Emergente", or, “ Route of Emerging Art”, a nomadic art workshop using and addressing solid waste, which is funded by the Federal Government, the state of Baja California Sur and the municipality of Los Cabos.

Giselle Buchan Kuri is the coordinator of Mercado Bosque de Agua, (the Water-from-Woods Market) in Metepec, a city outside of Mexico City. She has been coordinating this organic market since it opened its doors in 2006 in response to a rising consumer demand for organic food. She has a Bachelor of Agronomy from the University of Chapingo, the country's largest agricultural university. Outside of coordinating Bosque de Agua, she runs a small urban agriculture consulting business, giving workshops on urban gardening.