Even before we moved to Ecuador, we were homesteading. I remember as William went out to change sprinkler lines, he mentioned the rain in the Amazon. That one of his favorite things about Ecuador is that rain just falls from the sky. Coming from the desert of Utah and Idaho, that sounded pretty fantastic.
And it is fantastic. A good jungle rainstorm has become one of my favorite things. Enough water falling on our gardens and trees isn’t something I have to worry about. Which is pretty great after having lived in and tried to grow food in the desert. Every year it seems ended with water rationing, just hoping there was enough for crops and gardens.
When it comes to homesteading in the rainforest, there are differences and we’re learning as we go. For example, rain. Yes, it falls from the sky, clear and wet and beautiful. But all that rain also washes away topsoil and fertilizers. It’s interesting that the very thing plants need can also cause trouble or be had in so much abundance that it becomes harmful. That sounds like a life lesson I should probably ponder more on.
A first and always helpful bit of advice is to find someone doing similar homesteading in your area! Even within the jungle there are climate differences, specific animal predator problems or soil needs. One helpful someone told us their pumpkin vine has to be hand pollinated, there just aren’t pollinators around. So we hand pollinate for now, but a big project the Yachana is involved with is helping to set up bee hives and bring in various bees, including the Amazonian Stingless Bee!
That said, it all comes down to basics. Here are a few things we have learned.
Growing Food in the Amazon
The first thing you notice when you come into the Amazon is all the green growing things! And yet we’ve seen many people who own land but can barely feed their families. It’s one of the reasons William studied Agribusiness in college- to come back to the Amazon and help people learn how to grow food. It’s a key part that stood out when we first began talking with Douglas McMeekin from the Yachana about our goals that led him to invite us to come here and be a part of the Yachana.
Deter slash-and-burning of the rainforest
Long ago the native peoples would simply farm a space for a few years, then, as the soil depleted, move to a new area, cut it down and begin again. They worked in a rotation, eventually circling back to soil that had rested and was ready to produce food again. But this takes up a lot of jungle. And with civilization and home addresses and such, people can’t just move around as much. They keep trying to farm that same plot of ground over and over. But it’s depleted of nutrients. It’s prone to bugs and disease. Some use chemical fertilizers but besides adding chemicals to the crops, these are expensive and, in large part, are washed away with the rainfall, ending up in rivers.
Inga Alley Cropping
Our path brought us to the solution of “Inga Alley Cropping”. Inga, or Guaba, trees are legumes and are really great at putting nitrogen back into the soil. Planting them in alleys allows them to continuously and strategically continue to nourish the soil. And in between the rows of trees, crops can be planted. This adds the nutrients back into the soil allowing that same piece of ground to continue to produce food and fight disease. Accompanied by the organic fertilizers we are making with the biodigestor, we hope to really show and teach others that there are alternative ways to farm. And as we help them to better use their small family plots, more jungle can remain as just that, jungle. It’s a win-win.
Since we want to grow lots of food- for ourselves, our animals and for the kitchen at the Yachana Lodge, one of the first things we have done is plant alleys of Inga trees. In Ecuador they are also known as Guaba. November is when the pods are full and seeds bountiful, so we are planting like crazy. Favorite resources for learning about alley crops and specifically using Inga trees are found Inga Foundation and Rainforest Saver.
Kitchen Garden
A second solution is a “kitchen garden”! They are so easy to put together and you are able to control so many of the variables. This is a smaller garden space near the house with the things planted that you will use often. Use good soil and add your own backyard compost or organic fertilizer. Protect the space from predators. You might consider using grow boxes or containers. There’s lots of info out there about it and I love this option for your “kitchen garden” type of plants. Onions, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and herbs like cilantro and basil are at the top of my list. I also share some pictures and a few more details about what we’re doing kitchen garden.
Learn the edible plants that grow in your area
My third tip today is to learn what edible plants are already around you! I cooked stinging nettle for the first time a few weeks ago. And did you know that the FLOWER at the base of the head of bananas is edible? In like, three different sections- petals, stamens, and heart! And do you have any idea how many ways you can eat a banana?! We have dozens of banana trees (sweet bananas and plantains too) and they can be used in SO many ways- both savory and sweet, breakfast, dinner or desert. More details on using bananas in the kitchen found here!
Keep planting!
The fourth and final tip today is to just keep planting! We save seeds from a LOT of the food we eat- papayas, guava, cacao, passion fruit, pumpkin, pineapple tops. Even melons, though at least so far those haven’t produced fruit. We just set them aside on a plate or a napkin as we cut the fruit up so we can plant it again. Sometimes we place the seeds in pretty little rows, sometimes in grow bags with good soil and sometimes we just walk out into the jungle and sprinkle them around. Sometimes that means we’re just feeding the birds, but often we see plants start to grow up! The free for all design feels more like a food forest and is also so reminiscent of just what the Amazon jungle is. It’s not tidy but certainly beautiful in its own way, and if you have the space and the abundance of seeds, just keep planting!
Most of all, it’s a journey. We’re learning as we go and tweaking here and there, but we love that so many of the ingredients for our daily meals can be found growing outside our home.
