Alejandro Tecum is originally from Guatemala.  As a boy, he used to help his father and grandfather on their family farm.   He remembers the day when a US Peace Corps volunteer arrived to help his father transition from traditional, sustainable farming practices to more modern conventional methods.  He recalls the first harvest using the new methods being plentiful, with healthy, vibrant, flavorful vegetables.  But with each consecutive year, the bountiful harvest got smaller and smaller, despite the increase in the synthetic petroleum-based fertilizers.  Now, as the Director of the Adelante Agricultura Program at Adelente Mujeres in Forest Grove, Oregon, Alejandro works with and supports Latino immigrant farmers and their families in learning sustainable, organic farming practices.

On La Esperanza Farm, Alejandro provides training and technical assistance to 35 people and families who are interested in learning to farm both to grow food for their families and as a way to provide additional income. Below, Alejandro shares more on the farm and the families there who are growing food and creating new opportunities for themselves and their community.

Adelante Mujeres is a 2012 USDA Community Food Projects Grantee. Click here to learn more about the organization’s work in its home community of Forest Grove, Oregon.