Pedro organized a 100-member farming cooperative whose producers grow paprika and sunflowers on 35 and 435 acres of land. The growers' cooperative has helped to secure longer-term markets and improve income levels throughout their region in the northern Peruvian highlands. This year the organization is considering adding 100 new members, and is now experimenting with saffron production and guano fertilizer applications.
In June, program manager Leah Atwood attended MESA’s second Ecuadorian Alumni Reunion. Over 25 Steward alumni from eight different provinces were there, traveling up to 12 hours to reach the highlands of Riobamba.
Kevin Cody, a graduate student at UCSC has been awarded a grant to study MESA! To “assess the potential to ‘scale-up’ innovations in sustainable agriculture (SA) through a case study of the organization, ..."