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Jose Luis Tungui Olivo

Don Aguacato

Hi, I’m Jose Luis Tungui Olivo and I grow organic avocado's on the West coast of Mexico. I'm also known as "Don Aguacato".

As the manager of Hortalizas Organicas I represent a group of 20 small avocado growers in the beautiful area of Michoacán, who joined forces to ensure that the fruit we grow reaches you in the best possible condition. Apart from avocados we also grow mango's, grapefruits, green limes, passion fruit and more. Thank you for buying our products!
Michoacán is a Mexican state located on the west coast, bordering the beautiful pacific ocean. Our region is perfect for growing avocados, due to the fertile volcanic soil, the excellent climate and the altitude. The avocado orchards are all between 1500 and 2100 meters above sea level. It therefore comes as no surprise that people call this region the world capital of the avocado. Our farmers are really in love with their avocado's. We eat them all the time!
Our farm is a real family business. My father started farming organically in 1994 and I joined him two years later. My wife Luisa, my three daughters and one son and their families are all involved with the company one way or another. Thanks to our organic approach, we live a wonderful life in the countryside, amidst an abundance of plant and animal diversity.

Interview with Jose Luis Olivo and his father, Luis Tungüi Espinosa

N&M: What motivated you to convert to organic farming?
Don Luis: "I used to be a conventional avocado grower but when I realized that the soils in my orchard were dead and I was using more and more chemicals, I knew there was no other alternative. The chemicals I was using were not only harmful for the beneficial insects and animals but also for the people working in the orchard. With all this use of pesticides and herbicides, the agricultural schools are mainly teaching their students how to kill..."

N&M: How do you look back upon your organic adventures?
Don Luis: It was very tough in the first years. In year 1, although certified organic, we were unable to sell a single avocado as “organic”. The following season we sold our fruit to various brokers but we never received any payment. It is then that we decided to form an association with a group of organic growers and work closely together.

N&M: What is the role of the association ?
Don Jose: When we set it up, we decided on a few important goals. We wanted to grow healthy products, free from any pesticides, while taking care of our ecological surroundings. We wanted to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, instead of working against them. We aim to recover, preserve and improve fertility of the soil. We wanted to eliminate any risk to workers' health. And last but not least, we commercialize together, in order to obtain a fair price, and provide for our families.

N&M: What are the reactions from consumers?
Don Jose: The reactions are very positive. But that is not very surprising since we grow organic Hass avocadoes which are the creamiest, most delicious variety in the world.

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soil

The farm of Don Jose aims to recover, preserve and improve the fertility of the soil. Actually soil was one of the main reasons why his father decided to switch to organic agriculture. As a non-organic farmer he noticed that the soils were no longer a “living organism” and as a consequence that his plants were relying more and more on chemicals. He now realizes that it all starts with healthy, nutrient rich living soils. Don Jose and the other farmers in the association, all produce their own compost. They also grow earthworms and teach others how to do it. Earthworms are miracle workers in the soil. "They clean up nature", says Jose Luis Olivo.

biodiversity

It is a general principle of organic farming that every living organism has it's own function in the ecosystem: from the tiniest micro-organism living in the soil to the mightiest tree towering above it. Farmers try to work together with wildlife as much as possible. One example is the honey bee, which pollinates the flowers; without the bees there would be no avocado's. Don Jose therefore has the habit to spray the trees with sugared water during blossom time: this attracts the bees. Other animals that may be found around the orchards are rabbits, raccoons, wild cats, squirrels and many bird varieties, such as eagles.

Don Jose and his other growers made it their mission to grow healthy products, free from any pesticides and taking care of the ecological surroundings. Since they do no spray any poison, there's a large diversity of native plants in the area, wild flowers and trees. The avocado itself grows in high trees. They are harvested from august till may. The harvest teams use knives on long poles to cut the avocado's from the trees, and then catch them with hand-held nets.

In recent years Don Jose has studied biodynamic principles, because these go well with the agricultural approach of his ancestors, who were still working with the moon and stars. "Once I went into the field with my grandma, and she predicted it was going to rain. There wasn't a single cloud, but she looked at the moon and the stars. Next day the rain came." Don Jose is still paying heed to some of the old knowledge: the avocado's for immediate consumption are picked during the full moon, while the mango's for storage are picked during the new moon. During new moon the fruit contains less water and more dry matter, so it keeps longer, says Don Jose.

society

Freedom relates to cultural life and freedom of the mind. Education and individual development are important aspects. Don Jose contributes to this, by teaching school children about organic farming. Many of the school kids in Mexico today, especially in the cities, know nothing about the sources of their food. Organic vegetables are very difficult to find anywhere. Don Jose: "We visit schools and teach the children about growing vegetables. We help them to establish their own little school gardens. Children love it!"

Justice relates to societal life and involves human rights, equal opportunities and safe working conditions. One of the main goals of Don Jose's grower association was to eliminate any risk to worker´s health. Since they don't work with pesticides, this eliminates the biggest health risk for the workers: worldwide, approximately 300.000 people die every year of pesticide poisoning . As far as women's rights are concerned, there is an increasing number of single mothers according to Don Jose; but they have better access to work than in the past.

Solidarity relates to economical life. Sufficient income, housing and food are the basic ingredients. Within the association, the growers can exchange knowledge and help each other to commercialize their products and obtain the best prices to support their large families. As far as the workers are concerned, according to Don Jose working conditions in the country are much better than in the city factories, although the wages are similar.

climate

In conventional farming, the manufacture, transport and application of fertilizers and pesticides can account for as much as 80% of the energy input. Since Don Luis and his fellow farmers grow organic, their avocadoes are considerably more energy efficient than their non-organic counterparts. Most of the work in the orchards is done by hand. In the warehouse, electricity is used which comes from hydro-energy, a clean and renewable source. Fossil fuel is only used for transport, not much else. Transport to Europe is done by boat, which is the most energy-friendly way.

Climate change poses a real danger to food production. Good organic farming methods help to sequester more carbon in the soil and reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses. In the case of Don Aguacate, several aspects of his production are helping: energy from fossil fuel is limited to transport, his packing plant is powered by hydro-electricity. As an organic grower he uses no artificial fertilizers. Artificial fertilizers increase the release of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas which is 300 times as powerful as CO2.

water

You don’t have to be an expert in organic farming to realize that water is absolutely essential when it comes to cultivating crops. Climate change, droughts, pollution etc. are threatening this vital resource and the future does not look all that good. In Michoacan however, water is not a scarcity. There are many natural sources in the area which give water year-round; the water is led to the orchard for irrigation with micro-spray. The use of compost on the fields is very important: organic compost increases the water holding properties of the soil, meaning that 100 litres of water goes much further on an organic farm compared to its conventional counterpart.

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