Dr James M. Vreeland, founder and CEO of Naturtex Peru, sent us this interesting information about organic farming in the coastal desert region of Peru.

In April 2019, APLF visited Dr Vreeland’s organic cotton and alpaca fibre farm located in Pachacamac down the coast from the Peruvian capital, Lima.

Puira river bed filling with water seepage

You have to drive down the nearly dry Piura River bed to inspect and understand how this campesino and others have conserved prehepatic ditch irrigation with underground water seepage. They have successfully cultivate traditional food crops such as sweet potato, chili peppers, onions, maize and squash when conventional farmers have no water to grow anything in the Piura desert!

Preparation of organic worm humus

Discarded banana leaves as bio stimulant

Our organic pima cotton farmer Emilio Hilbck creates his own compost, worm humus and a unique bio stimulant from discarded banana cuttings from his 100-hectare property certified to both fair trade and organic regimes.

Dr James Vree land (L) with textile engineer Jaime Arambulo

White organic pima cotton

Textile engineer Jaime Arambulo and Naturtex’s Dr. James Vreeland marvel at the productivity of this 3rd year planting of very robust and healthy ratooned organic pima cotton.