Arca Tierra to the Rescue of Xochimilco

Arca Tierra is a sustainable restoration project, based in Xochimilco, in the southeast of Mexico City. Lucio Usobiaga, a Mexican philosopher with previous experience in agroecological projects, started Arca Tierra in 2009 with the purpose to restore chinampas in the area. Usobiaga did so using a regenerative approach through fair trade and sustainable food production.

The project consists of a platform that connects the city and the countryside by commercializing agroecological products with different business models, including personalized baskets filled with seasonal products that are then in Mexico City to homes, restaurants and shops. The initiative also offers different experiences based on sustainable and gastronomic tourism inside the chinampas to raise awareness of the work farmers do to produce food via environmentally friendly methods. “Chinampas are very special. In addition to giving cultural identity to Mexico City, they provide us with water, oxygen and food. They are also a refuge for endemic species,” commented Usobiaga in an interview with El sol de México.

In Xochimilco, about 2,200ha are dedicated to chinampas, of which 369.7ha are urbanized and 1099ha abandoned, with the risk of being urbanized in the future. Finally, 422.2ha are active chinampas. Arca Tierra operates five of these areas in Xochimilco, three rented and two of their own, with four of them being fully productive.

The federal program Sembrando Vida, presented in 2018, has supported the project in the municipalities of Xochimilco and Tláhuac with the aim to rescue chinampas. However, it has shown no clear results yet. Usobiaga pointed out the project has no interest in participating as part of a government program since this is tiring and the cost-benefit ratio is low. Nonetheless, they have gained strong support from civil organizations like the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Forestry, with which they have carried out both investment and knowledge-sharing projects. Furthermore, the project has established important links with universities such as the University of Chapingo, which has taught many courses on agricultural issues, agroecology, soil types and provided tools to farmers working with Arca Tierra.

Chinampas are areas where farmers practice an ancestral farming method used by the Aztecs as they looked to expand their territory in lakes and lagoons of the Mexican Valley. On top of the chinampa, the Aztecs used to grow flowers and vegetables arranged in a so-called milpa, a very characteristic farming system created by pre-Hispanic cultures. The milpa is traditionally composed of three main crops popularly known as the Mesoamerican triad: corn, beans and chili.   

Arca Tierra works together with 35 farming families and has a network of 46 shops and restaurants to which it distributes its products every week. Currently, this project has a presence in Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Hidalgo and Puebla.