Our agriculture team’s Karina Merced Arzola tells us about her experience with the Placita Agricola initiative and how you can be a part of food sovereignty in Puerto Rico.

Our resident environmental designer Vilmary Lugo talks about the process of building our campsite cabin.

Renowned Puerto Rican chef Giovanna Huyke shared her vegan recipe for traditional Puerto Rican sopón! We are definitely trying this recipe at home - will you?!

Learn more about our experience with cows from horticulturist Katie ‘Mila’ Bullis!

In their essence, cows are beings that nourish the spaces they inhabit, and the other living beings they coexist with.

Let's have agroecological gardens in each of our schools! Places where children can coexist with the nature that surrounds them while practicing empathy towards their peers.

Abu Milagros is a true miracle! She is a strong woman, a warrior of love and a servant at heart. Thank you, Doña Milagros, for teaching us that the real heroes are our elders. They still have so much to share, so much to show and we still have so much to learn from them.

Meeting the Plenitud PR team has been a blessing in my life and so many others. Through the Healthy Eating course, not only did I learn how to prepare food and share it with my family and friends, I’ve been able to share the knowledge with my students as well. For me, being able to prepare food in a healthy way is so important and, at the same time, truly fun because I have learned to play with flavors and different spices that give a special touch to the food. The inspiration from this initiative and its programs for Children and Youth is what has allowed us to integrate the Healthy Thursday program into my English class.

When I first came to Plenitud PR through a Service Learning trip in college, I had absolutely no idea how much my life would be transformed in just a week with the organization. I landed in Las Marías on my 21st birthday in 2013, a seemingly happy coincidence. I say this because the way that I found out about Plenitud PR was slightly unconventional; though I see now, ten years later, that it was no coincidence - just a return to home and my soul family.

When the pandemic started in 2020, I noticed my mom was off— her anxiety and changes in mood were evident. She felt that something was wrong and, after several medical appointments and physical examinations, she discovered that she had a hernia in her esophagus which was aggravating her digestion. At the time that my mother discovered her condition, I found out that Plenitud PR was planning their first Healthy Eating and Wellness pilot course. Almost eight months later, and we’ve grown so much. My mother has lost weight, she eats less meat, cooks with more intention and her gastric problems are under control. Improvements have been significant. The eyes of my mother are full of light again.

Plenitud PR’s farm is located in Las Marías, a town in the western-central mountainous region of the island where rain is very abundant. However, even with some of the most intense rain events on record, our farm has not seen any major problems. Why? Our team uses a combination of different passive water management systems that work together with the natural landscape to control runoff and promote water infiltration in the soil.

What has made Las Marías be known for the china dulce, above the other towns? The passion and love for this fruit has brought unity and opportunities for the community. Since the town's founding in 1872, the cultivation of the china dulce has been a key contributor to the development of the town’s economy and livelihood of the town’s people. However, in recent years it has actually been quite difficult to find oranges that are from Puerto Rico…

In a single handful of fertile soil, there are more living organisms than there are people living on the planet. I think it's fascinating how complex and vital soil is for sustaining life on planet Earth. It abounds in organic matter, mycorrhizae, arthropods, nematodes, bacteria, earthworms, fungi, plants and animals - all of which maintain a continuous cycle of nutrients. When the soil is healthy and biodiverse, it allows us to grow the food necessary for a healthy diet. However, the amount of fertile soil in Puerto Rico has been decreasing at an alarming rate.

There are two lines in the song “Lamento Borincano” by Rafael Hernández Marín that tighten my throat every time I hear or sing them: “¿Qué será de mi Borinquen, mi Dios querido? ¿Qué será de mis hijos y de mi hogar?” --What will happen to Borinquen (Puerto Rico), my dear God? What will happen to my children and my home?

A few weeks ago, Hurricane Fiona caused many losses here in Puerto Rico, and brought with it challenges and difficulties. In these challenging times, I feel like I am learning the virtue of having tolerance, from my friends the avocado trees. These avocado trees endured 85 mph winds for hours during Hurricane Fiona with no shelter. They flowed with the wind, releasing all the fruits that they had been caring for for 8 months on their branches, ever since their flowers became avocados.

The last two weeks have felt like a whirlwind of non-stop service that has left me worn out, overwhelmed and frustrated at times, and yet optimistic and grateful all at once. Last Sunday, the exhaustion finally caught up with our team–three busy days preparing our educational farm for the impact of Hurricane Fiona, followed by a full week of 14-16 hour work days responding to the community’s needs.

In the aftermath of the devastating impact of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, we activated the La Cancha Sana Community Center, our resilience hub and community kitchen, to provide hot meals to the community and work crews to help the farmers of the area. As part of the immediate response to protect the people and nearby communities, we have worked long hours to open roads, remove plant debris, and help 20 families with damaged homes.

It seems that every summer it is getting hotter and hotter. This year, we registered 109°F here at Plenitud PR. As farmers, we are directly feeling the intense heat! Did you know that as farmers, our risk of death from heat-related illness is 20 times that of the rest of the civilian workforce?

You might already be aware that, in order to have an optimal digestion, it is important to consume a diet of organically grown whole foods. You might also know the importance of choosing healthy cooking methods, and balancing your portions from each food group. However, there are many people who still experience digestive problems, even when following these recommendations…

I am a farmer and a graduate student, and this year I had the opportunity to work as an educator and curriculum developer in the Crezco en Plenitud program at Plenitud PR for the first time. Crezo en Plenitud currently impacts more than 400 children, youth, and family members…