Fighting for sustainable living: The Bioferia, organic market in Argentina

 "Every Saturday we stand and fight!"

Anita Kramarczyk is a sociologist, educator, traveler, mom, promoter of creative recycling and living in harmony with the laws of Nature, close to Pachamama. She has worked and lived with our partner organization "Fundacja Laja" and is actively involved in the Earth Week and Tea Festival in Cieszyn. 

She shares the story of the Bioferia in Mendoca, Argentina:  

There are many forms of fighting for your own rights, demonstrating your position, showing your values and visions of a better world, just as there are many ways to have a more balanced life. One of them is living in respect with the laws of Nature, in harmony with its natural cycles, cultivating the earth and ensuring a healthy nourishment.

Argentina is a country of contrasts. On one hand, as many as 3.2 million hectares of land are covered by organic farms. On the other hand, transgenic soybean plantations are getting bigger year by year. Initially covering 6 million hectares at the end of the 90s, that area increased up to 20 million hectares by 2015! Argentina is said to be the second largest country in the world in terms of organic farming, but it’s also the third largest producer of soybeans¹. Unthinkable amount of chemicals is used for cultivating soybeans, as well as cotton or maize, thus contaminating the soil and drinking water to which hundreds of thousands of people have access daily².

In Argentina, the consumption of certified organic products practically does not exist. For example, in 2013, as much as 99% of the organic production was exported³. Not to mention the low level of awareness on healthy and balanced nutrition. How to change these habits? How to fight for rights to a better life? You can go out in the streets, demonstrate in battle, raise your own awareness as well as others or cultivate the land and sell its fruits at your local market. In Mendoza, the 4th largest city in Argentina, located in the scenic landscape at the foot of the Andes, there is an institution that has chosen a more peaceful way. They are called Bioferia.  

Every Saturday along the Boulogne Sur Mer street in the Cano district, local producers distribute their products and knowledge on how to live more consciously, in harmony with sustainable development, closer to Pachamama - Mother Earth. Live the full life! In the green market you can find: organic seeds, herbs, cereals, flour and grains of all types, seasonal and dried vegetables and fruits, books, cosmetics, medications, as well as workshops, lectures and conversations. You always come back not only with a bag filled up, but also a saturated soul. "Every Saturday there can happen many things, from meetings with artists, to important discussions, exchanges of thoughts and a beautiful picnic, organized by friends, families with children, enjoying the moment of sharing", adds Gabriel Lavigne, founder of permaculture "La Mapirosa" in Uspallata, who’s been participating in this project for 7 years.

This year Bioferia will celebrate its 12th birthday and will unite 26 local producers. All products are certified to guarantee quality⁴. Its founders, however, met much earlier. Initially, over 20 years ago they founded a non-governmental organization. In 1998 they took part in the meeting of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements), which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the meeting, attended by representatives of countries interested in organic production, there could be none other than Vandana Shiva (a Hindu activist who won the Right Livelihood Award in 1993, known as the Alternative Nobel). Argentina was represented by María Calzada⁵, pioneer of the promotion of healthy eating in Argentina, as well as the founders of Bioferia. It’s there where they heard that the seeds should be free because they are life and life should be free⁶. They decided to export vegetables and fruits to Europe (including cherries, garlic and pumpkin). A few years later, they changed their minds and decided to act more balanced. “We have decided to act locally because we have realized that food exports are not as sustainable as locally sold products. We started dreaming of a local green market. Starting in 2001, as the Pereyra family, we were delivering products to 70 families, that then became the first customers of
Bioferia" - says Azucena Pereyra, nutritionist, co-founder of Bioferia. She adds: "Initially, we were a group of 6 households, dreamers sharing a strong belief that we can do more".  

Entering the local market was successful due to the new fashion and trend, which appeared in the early 90's. The Argentineans started, frankly speaking, taking care of what they eat. They wanted to improve the quality of their lives. Consumers started searching for information on the products they buy. These changes have opened the door to new food markets that are bio, eco⁷ and organic. The chefs on TV also started to change their shows. The well-known Martiano Molina emphasized that "the change should not be only about ecology, eating or education, everything should change”⁸. The founders of Bioferia soon understood that the needs were much greater than they initially thought and decided to launch the Bioferia project. The project is not only about cultivating and selling products, but mainly about sharing the proper knowledge. The idea behind Bioferia is, above all, to understand how to live in harmony with the principles of sustainable development.

Gabriel Lavigne adds an important thought: "Satish Kumar, the husband of Vandina Shiva, says that there are three spheres to work on: earth, soul and community". Therefore, we should not be surprised by the words of Azucena Pereyra, who sum it all up: "I am living today and now, I do not know what will happen in the future. We are demonstrating every Saturday, launching the machine Bioferia, because it is our form of fight. We believe in a better and fair world: we produce healthy food, freedom and sovereignty”.