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By Levi Novey


Last month, the Lima district of Surco decided to see how much interest a new organic farmers market generates. For five Saturdays, Surco's terrific Parque de la Amistad has been host to the new "bioferia." This coming Saturday was the last planned date, but there are plans to move the biofair to a more permanent location in another Surco park. Personally I hope that the market continues, as I think that ecologically-friendly produce and products are a good thing and that markets like this one help create an atmosphere for casual fun on weekends and also help develop a stronger sense of community.

I went to the organic market on its second weekend, and was very satisfied with the experience. The only other organic farmer's market I have been to in Peru is the one that takes place in Miraflores' Parque del Reducto on Saturdays. While I liked both markets, I preferred Surco's only because it was easier to navigate. On the day I went, it was set up around the Parque de la Amistad's signature "Friendship Arch" and had the park's pond as a backdrop. The Miraflores fair by contrast is linear in its layout, making it somewhat more challenging to navigate. It is also outside of the Parque de Reducto's fence and right next to a street where cars pass.

Comparisons aside, the Surco farmers market had all of the things I like: ready-to-eat treats, produce, coffee, hand-crafted gifts, information about ecological products, and best of all: smiling, happy people. There were a couple new things I hadn't seen before that merit some additional discussion.

Among them was a type of plant seed called the sacha inchi that a company was selling as a snack. They had more poetically labeled it as "The Amazonian Pearl." I tried a few and they were indeed quite delicious. Being a nerdy conservationist, I asked Carolina Tasso, one of the women who was selling the peanut-like seeds, to tell me more about it and why it is "ecologically-friendly." Here's what Carolina said: "The sachi inchi is a native seed of the rainforest and is being used in reforestation programs in the Peruvian rainforest." She explained further that it works well as a sustainable crop "because to plant it successfully, it needs a living plant like a tree to grow on." She gave me a flyer that provided more information about the health benefits of the food. It's high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Miski Kawsay is the company that was selling the seeds, and has a website. It's based out of Iquitos and was created in 2008. Carolina told me that they were in the process of applying for several certifications that would bolster their reputation as an ecologically friendly business. I did a little more research at home, and learned on Wikipedia that "used as a cash crop, Sacha Inchi is bringing money to rural areas and allowing indigenous groups like the Ashaninka to stay in villages." Very cool.

Another thing I saw at the fair that I thought was cool was a poster advertisement for a radio show called "Sharing Ideas." It's a program that covers a range of topics including fair trade and ecological products, healthy eating, and how to motivate activism among citizens. Normally I would think a sustained discussion of these topics would be challenging to pull off successfully on the radio, but the poster makes me confident they know what they are doing. You can listen to the program on Wednesdays at 3pm on 91.1 FM or listen and watch online. I'm looking forward to doing so myself.

The final thing that was exciting for me was getting the chance to buy coca flour. I have read a lot recently about the movement to decriminalize/legalize coca leafs and products in various forms, whether it's beer, tea, or toothpaste. I'm looking forward to using the flour to make biscuits. I don't know how they will turn out, but I'm interested to see what the flavor is like (maybe I will write about it). Based on what I've read, I don't really think there will be any significant narcotic effect. I'm interested moreso in how well this type of product could sell if the negative stigma associated with coca products in the U.S. and elsewhere dissipates.

Photo Credits: © Levi Novey