Traditional Agriculture in Chiloé

After years of hard work, Sandra’s farm looks amazing. You don’t have to be an expert to be awed by the quantity and quality of the crops she has on the five hectares of land inherited from her maternal grandparents.

“It was really hard at first. I had to clean up the land, remove trees and create spaces. I started little by little, with flowers and garlic. Now I grow potatoes, both in the greenhouse and outside. I have pigs, sheep and chickens. I define myself through my work, because I work alone all day long. I wake up very early and I go to bed very late.”

Sandra uses no chemical fertilizers, rotates her crops and plants native trees. She is dedicated to tending the land in an entirely organic way. “I am a nature lover,” she says, smiling. “I learned a lot from my grandparents and the older people I have met over my lifetime.”

Today Sandra is a leader in Chiloe agritourism and teaches other island women how to work farms organically. “Agriculture requires patience, it is not easy. Some crops take time and that’s why I try to help my community to learn how to take full advantage of the land.”

Before the excursion ends, Sandra offers visitors some of the products from her harvests, including homemade jams. This is a sweet way to send guests off with a smile after their magical encounter with nature through a form of agriculture based on traditional, sustainable practices.