Cultivating Growth in 2024: Reflecting on Milestones and Looking Ahead

Our featured farmer this month is Emaly Quintana Serrano of Sisters Inc.

As 2024 comes to a close, we are proud to reflect on a year of growth, new initiatives, and impactful connections. This year has been a transformative one for our team, from expanding our outreach to Florida and New Mexico to deepening our roots in Puerto Rico. We’ve celebrated milestones like establishing Asekia, a nonprofit organization empowering underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. We've also welcomed three outstanding new team members whose expertise and dedication are helping us expand our mission.

We at mano-Y-ola (mYo) wish you a joyful holiday season and bountiful harvests in 2025. Below are some highlights from our year, and we’re grateful to have you along on this journey!

2024 Highlights: Growing Our Team and Advancing Our Mission

• Welcoming New Team Members:

  • Paul Pendergast (Chief Agronomist, Florida): Building relationships with underserved farmers and ranchers in Florida and gearing up to plant fruit trees soon.

  • Ismael (Maelo) Reyes (Senior Conservationist Advisor): With vast NRCS experience, Maelo is guiding our outreach efforts in Florida.

  • Jessy Zafra (Media Production Specialist): Jessy’s bilingual videos and engaging social media content expand our digital reach and connect us with more communities.

Left image: New team member Jessy Zafra (right) with forestry program participants Nathaniel Ortiz Albino (left) and Luz N. Sierra (center), who were featured in our September newsletter.

Right image: Paul (right) and Ismael (left) joined our team this year and are leading our outreach efforts in Florida.

• Laying the Foundation for Asekia:

  This summer, we gathered in Puerto Rico to establish the groundwork for Asekia, our new nonprofit organization. Asekia Inc. will continue the work that mYo began by supporting Hispanic and underrepresented farmers and forest landowners. Through our bilingual outreach, we hope to build an inclusive agricultural network that uplifts landowners and farmers across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Members of the mYo team met in Puerto Rico this year as part of our strategic planning for Asekia. 

Expanding Outreach Online and On the Ground

• Building Our Digital Presence:

  • Launched Instagram and expanded social media outreach. Join us here!

  • Published 81 reels and 43 posts featuring farmers, landowners, and our team.

  • Released 12 bilingual forestry newsletters and profiled 11 inspiring individuals in our Spotlight series.

• Creating Educational Resources:

  • Published our first bilingual forestry booklet showcasing conservation practices.

  • Hosted the 6th Annual Hispanic Farmers and Agricultural Professionals Symposium.

  • Presented at the National Forest Stewardship Gathering in Maryland.

Our first forestry booklet, titled “Our Forest, Our Legacy” has been published! 

Breaking New Ground in New Mexico

Adrian Parrott, our Southwest Outreach Lead, has relocated to New Mexico to spearhead outreach activities and directly support landowners in the region. This strategic move aligns with insights from experts like José Sánchez, a U.S. Forest Service economist, who emphasized New Mexico’s historical and growing importance for Latino landowners. 

We believe that New Mexico’s timber and forestry industry and its strong Hispanic heritage will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission to support underserved forest landowners.

Adrian Parrott of mYo is now based in New Mexico, where he is focusing his outreach efforts.

Connecting with Florida Farmers and Ranchers

• Initiated outreach efforts through the Hispanic Climate-Smart Commodities Initiative (HCSCI) and HFLO Program. 

• Hosted two Climate-Smart orientations and began planning to plant up to 12 fruit tree varieties.

Our first Climate-Smart orientation in Florida was a success! Thank you to Vera Farm for hosting us. 

Celebrating Success in Puerto Rico

• Organized nine interactive workshops with HFLO program participants, covering agroforestry, pollinators, and conservation topics.

• Hosted a celebration and resource fair to mark the completion of the first phase of our HFLO Program.

Hispanic Forest Landowner Spotlight: Sisters Inc. 

Emaly Quintana Serrano of Sisters Inc. gave us a tour of her pineapple production in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, including the conservation practices that she has implemented there.

One of our forestry program and Climate-Smart program participants, Emaly Quintana Serrano, is an inspiring farmer who operates the family farm Sisters Inc. in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, along with her sister and support from other family members. In November, we had the opportunity to meet Emaly and visit the land where she cultivates approximately 16,000 pineapples, helping to bolster local food security. By integrating conservation practices into pineapple cultivation, Emaly also protects the farm’s natural resources. 

Climate-Smart Planting: Implementing Silvopasture

Sisters Inc. has established 30 soursop trees as part of the Climate-Smart program in Puerto Rico! These young trees, which will produce spiky green fruits, will serve as a supplemental source of income and provide shade for the cows at Sisters Inc., improving their quality of life. Emaly hopes to be able to start harvesting soursop in three years. So far, the trees have been mulched and weeded and are doing well! 

Members of our mano-Y-ola team had the opportunity to harvest pineapples with Emaly in November.

Impact of the HFLO Program

Throughout this year, Emaly participated in many interactive educational workshops organized through our forestry program in Puerto Rico, including workshops on growing coffee as part of an agroforestry system, agritourism, bat conservation, and pollinators. 

After learning about the importance of bats and other pollinators at the forestry workshops, Emaly plans to incorporate bat or pollinator houses into the farm. 

“Through the program, we learned how important they are. We want to adopt [these practices] and keep adding to the conservation practices we have. We want to try to implement commercial production that is also in harmony with nature,” Emaly said.

She explained that having built a community of like-minded farmers and forest landowners who are also seeking a balance between conservation and commercial production helps Emaly feel supported.

Additional conservation-focused steps that the farm has taken include implementing a rainwater collection system and pruning to reduce herbicide use. 

Inspired by the forestry program, Emaly also plans to integrate agritourism into the farm. “We wanted to explore other business opportunities, and this program broadened our vision. It enabled us to understand that the agrotourism component, in addition to pineapple production, can bring a viable economic resource, and we aspire to that,” Emaly said. 

Exciting Opportunity: Cultivar Learning Network Internships

The deadline to apply for our Cultivar Learning Network internships is January 15, 2025! If you know bilingual students passionate about agriculture and conservation, encourage them to apply. For more details, contact Patricia Morales at patricia.morales@mano-y-ola.com.

We are now accepting applications for our 2025 cohorts. Applications for our virtual and travel internships are due by 5 p.m. EST on January 15th. Help us spread the word by sharing this information with bilingual college or university students who are passionate about agriculture and natural resource conservation! For more information, contact Talent Development Program Manager Patricia Morales at patricia.morales@mano-y-ola.com. 

Apply Now

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