The Land Stewardship Project invites the community out for an evening presentation and conversation with Mexican farmer and conservationist Fermina Zarate Dominguez from Oaxaca, Mexico.

A potluck supper is planned at 6:15 p.m. with the program starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. The program will take place at Riverland Community College’s West Building at 1900 8th Ave. NW in Austin. To RSVP, call 507-433-0634. The presentation will be done in Spanish and English with a request for free-will donations to support the travel costs of Dominguez and the work of Witness for Peace and CEDICAM.

Since 2016, 35 farm and rural members have been on the LSP delegations that visited Oaxaca with Witness for Peace, with a goal to learn more about immigration, effects of NAFTA and Mexican farmers’ efforts to protect their right to farm, raise traditional crops and develop local markets.

Delegates have met with Dominguez and CEDICAM (Center for Integral Campesino Development of the Mixteca), which is an organization rescuing the traditional and sustainable cultures of the region.

The region lost an average of 15 feet of topsoil since colonization in the 1500’s. Since 2003, Dominguez promoted soil and water conservation, reforestation of native trees, conservation of native seeds and preservation of local food culture.

Dominguez experiments with agro-ecological technologies on her small farm based on farmer-to-farmer methods of learning by doing and teaching through example.