A Fruit Farm for the Future: Hummingbird Agrotek
Somewhere along a dusty road in southern California, less than ten miles from the border of Mexico, lies a little oasis. Bees and butterflies flit happily between fruit trees. But it hasn’t always been this way. This land had been a literal dump when it was purchased by Ofelia and her husband, Eric. Though trash needed to be removed and work would have to be done to coax the sandy soil back to life, they knew right away that this was where they were meant to be.
Years ago, Ofelia first got to know Eric when both worked as agronomists growing microscopic plants and algae for pharmaceutical products at a biotech company in Calipatria, CA. They loved the area and knew that when it came time to fulfill their dream of buying a farm, it wouldn’t be far from where they met. The farm got its name, Hummingbird Agrotek, because hummingbirds were significant to both Eric’s father and her own mother, a naturalist and self-trained agronomist who gardened in Mexico to put fresh food on the table for her children. When they toured the property for the first time, they spotted a hummingbird and took it as a sign from their parents who have passed on. “Eric said ‘That’s my dad!’ and I said ‘No, that’s my mom!’”
They purchased the land in May 2019 and began planting in September. They established orchards with fruit trees like nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots, apples, figs, olives, and pomegranates as well as a vineyard. She expects they’ll get their first harvest this year, which they plan to sell locally. “We live in a neighborhood that is lower income, and we don’t have a supermarket, so it would be great for the community to have access to fresh fruit.” Later on, once her husband retires and can focus on the farm full-time, they have plans to press their own olive oil and make wine infused with their fruit.
Promoting soil health has always been important to Ofelia. “When we bought the land, you still didn’t hear much about atmospheric gasses. Since I’m a scientist in that aspect, I was always concerned about it. I want to leave something to my grandkids so they understand that they need to protect the environment better than my generation.” She made efforts to introduce soil biology, like leaving leaves on the ground as a natural mulch, but costs prevented them from doing all that they wanted to. After being turned down from two government grants, they applied to Zero Foodprint’s Compost Connector program, and were awarded. The next summer they applied to our Restore CA program, which they were also awarded. These grants allowed them to plant cover crops and apply compost to their fruit trees, which will combat erosion and improve water retention. “I don’t know how to tell you how grateful we are! What you’re doing with Zero Foodprint grants and Compost Connector is my dream come true. I really wanted to [incorporate more regenerative practices] but couldn’t afford it.”
Since water is scarce in their area, Ofelia reveals their next project with great enthusiasm: agave. This resilient plant evolved to thrive in arid regions. Though it can take an agave 5-6 years to reach maturity to be harvested for spirits like mezcal, she lists all its other marketable uses: food flavorings, agave syrup, and inulin, a type of prebiotic fiber good for the digestive system. They applied for an import permit from the USDA to source their agave plants from Mexico and hope to start planting this spring.
With the help of their son, they’ve also installed solar panels around the property so the farm runs entirely on solar energy. Just last fall she planted a pollinator garden with her grandchildren and hopes to install more in the near future. Though there are still odds and ends to be cleaned up, Ofelia has a vision for what this place will be: “In five years it’s going to be beautiful. The kids from local schools will come and get fruit from the trees, that’s my dream.”