Growing instructions... and more

[Sue Bea]

Dear Fellow Corn Growers,

It was recently my very great pleasure to travel to Africa and carry the work of the Mother seeds Project to the World Social Forum in Kenya.  We brought with us some of the strong, Zapatista Non GMO corn seeds to share with the African farmers we met there. It was an amazing and powerful experience. Like in Chiapas, corn is the stable crop of Eastern and Southern Africa. It is eaten three times a day, every day. It is the basis of life for these Indigenous people.

Unlike Chiapas, however, many small farmers in Africa were persuaded to switch from their traditional corn crop to hybrids. While hybrids may grow strong the first year they are planted, they are not durable and the seed does not save from year to year. As a result, many small farmers do NOT have a crop from which they can save seed and must buy new seed each year. As these small, subsistence farmers are very poor, this creates a huge hardship and additional stress on the already difficult circumstances of small scale subsistence farmers everywhere.

We meet many of these small scale farmers in Kenya at the World Social forum and, when they learned we were carrying seed from Chiapas, people lined up to get one of the small packets of corn seed we had brought with us from Chiapas... from the birth place of corn (Mexico) to the birthplace of people (Africa)...

We brought corn seed in many colors... black (purple), red and pinto in addition to the better known yellow and white varieties. Most people had never seen black or red corn before... We gave away this strong growing, insect resistant, indigenous corn generously donated by the Zapatista farmers in Chiapas and the African farmers took it back to their communities with a plan. Each packet had only 75 seeds, enough to plant a small tarea (or square) 10 meters by 10 meters. The plan was to plant that tarea and distribute the corn that grew there to others in the community so that next year, everyone could have some of this strong, Non GMO Zapatista corn and, in time, perhaps this will form the basis of a new Indigenous strain, acclimatized to Africa and reclaim the right to grow corn and save seed for future generations.

These farmers also solemnly pledged to return seed to Chiapas should that ever become necessary due the contamination of Mayan seed stock by its powerful neighbor to the North.

In the message below I am posting the text of a letter I wrote to one of our African supporters who did not receive corn at the World Social Forum (we ran out) and who was writing to request corn by mail.  The letter I wrote tells a lot about the corn, about how it is grown and how it is prepared. Though English is widely spoken in the part of Africa we visited, it is still a second language for most people we met so the instructions are written for that audience. I hope many of you will find within these words answers to some of your questions about this project and the growing of the seed.

May you and your corn grow strong!

Susan Beattie, Coordinator
www.schoolsforchiapas.org

[Sue Bea]

Dear Mr. M,

It was very nice to get your letter and to know that we are in contact!

I do, however, want to let you know that we can not fulfill an order for 10kg of maize seed. The seed we will send you is donated to us by Indigenous Mayan farmers in Mexico.  They are very poor and dependent upon their corn to feed their families.  But these Zapatista farmers are also very revolutionary so, even though they are only able to spare a little corn (a few kgs year), they donate their pure, strong non-GMO corn in order to promote the strong, indigenous varieties of corn and to build solidarity with farmers around the world.

What we would propose is that we send you a packet of about 75 seeds which will be enough for you to plant a 10m x 10m plot of maize. We believe this corn will grow very strong and very productive in Africa and we hope that if you grow one small plot of corn this growing season that you will be able to harvest some corn for eating (and for sharing) and that you will be able to use the strong seed of this maize will to grow a hectare of maize next season.
 
To save the seed for the next season is critical to our entire program.  We know that in Africa many people have become accustomed buying hybrid seed every year.  However hybrid seed is too weak to save seed from year to year; therefore the companies who have created the hybrid seed can make lots of money, but families and communities can never achieve seed security.  To save and share seed, the ears should be left on the stalk (see below) until they are very mature, very dry, and very hard.  Then the entire ears should be dried in the strong sun with the husks removed for about five days (be sure to bring the ears in if it rains or during early morning dews).  After that the ears are best stored hanging from their stalk in a dry cool place until planted.

We have just left Nairobi but before we left, we put a packet of corn seed in the mail to you.  Hopefully you will receive it in the next week or so.  Please let us know when it arrives!
 
The way you grow maize from Mexico is a little different from how most people plant maize Africa.  This Zapatista corn will grow very tall and should be planted a meter apart and 3 or 4 seeds should be planted together.  By growing the maize in clumps, the individual stalks will help to support one another as they grow maybe 6 meters or more in height.  As the corn grows, it's a good idea to mound the dirt up around the stalks to make the foundation stronger.  The maize likes water, especially when it is starting, so plant at the start of your rainy season. 
 
The kernels of this maize will be very good for grinding.  In Mexico, when the ears are mature (4 months or so), people bend the corn plant in half so that the top of the plant touches the ground and they leave the ears on the plant to continue maturing.  You should bend the plant so that the ears point down to the ground.  Then these Mayan farmers plant beans which use the corn like poles and cover the field.  When the beans are ready to pick (another 3 months or so) the ears of maize are also ready. The kernels will be hard and resistant to bugs.  Pick the best of the ears of maize and save the seed to plant during the next rainy season. You might also want to plant squash in between the maize plants because the big leaves of the squash plant will help keep the weeds from growing.
 
Finally, I want to tell you one more thing about how people cook maize in Mexico.  After the maize is harvested and just before it is ground for cooking, the Mayan farmers soak the maize overnight in water and wood ashes.  The ashes are similar to lime (or what we call cal or calcium) and by soaking the kernels; the fiber of the maize kernel begins to break down.   When the kernels of maize are treated in this way, the maize becomes MUCH more nutritious? about 15 times more than ordinary kernels that are not soaked in this way.  In Mexico, people need to eat far less volume of corn and still get the same (or better) nutrition.  We have been told that in Africa some elders have a memory of soaking maize in wood ash but the reason for why that is important has been lost.  We think this may be a recuperation of an old indigenous practice and may be something some people will want to experiment with.
 
Mexico is where the ancient people first created corn.  People crossed the native grasses and over centuries, they developed what people in both Mexico and what people here in Africa call "maize".  From the place where corn was created (Mexico) to the place where people were created (Africa) there is now a new, modern day connection!
 
We wish you (and the seed) a good and productive growing season.

Best wishes.  Yours for a better world.

Susan Beattie, coordinator
www.schoolsforchiapas.org
info@schoolsforchiapas.org

[Sue Bea]

Hi Schools!
I am wondering if you have any ideas about how I might modify the growing instructions for success in a cold, northern climate?
Thanks.

Congratulations.  You are about to embark on the adventure of growing pure, non-GMO Zaptista corn.  You will be growing more than corn.  You will be joining 100s of our favorite people... who we call solidarity growers. Zapatista corn grows a little different from your regular garden variety corn.  You will undoubtedly need to make adjustments for your geographic area (I grew the corn in Southern Washington State)  but here is how  it's done in the highlands of Chiapas. The corn you are planting came from the highlands and the type of agriculture that grows corn, beans and squash (known as the three sisters) is the milpa.   Plant  3-4 corn seeds in a mound of dirt.  This corn grows very tall (!) and planting 3 or 4 seeds in a mound allows the plants to support one another as they grow.  Mounds are about spaced about a meter apart.  When the corn  sprouts, Mayan farmers plant the squash seeds.  Traditionally, Chilacayote is the type of squash grown in milpas. It is very large and can remain in storage for up 3 years and still be edible.  If you can't find chilacayote seed, pumpkin or other big leave squash would be comparable.  The big leaves of the squash will block the sun, help the soil retain water and reduce the weeds.  You want to  time the planting of squash so that the corn is ahead of it and the sun is not blocked from your corn plants.  Traditionally in the highlands, when the ears are mature (4 months or so), people bend the corn plant in half so that the top of the plant touches the ground and they leave the ears on the plant to  continue maturing.  You should bend the plant so that the ears point down to the ground.  The ears stay on the plant for another 3 months or so and the bent over corn  stocks provide the support for the bean vine (usually scarlet runners).  The beans use the corn like poles and cover the field.  When the beans are ready to pick (another 3 months or so) the ears of maize are also ready. This is "dent" corn not sweet corn  so the mature kernels will be hard and resistant to bugs... perfect for grinding.  If you want to eat corn  on the cob, pick a few ears when the crop is new (before you fold it over) and it will be very dense (and delicious) food.  All this information is also in our forums.  If you are so inclined, we would love to have you contribute your experience with growing this corn to our forums.

You may have to modify these planting instructions in order to grow this corn in Minnesota.  The first year I tried to grow a milpa in Washington State, the corn grew very tall (4-5 meters) but didn't complete tasseling and ear production before the cold set it.  I suggest that you try to plant some "starts" in addition to seed (which you should try to plant as early in the season as you can).  The growing season in Chiapas is very long and the number of hours of sunlight per day doesn't vary much.  This corn grows in cold and rainy but I think it's the light/dark cycle which confuses the corn.  It is a little tricky to transplant the corn starts but anything you can do to get an early start on the season will help.  If you want to grow beans in your milpa, plant your beans when the corn plants are about 6 inches tall and let the beans use the corn stalk unbent as the pole... and harvest everything as soon as you get ears.

I'm happy to consult with you during the growing season and we certainly would love to hear about how it goes with your milpa!  May you and your corn grow strong!

in solidarity,
Susan