Tomas Garcia – pioneer organic farmer in El Valle. This is an inspirational moment, when you meet someone, who with one hectare (2.5 acres) grows enough fruits, vegetables, herbs, and fish to feed not only his own family but he provides same for many of the restaurants, inns, and families in the area. Tomas has been using organic practice for over 30 years and back then, people thought he was crazy. Now he is certified by MIDA, the agriculture dept. and travels Panama giving lectures and practical application to others. As well, people come to him to study his ways. He has small plots with lettuces, herbs, vegetables, a small bog, a talapia pond, and fruit trees and ornamentals all over the place. Even in this small area, he has one plot fallow and another one ready to be planted, its rotation time is come. In one patch was a collection of all the plants I have in my garden, but his are huge and lush. Mine look like they just came from the nursery in a 4” pot! Tomas is of small stature but his impact is large. He wears a straw hat with a huge brim but still has skin like leather, having worked in his gardens so long. A quiet man, when we reached the talapia pond, he became a 'talapia whisperer'. With the sound of his soothing voice the fish came to the surface. As we departed, I commented that with this small piece of land he was changing the world. He said 'paso a paso'. Step by step.
