Farm Name: Finca Caribe / Agro Autonomía
City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Salvador Coleman Tió has dedicated the last 12 years both personally and professionally to supporting small-scale agroecological farming in Puerto Rico. Understanding that the best way to lead is by example, and that true knowledge requires evolving from theory to practice, In early 2020 he partnered with a friend to materialize this project and bring forth a shared vision for regenerative farming in the Caribbean. They cleared and woodchipped five acres of pioneer forest, dug a well, established key irrigation infrastructure, built structures for propagation and production of bio-inputs, and purchased key equipment, tools, and materials, effectively setting up a farm system design that has allowed them to farm effectively since late 2022. Their aim is to lead a successful integrated farm operation in southeast Puerto Rico. To produce high-quality vegetable crops, and bio-inputs for farmers, and to set the bar for the transformation of their local food system.
In Salvador’s area, the Achilles’ heel of many farmers is access to markets, as they come down the mountain either to the biweekly markets or to distribution points from which they have a limited period of time to deliver the product. His plan is to build a cold room in the main marketing area in Santurce, PR, where there is an ideal space from which to distribute harvest.
