Miguel Uribe, Tierra Viviente, Uruapan, Mexico

Series Title

Food For Thought

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    Contributor

    Jennifer Bell, Host

    Miguel Uribe, Interviewee

    Jessica Eden, Engineer

    Episode Description

    Recently I started making my own tortillas. I bought a super sweet tortilla press from a friend in Eureka, Teo, — her father makes them in his wood shop and the tortilla press glows as it makes super delicious tortillas. And here’s the thing that I find fascinating — buying pre-made tortillas is really inexpensive, but making your own tortillas? Let’s try 3.5 cents each.

    So when I interviewed Miguel Uribe about his farm, Tierra Viviente — I was intrigued by the story of this beautiful high altitude farm. The altitude is high there and it takes 10 months to bring in a crop of sweet corn that is then turned into masa. If you have grown corn closer to sea level, you know that corn doesn’t normally take that long to produce an edible crop. But there, in the heights of the mountains, without all of the fertilizers that western farmers have become used to, in the cradle where corn was born, the crop takes 10 months.

    With an entire year of labor placed into one crop the risk for the farmers and community is enormous. Once harvested, the chance to sell their crop is dashed by the cheap corn that is already on the market. Farmers are lucky to break even.

    When I heard about Miguel’s crop I was salivating to get a chance to turn that corn into masa for my own new tortilla press. Rather than paying the $2.60 for a 9 lb sack of masa — I would be willing to pay $20 or more. Do you see it coming? In trying to help the dilemma of this region, and a true desire to sample this ancient corn, I might actually price the local people out of their own staple food.

    Certainly I don’t know the answer, but I’m sure it isn’t a simple answer either. I do believe we need to think carefully about food systems, and how farmers all over the world including those in our own back yard can receive an equitable price that allows them to have the same standard of living that I do.

    Broadcast Date

    2017

    Genre/Subject

    Corn

    Publisher

    KHSU

    Filename

    FFT_Miguel_Uribe1_Native_Corn.mp3; FFT_Miguel_Uribe2_Native_Corn.mp3

    Language

    English

    Digital Format

    Audio/MP3

    File Size

    21.9 MB; 24.5 MB

    Duration

    00:09:33; 00:10:42

    Generation

    Copy

    Collection

    KHSU

    Additional Files
    FFT_Miguel_Uribe2_Native_Corn.mp3 (25084 kB)

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