Aguadilla Earth Market

This market brings together around a dozen local growers and food producers who come from the western and central areas of the island of Puerto Rico. Most of them use agroecological cultivation techniques and some are also organic.

The market’s loyal customers come from the community that surrounds the former Ramey Air Force Base, now the Rafael Hernandez Airport. The market is very popular with tourists and surfers, particularly between November and April.

Some of the producers are from the local food community of organic farmers which was started in 2009 with the aim of cultivating food with respect for the environment and local biodiversity in three different types of terrain in Puerto Rico: the fertile plain of the Guanajibo Valley, the red earth of Cabo Rojo, and the rocky soil of Aguadilla. The farmers grow 18 different types of fruit, including larenes, papaya, banana, guava, lemon, mango and avocado. The fruit is processed using solar dryers and other solar-run equipment. The community also produces herbal teas, herbs and spices, cookies, juices, jams, and sauces. The market hosts other small-scale local producers who grow or produce food, including coffee, various tubers, vegetables, cheese and other dairy products and ice cream, and seedlings for home gardens. One stall at the market also sells street food.

The consortium that runs the Aguadilla Farmers’ Market was created out of an alliance between the Slow Food Boricua Convivium; a group of 30 producers represented by Yaribeth Ríos, Raymond Fernández and Kaitlin Frumen and representatives of the Ramey Base community and other residents who benefit directly from the market. Most of the members of market’s managing body are producers themselves.