Antonio Cruz, 39, an organic farmer, son and grandson of farmers
Walking onto Antonio’s farm is like strolling through a perfectly designed garden. You breathe in nature, life, order, balance…
The serenity with which the vegetables are cultivated, the neatness with which he works in every inch of his farms, is manifested in the final result: a beautiful product on both the outside and inside. Together with his wife, Consuelo Antequera, he pampers every bean plant, French cucumber, and summer aubergine planted on his three farms in the Poniente region of Almeria.
Antonio Cruz was clear that organic farming was present and also the future. “When I started some people told me that I was talking nonsense,” he smiles, “and today those who laughed then, are working in organic now.” Something which Antonio surely understands. “It’s normal. Cultivate with bugs, do your tests. In fact I bought a blender to make natural extracts and fumigate the plants to repel pests. ”
For this farmer, “being organic” is more than just plowing like they did years ago. “It’s a philosophy of life. I have two kids at home and my wife and I care a lot about what we eat. Now I need to know with more certainty the origin of everything that we consume at home.”
He confesses that he began with a personal concern. But this way of working the land, respecting nature to its maximum, completing the full cycle, reincorporating the plants into the soil once they have given all their fruit, is now part of his life. “I am convinced by organic” he says.
In addition to the certainty of knowing what you eat, for this young farmer the main difference in organic cultivation is “the flavour, and the respect for the environment. The growth of fruit is slower -according to the requirements of the plant itself- it takes less water and therefore has much more flavour,” he explains.
Antonio Cruz has been producing for over seven years with MJ Agroasesores. Miguel Sanchez, the head technical engineer at MJ, visits almost every day. The work is direct and personal. Together they have the passion and knowledge to achieve healthy and tasty organic vegetables. On his three farms, there are more than 10 plantings each year, alternating different plant species, allowing production all twelve months of the year.
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