Working Effectively with Hispanic Producers – Field Visit to Hawk’s Nest Healing Gardens.

DURHAM, N.C., – Tucked away in Durham, North Carolina, Hector Lopez at Hawk’s Nest Healing Gardens spoke to a group of United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) employees about his vision, goals, and desire to reconnect with the land. This was part of a weeklong training from June 24 to the 28th, appropriately named “Working Effectively with Hispanic Producers.” 

During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, Hector pursued his dreams to create an organic permaculture operation. Permaculture is defined as the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. That dream would not only provide the community and his family with fresh produce, but a place for anyone wanting to get away from the pressures and stresses of every day busy life to be able to take a moment to listen and be surrounded by nature. 

“We wanted this to be a safe space. If you need to get away from whatever it might be, you can come and sit for however long you like,” said Hector Lopez, owner and operator of Hawk’s Nest Healing Gardens.

Part of his property includes a medicine garden, which is set up in a circle and has paths to the four cardinal directions – like a compass, which is meant to help you orient yourself to the sunrise and sunset. It also invites you to use four of the five senses – you can touch the plants, smell them, taste them, and identify/learn about them. He selected the plants for their historical medicinal purposes, ranging from those that can help settle upset stomachs, treat headaches, help with improved blood flow, and so on. “I’m taking that indigenous knowledge back,” Lopez stated, where behind him, not very far in the background, a custom-made sweat lodge frame sat beneath the shade of a tree.

Providing a cultural fusion was a big part of his intent with the property, as well as using everything he harvested from the land to put back into his production system. Such as, chickens being moved from spot to spot in a rotational style to utilize nutrients; a fully functioning composting toilet that can be used to recycle waste; and harvested trees cut lengthwise and used as the frames for his raised beds or for firewood. Nothing goes to waste or is thrown away. “We don’t own the land,” said Lopez, “we belong to the land.”

Originally from Mexico City, Lopez mentioned how his great-grandfather was a farmer, but farming stopped with him – until now. He was determined to revive the family history of farming. “I want to provide a model for others to learn permaculture and use pesticide/herbicide-free practices. We don’t use any synthetic chemicals here. We don’t use anything that can harm any living thing.” 

As a native Spanish speaker, language and local support were two major barriers that he faced and had to overcome. There was a perceived lack of knowledge about small-scale, urban-like gardening in the local community (and municipality, when it came to the composting toilet), but he said that as the years go by, there has been more support and local buy-in to this style of growing food. “We like to have people come here to the site and experience what we are doing and why,” Lopez remarked.

Along with providing a cultural haven, Hawk’s Nest Healing Gardens hosts groups and events, including international trips to Mexico with Lopez as a group guide, where he takes participants to see produce growers in Mexico City and the nearby forests where Monarch butterflies overwinter. 

Mr. Lopez is a part of a growing population of Hispanic farmers. According to the 2022 Ag Census, there are a little over 1,000 Hispanic producers in North Carolina which is up from 796 producers that was reported in the previous 2017 census. Like Mr. Lopez, these other producers are also serious about conservation efforts.

 Since 2020, the USDA-NRCS in North Carolina along with Hispanic producers have invested over $450,000 dollars in conservation efforts across the state. These investments have treated over 630 acres or roughly the size of 480 football fields. These investments were spread across two of USDA-NRCS’ most popular programs, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Mr. Lopez and his wife Phoebe have also taken advantage of USDA-NRCS and its programs, having installed a high tunnel system. 

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