As a child growing up before electricity arrived in central Mexico’s dusty highlands, Rosana Álvarez spent hours delivering messages to relatives on the neighbouring hillsides. Running past the skeletons of pre-Hispanic pyramids from the Toltecs, she sometimes stopped to pick purslane – a tangy wild green – and to play elaborate games using nectarine stones she collected from her grandfather’s orchard. Now she is the proud owner of a ranch near that very orchard. “You know, when we bought this land in 2009, the soil was so degraded you couldn’t even push a stick into it,” she says. “We’ve come a long way – but we still can’t grow nectarines. There isn’t enough rain any more.”
Nectarines may have vanished but Álvarez and her team now cultivate a rainbow of produce at Vía Orgánica, a regenerative ranch and school in the Jalpa Valley, the high-desert region 25 minutes from the Unesco-listed city of San Miguel de Allende, in the state of Guanajuato.
Nectarines may have vanished but Álvarez and her team now cultivate a rainbow of produce at Vía Orgánica, a regenerative ranch and school in the Jalpa Valley, the high-desert region 25 minutes from the Unesco-listed city of San Miguel de Allende, in the state of Guanajuato.
Vía Orgànica’s entrance
As well as establishing a shop, restaurant and eco-friendly cabins for travellers craving immersion in nature, Álvarez founded San Miguel de Allende's weekly farmers' markets, which have allowed her to connect more than 200 local growers with customers they would otherwise have been unable to reach. Many of them learned biodynamic techniques at Vía Orgánica's school, which is free for locals.
My visit falls on a March afternoon when hot gusts whip over Guanajuato’s tawny countryside. It’s the tail end of the dry season and the lion-coloured valley is occasionally punctuated by patches of wild garambullo and nopal cacti, which continue to play an important role in local diets. Our table groans with homemade cheese, tangerine preserve and bowls of broccoli, beetroot and nasturtium salad fresh from the farm that morning. Bunches of lavender hang heavy in the air. Álvarez sips strawberry pulque – an ancient drink made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant – and reflects on how rural life in Mexico has changed in recent decades.
As well as establishing a shop, restaurant and eco-friendly cabins for travellers craving immersion in nature, Álvarez founded San Miguel de Allende's weekly farmers' markets, which have allowed her to connect more than 200 local growers with customers they would otherwise have been unable to reach. Many of them learned biodynamic techniques at Vía Orgánica's school, which is free for locals.
My visit falls on a March afternoon when hot gusts whip over Guanajuato’s tawny countryside. It’s the tail end of the dry season and the lion-coloured valley is occasionally punctuated by patches of wild garambullo and nopal cacti, which continue to play an important role in local diets. Our table groans with homemade cheese, tangerine preserve and bowls of broccoli, beetroot and nasturtium salad fresh from the farm that morning. Bunches of lavender hang heavy in the air. Álvarez sips strawberry pulque – an ancient drink made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant – and reflects on how rural life in Mexico has changed in recent decades.
Clockwise from top left: Rosana Álvarez talks to Lepere, Maria Pueblo harvesting an agave, a view across the high-desert region, and nopales
When Bill Clinton and Carlos Salinas’ governments signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, it paved the way for an average of 10 million tons of heavily subsidised GMO corn to be imported every year from the US. Mexico’s rural economy was decimated, while heritage seeds that had evolved over 10,000 years were threatened by alien clones from over the border. “Suddenly, small farmers carrying their crops by donkey to the nearest market were competing against conglomerates from the United States. When supermarkets arrived, they wouldn’t buy from small producers,” Alvarez says. Millions of subsistence farmers moved to cities or tiptoed across the border to seek poorly paid illegal work. Many of those that stayed turned to agrichemicals in desperation.
When Bill Clinton and Carlos Salinas’ governments signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, it paved the way for an average of 10 million tons of heavily subsidised GMO corn to be imported every year from the US. Mexico’s rural economy was decimated, while heritage seeds that had evolved over 10,000 years were threatened by alien clones from over the border. “Suddenly, small farmers carrying their crops by donkey to the nearest market were competing against conglomerates from the United States. When supermarkets arrived, they wouldn’t buy from small producers,” Alvarez says. Millions of subsistence farmers moved to cities or tiptoed across the border to seek poorly paid illegal work. Many of those that stayed turned to agrichemicals in desperation.
Via Orgánica
In recent years, however, a wave of regenerative agriculture projects has been creating replicable models that could repair entire ecosystems from the ground up. Projects such as Via Orgánica, Arca Tierra and Mestiza de Indias offer employment opportunities that allow local people to stay with their communities. These initiatives often blend ancestral techniques such as the “Three Sisters” companion planting method – which sees beans act as a natural fertiliser, squash maintain the soil humidity and other plants kept low so corn can absorb maximum light – with international ideas like bokashi composting (an anaerobic process that ferments food waste into a nutrient-dense liquid). In a radical move, the Mexican government recently amended the constitution to prohibit GMO seeds, prompting Trump to threaten retaliatory tariffs on Mexican goods.
“It hurt the economy when the US entered Mexico and it will hurt if they suddenly withdraw,” Álvarez says. She runs her hands through the silver streak that frames her face. “However, we will survive because we have so much biodiversity and ancestral knowledge.”
In recent years, however, a wave of regenerative agriculture projects has been creating replicable models that could repair entire ecosystems from the ground up. Projects such as Via Orgánica, Arca Tierra and Mestiza de Indias offer employment opportunities that allow local people to stay with their communities. These initiatives often blend ancestral techniques such as the “Three Sisters” companion planting method – which sees beans act as a natural fertiliser, squash maintain the soil humidity and other plants kept low so corn can absorb maximum light – with international ideas like bokashi composting (an anaerobic process that ferments food waste into a nutrient-dense liquid). In a radical move, the Mexican government recently amended the constitution to prohibit GMO seeds, prompting Trump to threaten retaliatory tariffs on Mexican goods.
“It hurt the economy when the US entered Mexico and it will hurt if they suddenly withdraw,” Álvarez says. She runs her hands through the silver streak that frames her face. “However, we will survive because we have so much biodiversity and ancestral knowledge.”
Clockwise from top left: Via Orgánica goats, Jalpa Valley, plantlife, and Álvarez tours the property
As the afternoon blaze reduces to a shimmer, Álvarez leads us into the farm. Maria Pueblo, an Indigenous woman from the nearby Membrillo community, is harvesting honey water from a venerable agave. “We plant agave and acacia together because they lower CO2,” Álvarez calls over her shoulder, leading the way through a humming grove of mesquite trees.
As the afternoon blaze reduces to a shimmer, Álvarez leads us into the farm. Maria Pueblo, an Indigenous woman from the nearby Membrillo community, is harvesting honey water from a venerable agave. “We plant agave and acacia together because they lower CO2,” Álvarez calls over her shoulder, leading the way through a humming grove of mesquite trees.
Resident chickens
In the last 16 years, the team has introduced more than 30,000 plants, each carefully selected for a specific purpose. Pomegranate trees flourish in the shade of Guanajuato mulberries, which generate copious organic matter to feed the colony of Mexican hairless chickens that, in turn, enrich the soil with their natural fertiliser. In a dedicated nursery area, rare plants such as the acebuche (wild olive) are grown from seed. When they produce surplus seedlings, the team shares these treasures with farmers in their network.
In the last 16 years, the team has introduced more than 30,000 plants, each carefully selected for a specific purpose. Pomegranate trees flourish in the shade of Guanajuato mulberries, which generate copious organic matter to feed the colony of Mexican hairless chickens that, in turn, enrich the soil with their natural fertiliser. In a dedicated nursery area, rare plants such as the acebuche (wild olive) are grown from seed. When they produce surplus seedlings, the team shares these treasures with farmers in their network.
Clockwise from top left: Álvarez, an agave plant, around the farm and nopales on the menu
“The educational side of the project is really what gets me excited,” says Álvarez, as she thoughtfully crumbles warm compost between her fingers. “We want to reach more young people from local communities but we don't currently have money to pay them.” Despite continued support from the US-based Organic Consumers Association, financial challenges have intensified since the 2024 passing of her business partner Ronnie Cummins, who was a leading voice in the global organic movement. Having had 60 full-time employees – 35 from within walking distance – she has had to let half of them go. “If we can make 10,000 pesos (around £380) a day from tourism, the project will continue to thrive.”
“The educational side of the project is really what gets me excited,” says Álvarez, as she thoughtfully crumbles warm compost between her fingers. “We want to reach more young people from local communities but we don't currently have money to pay them.” Despite continued support from the US-based Organic Consumers Association, financial challenges have intensified since the 2024 passing of her business partner Ronnie Cummins, who was a leading voice in the global organic movement. Having had 60 full-time employees – 35 from within walking distance – she has had to let half of them go. “If we can make 10,000 pesos (around £380) a day from tourism, the project will continue to thrive.”
Álvarez has introduced more than 30,000 plants to the property
After the tour, we bounce up a rough track into the hills where peasant farmers once hid during the Cristero War. We perch at the base of a behemothic pirul (Peruvian pepper) tree whose hollow trunk contains a door, inviting visitors to curl up inside as if it were a womb. The sun has just set and a lavender haze cloaks the horizon.
“When Mexican people live their traditions, it’s amazing,” reflects Álvarez. “Our essence is to be happy on the land in tight-knit communities. We may not have new cars but if people are reminded how to look after nature, we can never be poor. We will always have a home and healthy food – what more do you really need?”
After the tour, we bounce up a rough track into the hills where peasant farmers once hid during the Cristero War. We perch at the base of a behemothic pirul (Peruvian pepper) tree whose hollow trunk contains a door, inviting visitors to curl up inside as if it were a womb. The sun has just set and a lavender haze cloaks the horizon.
“When Mexican people live their traditions, it’s amazing,” reflects Álvarez. “Our essence is to be happy on the land in tight-knit communities. We may not have new cars but if people are reminded how to look after nature, we can never be poor. We will always have a home and healthy food – what more do you really need?”
The Lowdown
There’s no need to book to visit the restaurant and farm on a day trip. To organise overnight stays, workshops or specific activities such as guided hikes, email info@viaorganica.org or visit viaorganica.org
