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Las Piedras.- Education as a tool for food and economic sustainability is Marilyn Rosa Tirado’s motivation to work diligently on her strawberry and grape farm in the Collores neighborhood of Las Piedras.

“Fresas y Uvas Rose,” as the operation is called, began in 2004 when Rosa Tirado acquired the first strawberry plant, which immediately sparked her entrepreneurial spirit, leading to a successful life project.

“In 2004, I started with one strawberry plant, and by 2006, we had 600. Likewise, we started with grapes around the same time, and by 2019, we began planting both on the land. Since 2006, we’ve been selling plants in pots to individuals and companies,” she commented.

Rosa Tirado explained that they work with four grape varieties: pink moscato, concord, fredonia, and niagara. “From these varieties, we have plants from our own cultivation, from our own seeds. We have our mother plants, and from there, we take cuttings for planting and for sale,” she said.

“The first grape plant I propagated was a gift, and we obtained cuttings from plants that help prevent insects and pests, thus avoiding the use of pesticides. These plants come from farms in the United States that operate in an agroecological manner and use them for that purpose,” she added.

The farmer emphasized that grapes germinate in dry soil, which is a favorable characteristic for cultivation on the island.

“The advantage we have with our tropical climate is that grapes don’t undergo the ‘winter rest’ they do in cold climates, which is why we have two harvests instead of one per year,” she said.

On the two plots of land that make up the farm, they also grow romaine and red lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, chili peppers, potatoes, and onions. Asparagus is in process. “There aren’t many asparagus crops, and we want to have that product for the benefit of the local consumer, while also aiming to expand the cultivation of different strawberry varieties,” she pointed out, emphasizing that they sell products to companies and agricultural markets.

And although fruit is abundant at “Fresas y Uvas Rose,” Rosa Tirado indicated that they sell more plants than fruit, which aligns with the food security awareness initiative they pursue.

“I want people to understand the need to grow in their homes, even in limited spaces. Here, we work on crop association. Many people don’t know that when you unite one plant with others, they help each other, protect each other, and can even modify the flavor of the product among themselves,” she revealed.

As an example, she mentioned that she plants strawberries around lettuces, garlic, and onions because these plants “protect” them and help them stay fresh.

“This garden is educational. Here, we conduct a variety of workshops; for example, we have one related to strawberry cultivation from planting by stolons, planting by seed, propagation, from planting to harvest. We also have a workshop on grape cultivation from propagation by cuttings and necessary processes such as pruning because grape plants need to be pruned, but it has to be done at the right time and with specific cuts for effective production,” she expressed.

Since 2014, the Asociación de Mujeres Agroempresarias de Puerto Rico (Association of Agro-Entrepreneur Women of Puerto Rico) has been committed to promoting initiatives that foster food sustainability in every home.

And it’s the group, led by Rosa Tirado, that offers workshops for the development of agricultural businesses from scratch, as well as educating on topics related to home gardens or cultivation on smaller scales. “We help them promote themselves, present their products, how to grow their business, how to diversify for the development of different products from their crops as an added product,” she explained.

Similarly, Rosa Tirado educates on beekeeping and imparts her knowledge for the formation of “swarm and hive technicians.”

“I’ve been working on beekeeping since 2016 and offer workshops for people to understand the importance of bees in agriculture. We have graduated about four to five groups that we have trained as swarm and hive management technicians. Now, we are starting enrollment for the course that begins in August,” she said about her other passion besides cultivation.

“Now, we have 28 women, but in our annual enrollment, we have about 30 to 35 women who stay. In total, we have graduated about 150 certified people for the correct management of bees. Not necessarily these graduates are interested in honey production; many of them come to learn about everything related to beekeeping because they have understood that without bees, there is no agriculture, and without agriculture, there is no life,” she emphasized.

For additional information about “Fresas y Uvas Rose,” you can call 787-647-7171.