Eco Agricultural
Connections
ECO AGRICULTURAL CONNECTIONS
In February 1999, I flew to Costa Rica dreaming of distilling
a high quality essential oil in a different system of
production. A system that is supportive of environmental
concerns while supporting the social and economic concerns
of the communities involved in the production of essential
oil bearing plants.
I believe a great deal in the potential of essential
oil production to assist in the successful use of ecoagriculture
farming techniques in both the tropics, along with right
here in North America. I am not a scientist, agronomist
or engineer. I am a young man who wants to be different,
wants to contribute to more than just my retirement
savings plan and am willing to try to make my dreams
come true.
Essential oils are powerful natural wonders. Most anyone
who has come across a truly pure and complete oil will
attest to that. But as most of us know, all oils are
not created equal. Most times when people discuss what
makes up a high quality they look at very important
concerns such as plant species, variety, distillation
method, geographical location, harvesting technique
and timing, along with preparation of plant material
prior to distillation. In recent years organic production
has also become a focus for some producers, and a major
focus for many essential oil buyers.
EcoAgriculture is an extension of organic practices.
When I became interested in distillation I started looking
at what it would take to produce an exceptional quality
essential oil. I also looked at what the impact of producing
an essential oil on a commercial level has on the environment.
Essential oil production can be destructive. It can
also be poisoning and polluting. But if one looks to
create circles in what they are doing to try and reduce
these impacts, many solutions can be found.
So what is EcoAgriculture? EcoAgriculture, as I see
it, is the active stewardship of land and its ecosystem
to help establish a productive and sustainable harvest
from within that ecosystem. In a sentence ecoagriculture
is about as far from conventional monoculture as one
can get. If you visit a farm in the tropics that is
working with ecoagricultural practices the first thing
you may say is, “where is the farm?” You
will find yourself lost in a jungle of exotic hardwoods
growing along such spices as cinnamon, black pepper
and allspice. Mixed in with exotic tropical flowers
and the prized ylang ylang and vanilla. The soil is
rarely exposed and the huge amount of foliage growth
is always returned to the earth. Vetiver is often seen,
used as an impressive tool in soil erosion prevention.
Birds sing above in a melody that suggests they are
not only happy, but in a blissful state of harmony.
Essential oil production can become a part of this model,
offering the farmer an opportunity to diversify what
they are doing by providing a value-added product. Another
interesting thought in trading essential oil versus
the herb or spice is that you are no longer trading
organic matter, but instead an essence. This frees up
that organic matter after distillation to be integrated
into composting practices, helping to build the soil.
Along with this, development work is being done to use
both essential oils and hydrosols for natural pesticides
when needed.
So why is this type of agriculture not more common?
I think the bottom line comes down to 3 fundamental
reasons.
1. Education
2. Implementation Challenges
3. Profitability and Economics
Like most efforts that attempt to change the way people
do things the first and most fundamental necessity for
adaptation to that change is education. In regards to
agriculture, farmers have been educated in traditional
methods for well over 100 years in most tropical countries.
This makes the traditional way of thinking very deep
rooted in their farming practices. Many of these practices
have come from the western world. A world that is very
different than the tropics. Soils in the tropics deplete
very quickly. Humus does not accumulate as plant material
decomposes so quickly the jungle just eats it up. Soil
erosion is a major problem as the rains in this part
of the world can be very intense. Agrochemicals are
used in alarming quantities to deal with these depletion
issues, often chemicals that have been banned in the
western world.
It takes progressive farmers, committed to what they
believe to be “the right way to work with the
land” as a starting point for change. These farmers
then become the example for a new method and with their
success comes interest from other farmers. Access to
information is a big part of the education equation.
I have found that many farmers are looking for a new
way to do things and if they see an example of success
they are much more likely to consider switching their
methods.
EcoAgriculture is not easy. In fact it is a lot harder
than any traditional method of working the land. It
requires more labor, more education, more patience,
and all for generally less production. Doesn’t
seem to make much economic sense does it? Maybe not,
especially for all farmers. I can’t see the wheat
farmers of the Canadian prairies switching over any
time soon. But this is not the prairies, this is the
jungle, and the elements in the two environments are
about as different as monoculture and ecoagriculture.
EcoAgriculture creates an intimate relationship between
the farmer and his crops. It puts people back to work
on the farm instead of driving them to our over populated
cities. Instead of one farmer working hundreds of acres
and relying on equipment that can sometimes cost the
farmer his farm, this system relies on people and nature.
Harvesting is done by hand, not machine, as are many
other functions of the farm. It strives to provide a
decent living to the people involved and doesn’t
ask them to abandon their land, but instead to develop
a new relationship with it.
The jungle and the tropics is all about biodiversity.
This is why we need to try and hold on to our rain forests.
This is also what the plants of this region thrive in,
a complex and balanced ecosystem.
By farming in a biodiverse way you are giving the plant
not only what they seem to want, but also potentially
what they need to survive naturally, or chemically free
in this environment. Resistance to disease and fungus
seems to be improved, with each plant species contributing
to the ecosystem in its own way. Special attention needs
to be made to the relationship between plants and trees,
their spacing, the shading of the trees and how those
relationships will grow and change as the different
plants mature. The farmer needs to think not only of
this years crop, but also how his crop will change 5
or 10 years from now.
Because of the intense activity and fast growth of life
in the tropics, in a 10 year period a barren, cleared
section of land can be converted to an active and established
ecoagricultural farm that supports a huge diversity
of life. This is a tremendous contributor to the regeneration
of the vast spaces of cleared rain forests that have
become so dominant in the tropics.
This is a niche product, offered to a niche market.
The quantities are smaller, the quality is high, and
so the customers who these products appeal to support
the cost of there production. Fortunately, today we
have the internet. A grand tool in accessing niche markets
like never before. I believe it will be this medium
that will allow the success of this model by adapting
the traditional ways of commerce in this trade and going
as much as possible direct to the customer, selling
in smaller quantities at a fair profit. Of course, not
every farmer is a marketer, nor do they want to be.
This is where grower cooperatives can work very well.
A group of progressive farmers can come together to
support there work, marketing their products together
while working with others that can assist in taking
their products to the customer. It is through these
different systems of distribution that we strive to
find a successful economic equation.
Ultimately, you the customer will decide, because it
is your support that will make these farmers successful.
With the support of people who value organic production
and the diversification of our farming practices this
system will give us a choice very different from monoculture
and agrochemically based production. I am hopeful that
the Aromatherapy community will embrace these practices
and see the intrinsic value in producing a vibrant,
high quality product, be it a whole herb, spice or a
beautiful and highly energetic, organic essential oil.
I can be contacted via email at, kent@essentialaura.com
or Phone: 250-758-9464 (British Columbia, CANADA)
Sincerely,
Kent McKay
Essential Aura Aromatics provides exceptional quality
essential oils to the World. We support an EcoAgricultural
approach to the production of our products. Through
sustainable distillation we provide benefits to People
and the Land."
Essential Aura Aromatics strives to be a leader in the
distillation of Organic Essential Oils. We promote the
environmental sustainability of specific essential oil
production and the use of organic essential oils in
Aromatherapy. Developing direct relationships with both
growers and other essential oil distillers, Essential
Aura is in a position to provide exceptional quality
essential oils. We provide the highest quality organic
and wildcrafted essential oils we have found.
Our distillation projects focus on essential oils from
Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest in the US and
Central America. Working hard on the development of
organic and ecologically sustainable essential oil production,
Essential Aura achieves a balance between business and
the social and environmental responsibilities that so
many companies either deny or ignore.
We will not ignore these issues, instead we will promote
them and drive this movement forward in the coming years.
As the resources of our planet continue to deplete,
we feel a strong stance needs to be made. Offering a
choice of more responsible production methods to our
customers is the result. We are working with small communities
and farmers to help increase their quality of life and
establish a sustainable and viable economic opportunity
to poorer communities in Central America.
Working closely with different growers and distillers
strengthens our ability to provide the quality of essential
oils many in the Aromatherapy community seek. Focusing
on high quality, energetic and organic oils that we
distill with aromatic botanics we have helped to harvest
gives us greater control in providing consistent high
quality to you.
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