University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department

DATE: May 17, 2021

TO: Professor Pier A. LeCompte Zambrana
FROM: Adamaris Maldonado, Nalanies Mercado, Rafael López, José Izquierdo and
Alex García.
SUBJECT: Progress Report of “Huerto Atabey”, “Finca Mami Amparo” and a home
garden “En mi Terraza”

INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY

Technical writing, also known as ENGL4021, is a course that instructs students how
to write technical documents with the proper format and structure. As a requirement of all
the biology programs, students have to take this course with the belief that it will propel
their professional and personal development. Professor Pier LeCompte Zambrana
administrates this course, and she emphasizes the ability to write and communicate
appropriately with clarity, accuracy, consistency, and correctness. Throughout the semester,
from January to May 2021, the students have learned different aspects of multiple technical
documents such as minutes, oral presentations, and others. For the last part of the course,
all technical characteristics must be applied to elaborate the final project, the Progress
Report.

This project consists of visiting "Huerto Atabey" at the University of Puerto Rico in
Ponce (UPRP), a farm, or doing a home garden, and completing four community service
hours. A group of five students has redacted this report. The team decided to complete the
hours in different places; three students, Adamaris Maldonado, Nalanies Mercado and José
Izquierdo, decided to complete the hours in “Huerto Atabey” in UPRP. The student Alex
García decided to visit a farm in Comerio, Puerto Rico called “Finca Mami Amparo.” The
student Rafael Lopez Rivera chose to grow a home garden and named it "En mi Terraza."
The students who worked at "Huerto Atabey”, met with Dessiré Colón, who was in charge
of the garden. While at "Finca Mami Amparo," Alex would meet with Kevin Sanchez and
Yaxinailz Ayala, the farm owners. Rafael developed a plan and executed it throughout the
semester.

BACKGROUND

In 2014, Huerto Atabey was created by a group of students from the University of
Puerto Rico in Ponce. It began as a 4 ft x 4 ft garden, and currently, its measurements are
40 ft x 60 ft. It has been possible to sow bananas, sweet chili peppers, pumpkins, peppers,
among others, in recent years. With the creation of the garden, a student association called
Coalición Estudiantil Pro-Agricultura (CEPA) was also created to promote education and
raise awareness about the importance of agriculture. By cleaning the garden, planting new
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seeds, caring for the plants, organizing the materials, and more, each student is expected to
learn about agriculture. This way, they can develop a responsible and proper perspective on
farmers and people who dedicate their lives to take care of the earth and provide food
through it. Also, Huerto Atabey focuses on orienting and giving perspective on
contamination and how it affects the environment.

In addition to the Atabey Orchard, a group member, Alex, labored at Finca Mami
Amparo. Finca Mami Amparo is a family farm that belonged to Yaxinailz Ayala's
grandmother. Yaxinailz studied sustainable agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico in
Utuado. With the knowledge acquired at the university, Yaxinailiz founded Finca Mami
Amparo in January 2020, in honor of her grandmother. The farm is located at 7780 Villas
de Doña Elena, Barrio Doña Elena in Comerio, Puerto Rico. The farm aims to increase
local agricultural production for commerce and the community; to have fresh and quality
product. Also, she aims to make its farm responsible and environmentally friendly
agriculture. She chose Kevin Sanchez as partner and accepts volunteers to work in
agriculture to teach people to create and maintain their garden.

During the semester, Rafael Lopez Rivera decided to grow a home garden after
considering the pandemic, its repercussions, and personal circumstances. He has had
experience cultivating different kinds of crops like plantain, banana, papaya, orange, among
others. Rafael started to plan the project in late January; in February, he contacted a known
agronomist in his community. To start the project, he consulted ideas, crops, and planting
strategy with said certified agronomist, who had more than 30 years of experience, Esau
Orengo. Mr. Orengo has worked in multiple agronomic stations throughout the island and
has experienced planting, harvesting, and cultivating local and foreign vegetation.

COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS

The group distributed the community service hours at convenience, on different

days and times. The students who visited Huerto Atabey had to sign up on a list in advance.
They had to do this for two different days; because of COVID-19 preventative measures,
the work hours in the garden were limited. During the community service hours, students
had to follow the COVID-19 safety protocol. The hours were validated by the Huerto
Atabey leader and president of CEPA after the students finished the work. For the Mami
Amparo Farm, the process of attendance and certification of community service hours was
similar.

WORK PLANNED

To execute this project, the students made a timeline from January to May to foresee
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the activity of the community hours and the work done by each student according to the
work they carried out in the different locations.

I. Huerto Atabey

February 19: Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado visited the

Huerto Atabey and performed two hours of community
service. They communicated with the president of CEPA and
the person in charge of the Huerto Atabey, Dessiré Colón, to
learn about the rules and protocols to follow.

February 21: Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado visited Huerto

Atabey to complete the remaining hours of community
service hours required for the progress report. They
maintained contact with Dessiré Colón for safety and to
comply with Huerto Atabey rules.

March 5: José Izquierdo visited the Huerto Atabey to complete three

hours of community service. He signed up on the required list
to visit the orchard and maintained communication with the
orchard manager, Dessiré Colón, for protocol and security
reasons.

March 19: José Izquierdo revisited Huerto Atabey to complete the

number of community service hours required for this project.
He also continued to work with Dessiré Colón to follow
Huerto Atabey's standards.

II. Finca Mami Amparo

March 23: Alex Garcia contacted one of the members of "Finca Mami
Amparo" to plan a visit to the farm to do community service
hours.

March 27: Alex Garcia visited “Finca Mami Amparo" to complete the
community service hours. Yaxinailz Ayala and Kevin
Sanchez supervised him.

III. Home Garden “En mi Terraza”

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February: Rafael thought about where to grow the home garden. He

considered growing it in his backyard or using flowerpots, but
he was worried that rodents or plagues would easily affect the
crops, and his family would not be able to consume them. He
also thought about building a wooden planter with metal
grids. This way, birds and other animals couldn’t eat the
product. Soon he realized he wouldn’t have to construct or
induce any additional expenses because his house had a
planter originally built in a balcony. Also, he wouldn’t have to
buy wood using the cement planter, thus “upcycling” the old
planter. In February, Rafael cleaned the cement planter
thoroughly and painted it.

March: Before planting anything, Mr. Orengo advised Rafael to throw

new and nutrient-rich soil into the planter. The soil that was
already in the planter was dry and stony. Orengo said that in
this kind of soil, the plants most likely would not survive.
Esau acquires nutrient-rich soil to fill the planter. Rafael was
advised to buy peat moss. This way, the soil could retain
nutrients and water more efficiently and neutralize the soil’s
ph. Orengo and Lopez bought the peat moss in Guánica.

Orengo advised Rafael Lopez to plant vegetables that he and

his family could consume. They decided Lopez would plant:
sweet chili peppers (a Caribbean variety, also called seasoning
peppers and aji dulce peppers), peppers, eggplant, and
tomatoes. Esau and Rafael bought the seeds from Finca Fabre
in Sabana Grande.

WORK COMPLETED

I. Huerto Atabey

The students who visited Huerto Atabey, Adamaris Maldonado, Nalanies Mercado,
and José Izquierdo appreciated the garden's surroundings while Dessiré, the manager,
guided them. Dessiré also showed them the tools to be used in the garden, their purpose,
and their correct use to maintain the garden. After this demonstration, the students were
able to perform the following tasks:
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• Cleaning the garden

Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado cleaned the garden

surroundings using a hoe and a rake.

• Planting/sowing

Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado planted tomato and spinach

seeds, respectively, in a pot. These pots were then planted in the place
indicated by Dessiré Colón.

• Organize Storage

Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado cleaned and organized the

storage area of the Huerto Atabey, following the instructions of the orchard
manager.

• Watering

José Izquierdo poured water over the areas the manager indicated.

II. Finca Mami Amparo

Alex Garcia arrived at the "Finca Mami Amparo" where partners Kevin Sanchez
and Yaxinailz Ayala gave an educational tour of the farm showing the care of the plants,
handling of the tools, and basic concepts of the land. Afterward, Alex García volunteered at
the farm doing various tasks such as:

• Plowing the land

Alex Garcia went to the field with a tool named Hoe and started to plow,
supervised by Kevin Sánchez.

• Planting tomato, cilantro, and bell pepper seedlings

Alex used the Hoe to dig a hole and pick up the plants. He planted one plant
per hole. Yaxinailz Ayala and Kevin Sanchez assisted him.
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• Creating seedbeds

Alex, Yaxinailz, and Kevin used seedbed to sow more cilantro, tomato, and
bell pepper. They poured soil and one seed per hole and added water for
moisture.

• Cleaning the field

To plow the land, Alex García first cleared the field of garbage, roots, and
large stones.

III. Home Garden “En mi Terraza”

Rafael Lopez Rivera chose to grow his home garden in a cement planter from the
original building of his house. In the 30ftｘ1.5ft planter, Rafael planted three sweet chili
pepper plants, five pepper plants, five eggplant plants, and five tomato plants.

To optimize the space and give each plant the soil and nutrients needed, Esau
detailed the following instructions:

1. The new soil and peat moss need to be fused with the old soil. Both need to
be poured accordingly: one layer of peat moss and another of soil and so on,
until the surface of the planter is reached.

2. Simultaneously, the two materials (peat moss and soil) need to be mixed. To
solidify the blend, pour water; this will create the ideal environment for the
new plant.

3. When the terrain is ready, the planting can begin. If you want, you can use
your hands to create the holes. The seed needs to be covered entirely. It is
important to leave space between each plant; if needed, make marks with a
pen or an object to indicate where the next plant will be. Each plant needs a
specific amount of space in between the next crop:

a. Sweet chili peppers: 1 ft

b. Peppers: 1 ft
!
c. Eggplant: 1 " ft
!
d. Tomatoes: 1 " ft
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4. After planting every crop, pour 2oz of fertilizer. Organic fertilizer can be
made at home.

5. For the first two weeks after being planted, the plants need water twice a
day; most preferable, in the morning and the afternoon. After the two-week
period, water is necessary once a day. Keep in mind, as the plant grows
bigger, it will require more water.

Lastly, Esau Orengo warned Rafael about the worst “disease” that can affect
plants: a forgetful gardener.

FUTURE PLANS

"Huerto Atabey" has been affected by various situations and is currently facing the
COVID-19 pandemic. The orchard has been severely affected by the abandonment of the
facilities and the poor maintenance of the area. The president of CEPA shared her future
projections for the orchard. After witnessing the garden's abandonment, the association has
committed to a final goal; this is to ensure that "Huerto Atabey" has the same life it has had
in past years. Their goal is to fill the garden with banana trees, pumpkins, vegetables, and
everything they once had planted.

"Finca Mami Amparo" plans to expand its plantation to bananas, flowers, turmeric,
pigeon peas, and yautia. With this expansion, they hope to create jobs and stimulate the
neighborhood's economy. They also wish to market their products to local markets in
Comerio and around the area.

Rafael has been pleased with the work and progress of his home garden and would
like to expand it. Alex Garcia suggested to Rafael that he named his home garden; Lopez
calls it "En Mi Terraza." He hopes the crops in the planter can be saved, and he and his
family can consume the fruit and vegetables. Lopez has thought of planting new fruits,
vegetables, and spices like oregano, cilantro, coriander, and different kinds of peppers. In
the past, Rafael has planted plantain, banana, and orange trees that he's still cultivating
today; he would like to plant more fruit trees and vegetable trees like avocado, pumpkin,
mango, and acerola. Lopez believes this practice creates a more sustainable and direct
effect on our planet, the global economy, and his family's consumption autonomy. Lastly,
Rafael would like to observe and cultivate and harvest crops that have a cultural and
economic impact on Puerto Rico.
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LIMITATIONS

All members of the group encountered limitations to complete the required service
hours. The limitation for Adamaris, Nalanies, and José was scheduling the days they could
visit the “Huerto Atabey” at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. It was complicated
programming two days to complete the total number of hours. Alex García also had
limitations with his schedule. He could not go to “Huerto Atabey”, so he chose to visit
Finca Mami Amparo.

Besides that, Rafael presented various problems with the crops of his home garden.
At one time, the soil in the garden dried up and cracked. Esau told him that as plants grew
and gave fruit, they would need more water and nutrients. He insisted that Rafael rinsed all
of the soil in the planter, even if some portions weren’t close to the plants. Orengo
explained that the roots would look for water in places we could not see and were not
apparent.

At the time that this report is being written, Rafael suspects his plants are sick.
Every crop in the planter has holes in its leaves. Also, there are small yellow insects under
the leaves. The last plant to show these symptoms was the eggplant; the fruit of this crop
has grown accordingly. The tomatoes, once they reached a specific size, black spots appear
under them. Every tomato plant is growing numerous tomatoes. Rafael has requested
Esau’s help to try and save the plants and their fruits.

CONCLUSION

Our work and investigation accentuated the need for constant care any garden
requires. We are pleased to see that CEPA and the volunteers of Huerto Atabey, throughout
the semester, have been able to improve the condition of the orchard and work through the
pandemic. The leader of the orchard was able to gather the personal to clean the garden.
Also, the volunteers were able to attend to the previously planted crops and sow new plants.
The group was able to learn about agriculture and the discipline of sustainability it has
constituted.

Some gardeners, volunteers, and agronomists have been responsible and diligent in
executing their tasks and caring for their crops, as we investigated in Comerio. The
agronomist from this town has developed an adequate plan that, with minor difficulties,
could positively affect the local economy and culture. Furthermore, our group member that
decided to grow a home garden has been attentive and careful with his crops; by promoting
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home gardens, the average consumer can learn about the advantages of locally grown food,
leading to a diet with less GMO and more control over their health and well-being.

During the technical course, students acquired knowledge of current issues such as
food safety, agriculture, and GMOs. Each member had a different experience but with the
same focus. They learned the importance of food health and product quality. Also, with the
information learned from the three different approaches of this project, we see the
importance of growing our food to avoid consuming food with genetic and phenotypic
modifications. This has benefited the health and well-being of those who produce and
consume their food. Through the different perspectives presented in this report, we gained a
better understanding of agriculture and a better view of the different methodologies
required on a small and large scale to optimize cultivation on our lands.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the conclusions and investigation, the following actions are recommended
for Huerto Atabey:

1. Rehabilitation of the plant nursery CEPA administrates. This site could be used for
new crops. Also, it may serve as the best grounding place for some plants that have
special needs or may be too fragile to be in the actual garden.

2. The organization should contact an agronomist at least every year to conduct soil
studies and determine the type and condition of the soil. This helps to know what
plants would flourish or die in that type of soil. Also, the sum of nutrients and
minerals the soil has could affect directly some of the fruit and vegetables; if there
is any deficiency or excess of nutrients or mineral, it will reflect on the plant.

3. Expand the variety of crops planted in the garden. Huerto Atabey could generate
more products similar to the ones consumed by the community. CEPA could sell
the produce, and they could donate fruits and vegetables to the underprivileged

4. Through the administration, the student body can collaborate and donate
instruments used in the garden like gloves, shovels, and pickaxes. If the
administration and CEPA channel garden tools, monetary contributions, and other
necessary resources, more volunteers can work in the garden simultaneously, which
could help with CEPA’s expenses.

5. Secure constant attention and care to the garden, so the loss of crops diminishes.
Currently, the global situation has complicated social dynamics. However, as the
pandemic and social restrictions alleviate, CEPA could involve more students and
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volunteers. This way, the garden can receive attention all year round. All security
protocols regarding the virus will be followed until further notice.
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APPENDIX A
Service Log
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APPENDIX B
Minutes of the group meetings
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University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department
PROGRESS REPORT MINUTES
Meeting Date: May 11, 2021

Call to Order:
A group meeting for the Progress Report of the community service was held remotely via Google Meet
on May 11, 2021. The meeting convened at 9:04am, Rafael Lopez Rivera, secretary. All members
attended except Jose Izquierdo (excused) and Nalanies Mercado (excused).

Approval of Minutes:

The minutes of May 11, 2021 meeting were approved in the group chat on May 12, 2021.

Matters Discussed:

1. Adamaris, the group leader, reviewed the content and structure of the progress report.

2. Rafael and Alex shared key points to improve the organization of the report.

3. Maldonado discussed important details that should be included in the Task, Organization and
Performance sections in the report.

4. The leader of group emphasized the importance of explaining the photos included in the report.

5. Adamaris remembered everybody to complete their part in the progress report.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:51am.

Submitted by:

____Rafael Lopez_Rivera_______ __________May 14, 2021_____________

Rafael Lopez Rivera, Secretary Date of Approval
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APPENDIX C
Photos

Figure 1: Nalanies Mercado and Adamaris Maldonado cleaning the garden in the “Huerto
Atabey”. Photo taken by Génesis Domínguez.

Figure 2: Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado filling the rubber bands with
planting soil in the “Huerto Atabey”. Photo taken by Génesis Domínguez.
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Figure 3: Adamaris Maldonado and Nalanies Mercado after sowing in the “Huerto
Atabey”. Photo taken by Génesis Domínguez.

Figure 4: Adamaris Maldonado planting a seed of tomato in the “Huerto Atabey”. Photo
taken by Nalanies Mercado.
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Figure 5: Nalanies Mercado planting a seed of spinach in the “Huerto Atabey”. Photo
taken by Adamaris Maldonado.

Figure 6: Two volunteers, José Izquierdo and Dessiré Colón with the tools in the “Huerto
Atabey”. Photo taken by another volunteer.
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Figure 7: Seed sown by José Izquierdo. Photo taken by José Izquierdo.

Figure 8: Alex Garcia sowing the ground with Yaxinailz Ayala one of the members of
“Finca Mami Amparo”. Photo taken by Mildred Garcia.
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Figure 9: Kevin Sanchez, Yaxinailz Ayala & Alex Garcia planting tomato plants in “Finca
Mami Amparo”. Photo taken by Mildred Garcia.

Figure 10: Nutrient-rich soil to be mixed with the peatmoss; home garden “En Mi
Terraza”. Photo taken by Rafael Lopez Solivan.
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Figure 11: Rafael pouring peat moss into the planter and blending it with nutrient-rich soil;
home garden “En Mi Terraza”. Photo taken by Rafael Lopez Solivan.

Figure 12: Rafael solidifies the blend between peat moss and nutrient-rich soil with water;
home garden “En Mi Terraza”. Photo taken by Rafael Lopez Solivan.
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Figure 13: Rafael planting tomatoes plant; home garden “En Mi Terraza”. Photo taken by
Rafael Lopez Solivan.

Figure 14: Rafael plants the first peppers plant; home garden “En Mi Terraza”. Photo taken
by Rafael Lopez Solivan.
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Figure 15: Every tomatoes and eggplant plants have been planted; home garden “En Mi
Terraza”. Photo taken by Rafael Lopez Solivan.

Figure 16: Rafael plants the last crop of the culture, a sweet chili pepper; home garden “En
Mi Terraza”. Photo taken by Rafael Lopez Solivan.
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Figure 17: Rafael pours fertilizer around the stem of the plant; home garden “En Mi
Terraza”. Photo taken by Rafael Lopez Solivan.

Figure 18: Sweet chili peppers plant; home garden “En Mi Terraza”, May 2021. Photo
taken by Rafael Lopez Rivera.
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Figure 19: Eggplant plant; home garden “En Mi Terraza”, May 2021. Photo taken by
Rafael Lopez Rivera.

Figure 20: Peppers plant; home garden “En Mi Terraza”, May 2021. Photo taken by Rafael
Lopez Rivera.
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Figure 21: Tomatoes plant; home garden “En Mi Terraza”, May 2021. Photo taken by
Rafael Lopez Rivera.
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Appendix D
Self-Reflection of the project