University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department
ENGL 4021 M03

MEMORANDUM

DATE: December 2nd, 2021

TO: Pier A. LeCompte Zambrana, ENGL 4021 Professor at University of Puerto Rico at
Ponce Campus
FROM: Fabian Cruz Meléndez, Natalia León Oppenheimer, Ángel Montes Loyola, Naomi D.
Acevedo Quiñones, ENGL 4021 Students, Section M03 at UPR-Ponce
SUBJECT: Progress report - “Huerto Atabey” and “Finca Reverdecer”

Introductory summary

Agriculture is an extremely essential part of daily life, it is important not only for the

production of food but also for the conservation of the soil and the environment. Thanks to

agriculture we are able to enjoy the food that we consume in our daily lives such as vegetables,

fruits, cereals, etc. On the other hand, it is also very important for the development of the economy

and the promotion of employment. This progress report has the objective to show awareness and

knowledge in students about the importance of agriculture in society. The students were required

to complete eight hours of community service in the area of agriculture. They were supposed to

work in collaboration with the Coalición Estudiantil Pro-Agricultura (CEPA) student organization,

whose purpose is to support the development of local agriculture and promote the creation of

organic home gardens. The students Natalia León and Naomi Acevedo, collaborated with the

maintenance of the ATABEY orchard at the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce, performing tasks

such as planting, plowing, removing seeds, watering, and cleaning the orchard. The students Ángel

Montes and Fabian Cruz did their service hours at “Finca Reverdecer” in Ponce. This progress

report contains the following sections: introduction, background, work completed, current work,

conclusion, and appendixes.

Background

The purpose of this progress report is to prepare a project where we can see how plants

grow and go through certain phases. This is why our work is with nature itself, planting and

harvesting give us the opportunity to take care of something that is alive and watch how it grows

and becomes a beautiful organism. It is named a progress report because it is a progressive work

where we can apply everything learned about the techniques of verbal and written communication

during the semester. By writing here our work, we can present the completed work and the current

work. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the strike on our campus, there were limitations to

achieving greater work in the orchard. These limitations did not affect the learning process of the

importance of agriculture and the harvesting of organic food. We learned about the benefits to the

environment and its biodiversity when working with agriculture.

Work completed

Students Naomi Acevedo and Natalia Oppenheimer were working during this semester at

“Huerto Atabey” in collaboration with the “Coalición Estudiantil Pro-Agricultura” (CEPA)

student organization. During their work period, the students were sowing, removing weeds,

plowing, watering the plants, among other things. They were able to plant pumpkins in the garden.

While working, they were looking to move the crops to the left side of the orchard. To achieve that

goal, they worked by removing weeds and creating a harvest path, so that the pumpkins and other

plants could grow without a problem and be able to give it the correct maintenance. It should be

noted that at the beginning of the semester several crops were being planted, but due to the

stoppages and strikes of the students at the university, the maintenance of the orchard had to be

abandoned and rescheduled. As a result of this situation, the crops that were in maintenance on

that date could not be saved, and new plants had to be planted.
 On the other hand, students Fabian Cruz and Angel Montes did their green hours at

“Reverdecer” farm in the Real Anon neighborhood of Ponce. During the work period, the students

were plowing a large piece of land to make it accessible for new plantings and crops. While the

weed was being removed from the ground, stones were also being removed to clean the ground.

The removed weed was taken to another field where it was used for other projects. The students

were working with organic crops, which means that no type of chemicals were used, for example,

fertilizer. To make the soil organically fertile, the old branches that fell off the banana plants were

left around the stems of the plants, and no fertilizer or other chemicals must be used on the farm.

In addition to working, the students were attending agriculture conferences that served as learning

and motivation to continue working with agriculture in our own homes. In conclusion, the

completed work provided us with great experience and taught us that agriculture is a very

important field since it is completely related to the care of our planet.

Current work

At the orchard “Atabey” at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, currently, the main
work is cleaning the areas by removing weeds and cleaning the space. In addition, the care of the
plants consists, either by pouring water on them or keeping them pruned and getting them to catch
the right amount of sunlight. Furthermore, after making a space on the left side of the garden,
pumpkin seeds were planted, and they are currently working on their care to avoid losing the
harvest. On the other side, the workers of the farm “El Reverdecer” are working with a large
number of vegetables and fruits. Currently, work is being done to maintain the harvest, keeping
the trees pruned, and cutting the grass that is not necessary. In addition, an area is being pruned to
expand the cultivation and generate more food and thus have more crops to sell. Also, they are
working on finding natural ways to improve the crop and this will help avoid the use of chemicals
on farms.

Conclusion

This report is based on the work accomplished at the orchard “Atabey” at the University

of Puerto Rico in Ponce and at the farm “Reverdecer”. The work that was done in the orchard and
in the farm allows us to have a new perspective of the plants that surround us and the ones that we

consume every day. The creation of an environment of growth after the lockdown due to the

coronavirus (COVID-19), made us realize how much needed is to connect with Earth. During our

work at the orchard “Atabey” and at the farm “Reverdecer”, we became more conscious and valued

the importance of planting and the benefits of growing organic crops. We got to learn how much

the monthly food cost could reduce if the consumers plant the food they want to consume.

Agriculture is a basic skill that a few schools teach but it should be taught in every school in the

country. After all, with this knowledge, we can produce our food in the most organic and healthy

way possible.

Recommendations

As a suggestion, we could get more students and faculty involved in the process of getting

the orchard “Atabey” to a level where we can produce and sell enough to buy more equipment and

seeds to keep growing. This could be a productive student initiative where everyone can learn the

importance and benefits of agriculture. We need to share our knowledge by presenting sowing

activities. Teaching the importance of self-sustainability by harvesting the food consumed. We

could also give conferences about the chemicals used in crops and how industries genetically

modify food. At the orchard, we could prepare an activity where every student sows, takes care of

that plant, and, at the end of the semester, the students that gave their plant the best care win a

prize. This is a way to motivate students in learning and practice planting skills.
 Appendix A
Log Service and Certificates of the group members and photos of the work done in the “Huerto Atabey”
and “Finca Reverdecer”
Figure 1: Plowing Figure 2: Watering the aloes

Figure 3: Plowing Figure 4: Removing weeds

 Figure 5: Plowing with a rake

Figure 6: Plowing with a gardening hoe

Figure 7: Plowing Figure 8: Transporting the removed weed
 Figure 9: Cleaning

Figure 10: Photo with the managers of the farm

Figures 11 & 12: Transporting the removed weed

Figures 13 & 14: Cleaning

Figure 15: Transporting stones and removed weed
 Appendix B
Minutes of the group meetings

September, 14, 2021

November 27, 2021
November 29, 2021
 Appendix C
Self-Reflection of the Progress Report

Fabian J. Cruz Meléndez

Progress Report- “Huerto Atabey” and “Finca Reverdecer”

How did this experience impact you personally and

how did it help the place where you worked?

- Perform community hours in a green area

- Create a technical document of the work completed.
- Work with a group and perform formal meetings.

The most important thing that I learned is that agriculture is a subject of great
importance since it is directly related to the care and the health of our planet. It is very
common that people ignore agriculture, but it is our duty to teach what we have
learned and its importance.
Personally, I would like the working groups to be chosen by the
students themselves. In my group we had several communication
problems due to not knowing each other before.

I think that where I gave my best work effort was working at the
"Finca Reverdecer". Create a good bond with the owners and they
are people who need help to improve their farm.

The part that I enjoyed the most was the reaction of the owner of the "Finca
Reverdecer" with the work that I did with my partner. His reaction was happy, I could
see that he likes to receive people or students to help him and, at the same time, the
owner can teach them some agriculture.

The part I least enjoyed was creating a group written report.

We do not all give the same effort.

The teacher can make the project better by letting the students
choose their own groups, I think that this way everyone can do
their hours together, have fun while they work, and give a
better effort to their work.