Diego Oneto

Agricola La Tejeria

Hi, I’m Diego Oneto and together with my father Sebastian Oneto and a great team, we grow organic limes. Thank you for buying our fruit! We are a proud family business based near the city of Olmos in the north of Peru, close to the border with Ecuador. This area receives very little rainfall but thanks to the Olmos River and a large irrigation project linked to the Limón Dam, we are in position to grow premium organic limes.

Here at Agricola La Tejeria, we employ 50 permanent workers and during the long season that runs from September to June an additional 450. The workers come Olmos and the surrounding villages from other parts of Peru including the mountains and jungle. To me organic agriculture means working with nature and that is both inspirational as well as challenging. There are a lot of ways of doing things but finding the best way to fix an issue, that is the hard part.

Interview with Diego

Nature & More: How did you start with organic farming?
Diego: To be honest, it was my father who took the first steps down the organic path. When a close friend of the family was diagnosed with cancer the link with pesticides was quickly made. At that moment we decided that spraying harmful chemicals on fruit was not the way forward.

Nature & More: Was the process difficult?
Diego: Of course ! and it still is. It is a completely different mindset, where you have to think more complete, you have to speak to the tree. Every time you address one issue, you are confronted with four new ones. For me one of the biggest eye openers is that you have to completely change the way you look at timing and planning.

Nature & More: Can you explain what you mean?
Diego: Compare it to cooking. When five different people cook a recipe and stick to the instructions I can guarantee you that the dishes will still taste and look slightly different. For organic lime production it is exactly the same, you have to find your own way even though in theory we know so much.

Nature & More: Now that you cannot work with pesticides, how do you keep the pests away?
Diego: First you create an environment where pests are kept in check through a natural balance in the ecosystem. Secondly you can influence the situation by using natural materials like neem oil which these harmful insects really hate.

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soil

Our farms are organic, so no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides are used. As a result, the soil is very rich in biodiversity. To feed the lime trees we work with a special natural fertilizer made from waste from the fishing industry. Obviously we also use compost to feed the soil. The positive effects of composting are numerous. Soil water management is improved, with better drainage and reduced erosion and runoff. As a result the soil is more resistant to drought or flooding. Biodiversity is greatly improved. Soil-borne diseases are suppressed. More organic matter is stored in the soil, that compensates for greenhouse gas emissions. In short, good composting brings fertility.

biodiversity

Insecticide-free farming is beneficial for honey bees and other insects. Using compost increases the number of micro-organisms, earthworms, spiders and all kinds of insects in the soil. Birds, bats and small mammals profit from this too! In a nut shell the organic approach is also beneficial to natural biodiversity.

individual

Diego: “We try and help our staff particularly when it comes to developing themselves. That is why we offer free schooling programs so that everyone has this important opportunity”

society

Diego: “Illiteracy is an issue in this part of Peru and that is why we offer schooling. Even though today illiterate people have it much easier than before due to the internet revolution, we strongly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to develop themselves.

economy

Diego: “We employ around 500 seasonal workers during a season that lasts from September until June. During the other months the workers spend their time on their own plot of land growing corn.

climate

In a country like Peru the sun still does most of the work. The fruits are certified organic, so no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are used, which saves a lot of energy. In conventional farming, these inputs are responsible for major energy use; up to 80% of the total. Obviously some energy is used in the cooling and sorting station. The fruit is transported to Europe by ship, which is the most energy efficient transport method.

water

This area receives very little rainfall but thanks to the Olmos river and a large irrigation project linked to the Limón Dam, we are in position to grow premium organic limes. The irrigation project has made it possible to turn a dry, agriculturally desolated place into a rich agricultural region. Although the drip irrigation system we have is extremely efficient, due to the dry and sunny climate we do use quite a bit of water. We are lucky however as the water comes from the mighty Andes mountains.

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