Ezequiel Santiago Lopez, 38, was born and raised in the village of San Andres el Alto. Nestled in the mountains just southwest of Oaxaca City, San Andres is a farming community that is sustained by agriculture and forestry. As one of ten children, Ezequiel continued his family’s tradition of farming and cultivates corn, oats, and beans. He survives on the little income earned from selling his crops in the local market and working on other farmer's fields. Two of his siblings have migrated to the United States in order to work and send money back to their mother. Ezequiel and his wife have seven children of their own between the ages of 5 and 15.

Ezequiel learned about amaranth through Puente’s cooking workshops with his mother and sisters. He began growing amaranth in 2006 for consumption, and in 2007 planted amaranth for consumption and sale. Because of his enthusiasm and knowledge of amaranth, Puente hired him as a Local Agricultural Technician to assist with the Training Farmers project in 2007. As a Local Agricultural Technician, Ezequiel assists Puente’s Agronomist in training farmers in his region about amaranth. He provides technical support for over 40 farmers living in five villages in the region. Ezequiel also sells amaranth products to families in the region.

When asked why likes working with Puente he responded, “I want to continue learning about amaranth, the varieties of amaranth, and how the soil and weather affect amaranth. I also want to have a good relationship with the other amaranth farmers. More than anything, I’m a farmer and I have a large family. We have children that need to eat well during the first years of their lives.”

In September of 2007, Ezequiel and his wife expect to harvest about 80 kilograms of raw amaranth seed to sell. This will result in over $100 USD of added income. (Note: Approximately 77 percent of Oaxacan farmers earn less than $89 USD per month) Additionally, he will save enough seed to consume throughout the year and to plant next year’s crop.

Read more about Ezequiel in Puente's July 2007 E-Newsletter.