University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department

Memorandum:
Date: November 22, 2023
To: Professor Pier A. LeCompte Zambrana
From: Indira Morales Boodoosingh
Lara V. Robledo Cintrón
Lizaidy Ortiz Rodríguez
Jean P. Rodriguez Vale
Subject: Progress Report of Huerto Atabey

Introduction

The students of the biology department in the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce are
required to take a course named “Technical Writing for Biology Students”. This course is
designed to provide students the skills for writing reports that require research on topics
related to biology. As part of the class, the students were assigned to complete 8 service hours
assisting "Coalición de Estudiantes Pro-Agricultura" (CEPA) with the Atabey Garden.

This report, created by Indira Morales Boodoosingh, Jean P. Rodríguez Vale, Lizaidy
Ortiz Rodríguez, and Lara V. Robledo Cintrón, aims to showcase the work completed and the
progress made at the Atabey Garden, detailing what is yet to be accomplished and providing
information about the CEPA partnership. The report's information is based on the first
semester of the academic year 2023-2024. CEPA members, with the assistance of students,
have successfully completed all their objectives when the academic year began. Some of the
activities that were carried out include the following:

1. Planting/Plowing
2. Composing
3. Watering
4. Cleaning garden
5. Removing weeds

Coalition of Pro-Agriculture Students (CEPA)

 Coalition of Pro-Agriculture Students (CEPA) was established as a student
association on April 26th, 2014, at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. Board members
provide guidance to the students as they work in the Atabey garden. The current student
executive board of CEPA is the following:

1. President: Emerson Rivera Ruiz

2. Vice-president: Francisco Castro Rivera
3. Activities/Events Organizer: Show Muñiz Rodríguez
4. Secretary: Adler Torres
5. Sub-secretary: Jadey J. Negròn Torres
6. Treasurer: Rudensindo García
7. Deputy Treasurer: Leemary Sánchez Serrano
8. Public Relations Officer: Fabiola Prieto
9. Vocal: Mailyenid Baerga Moya

Mission and Vision of CEPA

The mission of CEPA and the Atabey Garden is to raise awareness in the college
community about the urgency of acting in response to the need of increasing, to an optimal
level, the local production of high-quality food, seeking to approach self-sufficiency.

The vision of CEPA and the Atabey Garden is to serve as an example in achieving the
mission through the application of advanced humanistic, economic, and social principles
within the project. These principles should be harmonious and applicable to solutions for
other development projects in the country.

Ever since its establishment, CEPA's primary objective has been to raise awareness in
our society. Through this mission, CEPA educates students that cultivating a garden extends
beyond mere plant cultivation; it entails a multitude of advantages that positively contribute
to the well-being of individuals, communities, and the environment. Our team spent a
combined total of 32 hours working in the Atabey Garden. Throughout these months, each
member took on diverse responsibilities, gaining insights into their respective tasks and
applying their knowledge across various areas.

Task completed
 According to the instructions given by the teacher at the beginning of classes, students
had to go to the Atabey Garden two times a month to complete the required eight hours at the
end.

Month of August:
During the month of August, the members of the group did not complete any hours,
because they were fulfilling other academic duties and commitments.

Month of September:
In the month of September, the student association of the University of Puerto Rico at
Ponce (UPRP) called Universitarios Pro-Environment and Biodiversity of the UPRP
organized an international cleaning of coasts. The teacher notified that students could
participate in this activity, and, in this way, they would be validated for 4 hours of service.
The coast cleaning was carried out on Saturday, September 16, 2023, in Tallaboa Bay,
Peñuelas. The activity began at 8:00 a.m. and the students were accommodated in groups of a
maximum of six people. During the activity, all the garbage found was collected, filling 10
garbage bags.

On the other hand, other members of the group began their hours of service in the
Atabey Orchard. There they worked in:
● Cleaning the garden
● Removing weeds
● Watering

In addition, some members joined the CEPA group in the month of September.

Month of October:
During the month of October, the students’ primary focus was the preparation and
planting of foods such as lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and arugula, among others.
The group had other sessions for maintenance at the Atabey Orchard which included:
● cleaning of the garden
● removal of weeds
● creation of other seedlings
● watering
● sowing
 Students had the opportunity to learn how to extract and obtain some of the harvest,
including turmeric and small, sweet peppers (aji dulce), with the appropriate use of pickaxes,
shovels and many other tools that facilitated the work done.

Month of November:
In the month of November, the students’ primary focus was the overall maintenance
of the Atabey Orchard. These sessions were mainly focused on:
● removal of weeds
● replacement of dirt in areas surrounding the orchard
● soil enrichment
● harvest
● irrigation of plants and trees

We employed the use of watering cans and hoses, depending on the specific needs of
each tree, and carried out pruning and trimming of fruit trees. These tasks focused on the
removal of damaged limbs and overcrowded branches for the promotion of proper growth of
these trees and other plants. Another goal the students set was the improvement of soil health,
which included the incorporation of topsoil with nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium, and magnesium.

Contributions
During the journey of our volunteer in the Atabey garden we realized how impactful
were the contributions and the change we made in the garden. We even had the joy of
learning the importance of each of the tasks performed and their purpose. For example:
● Removing weeds- By removing weeds we are helping the growth of plants and giving
more space to the plant itself. Doing this process, the plant will enjoy the sun, water,
and nutrients. Likewise, we avoid infections, and the garden looks nicer.
● Watering- It is important that the plants are kept in moist soil. This task was
performed whenever we went to the garden since plants need water to survive,
transport nutrients, and accelerate plant growth.
● Creation of other seedlings- For this task, two of our group members (Indira Morales
and Jean Rodríguez) donated soil. This was for the purpose of planting new seeds.
● Sowing- Some of our group members had the experience of planting. Some things
that were planted were lettuce and flowers that are used as insect repellent.
 ● Harvesting- Thanks to this task we could enjoy some crops. One of them was the
sweet peppers (aji dulce) that some students took home and cooked delicious meals
with.

What remains to be done

The contributions to the group for the Atabey Orchard allowed the students to
complete almost everything that had to be done in the orchard. The requirements for the
orchard were mainly to plant new seedlings and take care of the terrain, which the group
successfully accomplished during the community hours. Nevertheless, the garden requires
constant maintenance, which is a never-ending task students will continue to work on.

Problems and limitations

Among the challenges encountered was the fact that the members of the group had a
problem with availability because early in the semester maintenance was done in only a
limited number of days. In addition, the communication was ineffective, since, at first, the
management members of CEPA announced the maintenance usually a day earlier. Because
most of the members of the group worked, it was difficult to be able to go to the garden at
4:30 p.m. after the announcement was made late. However, later in the semester CEPA's
management members began to better organize themselves and send the maintenance days
and hours days in advance.

Furthermore, the weather was a very big limitation. The months of September,
October and November are part of the rainy season in Puerto Rico, therefore, many times the
maintenance had to be postponed. These events delayed the work that was done in the
orchard, and it was like having to start from scratch.

Recommendations
The CEPA association has the potential to become an organization with more
members. It is a pride that the university has its own garden and that there are students
interested in helping maintain and develop it. However, promotions tend to reach only
specific students. For example, the students of the INGL4021 class were required to
participate in the garden to make a report. For this reason, some recommendations would be:
● Promote the association to the general public.
● Plan information tables where they explain the work that is done in the Atabey
garden.
 ● Organize an informative tour around the Atabey garden so that students can see the
progress of the garden.
● Plan different tasks for maintenance (so the students are not doing the same task every
time they come and don't get bored).
● Improve communication and management organization.

Conclusion
The work done in the Atabey orchard by students from the course ENGL 4021 served
as a great experience for performing primary research. As biology students, voluntary work
and research are very important requirements in the field, both of which were met by working
in the garden. Using the data collected from the experience, students were able to efficiently
learn how to produce a technical report based on matters related to biology and other natural
sciences, which are our fields of study. In addition, knowledge about genetically modified
organisms, pesticides, sustainability, and organic crops learned in the course was directly
applied to the work done in the orchard.

Besides meeting the class’s expectations, the group positively contributed to the
maintenance and development of Atabey Orchard, which is a valuable resource for the
college community. The orchard offers a space in the university for students to apply their
knowledge, practice agricultural skills, and acknowledge the problems we are facing as a
society related to agriculture. By educating the community on the importance of agriculture,
minds are encouraged to search for solutions, therefore, contributing to a positive change in
the future of our country.

The Atabey garden serves as evidence that organic and sustainable agriculture is
possible and that the students are capable of creating a better tomorrow. More people are
needed to get involved in working to accomplish the mission of CEPA and Atabey Orchard.
As future proposals, the garden could be used to conduct research by becoming one of the
options for the undergraduate research course required for biology students. With the proper
maintenance and promotion, the college community could benefit from Atabey orchard’s full
potential.
 Appendix:
Photos and Service logs
Photos
Photos of Lizaidy Ortiz Rodriguez
Photo taken by Karla Martínez, 2023
-Cleaning at the Atabey Garden

Photo taken by Sofía González, 2023

-Cleaning of the coast: Bay Tallaboa in Peñuelas, P.R.

Photos of Indira Morales Boodosingh

Photo taken by Lara Robledo Cintron on October 11, 2023
- Planting tomato seeds.

Photo taken by Lara Robledo Cintron on October 18, 2023

-Watering the Abatey Garden.
Photo taken by Shown Muñiz Rodriguez
- Removing weeds to plant seeds.

Photos of Lara V. Robledo Cintron

Photo taken by Paola N. Feliciano on September 20th, 2023

- Using pickaxe at Atabey Orchard
Photo taken by Paola N. Feliciano on October 18th, 2023
- Watering at Atabey Orchard

Photo taken by Paola N. Feliciano on October 18th, 2023

- Picking up leaves for composting at Atabey Orchard
Photo taken by Arantxa Medina on September 27th, 2023
- Removing weeds at Atabey Orchard

Photos of Jean Pierr Rodriguez Vale

Photo taken by Indira Morales Boodoosingh on October 11, 2023

Service logs
Service log of Lizaidy Ortiz Rodriguez
Service log of Indira Morales Boodoosingh

Service log of Lara V. Robledo Cintron

Service log of Jean P. Rodríguez
Reflection of Indira Morales Boodoosingh