2008 Woodie Awards
'Alta Gracia' visit raises spirits
Caroline Stauffer
Issue date: 3/30/06 Section: Features
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A bond exists between Middlebury College and the Dominican Republic - and it's not merely the dozens of students who flock to the island nation's beaches each vacation period.
Travelers who take the time to explore the island outside of the usual tourist destinations may notice a lingering national deference to three of the still-developing nation's national heroines, the Mirabal sisters. The sisters - three of whom were tragically murdered in 1960 during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship - are the subject of "In the Time of the Butterflies," the best-selling novel by Dominican native and Middlebury College Writer-in-Residence Julia Alvarez '71.
Middlebury's link to the DR in fact stems from Alvarez and husband Bill Eichner's ownership of an organic coffee farm for the past 10 years: Finca Alta Gracia.
The core values that seem to be intrinsic to Alta Gracia are analogous to those possessed by many in Vermont's Champlain Valley and at the College - sustainable and environmentally sound agriculture, third world development and a commitment to local communities and improving literacy. Many students have visited the farm over the years, whether completing J-Term projects or doing research for Middlebury's own organic garden. College graduates have served as volunteer teachers in the school adjacent to the farm.
Just under two years ago, struggling to run the farm from afar and holding full time jobs in the states, Alvarez and Eichner turned the farm's operation over to the national Instituto Dominican de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales (IDIAF). Though they still own the property, Alvarez now describes their roles with the farm as advisory. The day-to-day management is handled by people who are embedded in the community, such as Filomeno Jiménez, who will enthusiastically talk for hours about developments in organic farming with visitors, and Alvarez thinks that is just the way it should be.
Alvarez and Eichner have turned over other aspects of the Alta Gracia project as well.
Travelers who take the time to explore the island outside of the usual tourist destinations may notice a lingering national deference to three of the still-developing nation's national heroines, the Mirabal sisters. The sisters - three of whom were tragically murdered in 1960 during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship - are the subject of "In the Time of the Butterflies," the best-selling novel by Dominican native and Middlebury College Writer-in-Residence Julia Alvarez '71.
Middlebury's link to the DR in fact stems from Alvarez and husband Bill Eichner's ownership of an organic coffee farm for the past 10 years: Finca Alta Gracia.
The core values that seem to be intrinsic to Alta Gracia are analogous to those possessed by many in Vermont's Champlain Valley and at the College - sustainable and environmentally sound agriculture, third world development and a commitment to local communities and improving literacy. Many students have visited the farm over the years, whether completing J-Term projects or doing research for Middlebury's own organic garden. College graduates have served as volunteer teachers in the school adjacent to the farm.
Just under two years ago, struggling to run the farm from afar and holding full time jobs in the states, Alvarez and Eichner turned the farm's operation over to the national Instituto Dominican de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales (IDIAF). Though they still own the property, Alvarez now describes their roles with the farm as advisory. The day-to-day management is handled by people who are embedded in the community, such as Filomeno Jiménez, who will enthusiastically talk for hours about developments in organic farming with visitors, and Alvarez thinks that is just the way it should be.
Alvarez and Eichner have turned over other aspects of the Alta Gracia project as well.