My name is Maria Martinez, I belong to a family that has been in agriculture for more than 4 generations, growing citrus fruits, almonds, olives, vines and now subtropical fruits. I am a young agronomist with a clear intention since I started working on the family farm: to improve agricultural production by applying sustainable techniques that encourage as many environmental benefits as possible in the surroundings. Since I was a child I have had a high environmental awareness because I learned the value of respect for nature from my family, who instilled it in me. In recent years we have decided to embark on the cultivation of subtropical fruit, specifically mango, which is a tree that is very well adapted to this area, as we are privileged to have a microclimate that is unique in Europe. As a child I accompanied my father to the countryside while he carried out his agricultural work. I loved to spend time with him in the fields. My father taught me to love this "lifestyle" as I like to call it. I couldn't get enough of looking at the plants and being amazed at how beautiful it is that after you take care of them they thank you with food, it's something magical! The close contact with nature became my passion, so I decided to train as an agricultural engineer. I thank my father for his advice to choose this training because despite the doubts in adolescence, it was a total success because I love my profession. The farm belongs to my father and his siblings (Miguel, Ana and José María). At the end of my training the whole family put their trust in me unanimously despite my youth, thus starting a daily challenge and motivation. I have adopted this project as a personal one, doing all the management of the farm in an ecological way, giving my small contribution to the conservation of our ecosystem. I take care of the management and sustainable agronomic development of the family farm in an autonomous way. Since the management of the farm is ecological, the number of native animals such as chameleons, birds, amphibians and many insects has increased. They see our farm as a safe place to live! My work on the farm is to plan the technical management, it is very important to pay attention to the trees, to observe if they have any kind of nutritional deficiency or excess, to control the pests in an efficient and ecological way, to plan the fertilization, to stipulate the hours of irrigation and to be aware of the times of flowering, setting and harvesting of the fruit, in order to obtain a quality fruit. The farm team is in charge of implementing what has been planned, they apply the fertilizer, control the time of irrigation, carry out the control of weeds by means of the brush cutter, the tractor or cattle, carry out the necessary treatments and collect the fruit. The CrowdFarming system gives me the opportunity to offer my products directly to the final consumer, to people who appreciate not only the quality of the fruit but also our commitment to leave a better planet for future generations.

The name of the farm "Los Pepones" is derived from the small Andalusian village where it is located, belonging to the municipality of Velez-Malaga, province of Malaga. The farm is dedicated to the cultivation of mango and avocado and is located in the heart of La Axarquía, surrounded by other subtropical fruit growing fields. The economy of the area has improved a lot thanks to the increase of subtropical crops in recent years where the number of people involved is growing every day. In this way, the cultivation of subtropical fruits is becoming a "lifestyle" rather than a "job". The farm has been a family property for 4 generations, it has its own well and a reservoir where we store the water to supply our drip irrigation system, which is done with natural pressure. The amount of water needed by the trees is variable, most of the water is provided in summer, at this time an adult mango tree needs about 40 liters per day. All the management of the farm is done according to the conditions of sustainable agriculture, we do not use chemicals or herbicides that damage crops or negatively affect the biodiversity of native species. One of the workers on the farm has a small sheep farm; his flock of sheep grazing among our trees has proven to be the most effective and environmentally friendly control of weeds. A qualified team of 7 people work regularly on the farm during the harvest, and 3 during the rest of the year, 2 women and 1 man. The permanent workers have been with us for 6 years, since we planted the mangoes, and all of them are paid according to the collective agreement. We pick the fruit at the optimum moment of ripening, manually guaranteeing the selection of quality piece by piece, the fruits are not equal in size, but equally tasty. Fruits that have already ripened too much to be sent out are taken to the local markets in the area and the fruit that does not meet the quality requirements is taken by the workers to feed their livestock. The remains from pruning are crushed and fed to the soil as organic matter to be composted under each tree.