Raul Martinez had come to California from Mexico in the late seventies to work as a seasonal farm laborer before becoming an upholsterer and raising a family in Los Angeles. Raul taught his children to garden and compost in their backyard, and instilled a love of soil that continues to this day. Now, brothers Michael and David Martinez are co-directors of Adelante Soil Cooperative, but really the entire family is taking on 22 acres of land with about a hundred species of native plants including Coast Live Oaks, Western Sycamores, and Laurel Sumac, which will share space with fruit trees and other food crops. 

In an area dominated by avocado groves, Adelante will stand out. They’re excited to show how food can grow with native plants, in polycultures. With three distinct microclimates on their land, the family can plant an unusual variety of fruit trees, and they are looking forward to growing mangos, papayas, pomegranates, Pakistani mulberries, Malaysian guavas, “and some avocados to stick with the community.”

Adelante Soil Co applied mulch and compost and planted trees. With these funds, these practices covered three times the area of land they otherwise would have.