Agroecological Fair at Plaza Italia Offers Fresh Produce and Traditional Foods

Every Saturday, Plaza Italia in Asunción becomes a meeting point for producers from Cordillera bringing fresh, handmade food from the countryside to the capital.

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We leave there at 2:00 in the morning. We arrive here at 4:00 in the morning, and then we start unloading, arranging everything and all that.

A committee of women from Altos and Eusebio Ayala arrives before dawn. One vendor said they leave at 2 a.m., reach Asunción at 4 a.m. and then unload and arrange their goods. They make the weekly journey by public transport, carrying produce that they describe as entirely handmade.

The fair offers blackberries, cherry tomatoes, papaya, homemade eggs and hand-ground corn flour. Blackberries sell for 20,000 guaraníes per half-kilo, cherry tomatoes start at 10,000 guaraníes, and a tray of homemade eggs costs 50,000 guaraníes. Cooks also prepare mandioca tortillas for 5,000 guaraníes, along with mbeju mestizo and chipa asador for 7,000 guaraníes each.

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With the age I have, I still do not depend on anyone. I depend on myself, and that is the good thing I have, the possibility of continuing to work.

The market is more than a place to buy food. It provides the women with a principal source of income and supports 13 producing families in their communities. One founding member, who has sold at the location for 14 years, said the work still supports her and her daughter and allows her to remain financially independent. The vendors say they will continue coming every weekend from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., regardless of rain, cold or heat.

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From 8:00 to 2:00, whether it rains or not, whether it is cold or hot, we will still be here.