Borderlands Field Course participant guest blog

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Imagine it's a Saturday morning. You're exhausted after a long week of work, but you're dreaming of what BRN's 2025 Borderlands Field Course will be like. You have a plane ticket booked for a very special trip: traveling by yourself  into the unknown. You carry very few suitcases, but  many uncertainties, as well as the hope that this experience will mark a before and after in your life and give you the meaning you have been looking for. So you decided to take the plunge into the unknown.

Later that night you are standing in front of a vehicle with a butterfly logo, a symbol of transformation and change. From there, you enter into a flowing river of emotions and immerse yourself in a place full of dreams, shared visions for the future, and new faces. It is a space created to change the world and, above all, to transform yourself. The people and places you meet there surprise you, not only for the natural beauty they radiate, but also for the strength of their stories and the powerful message each one brings to the group.

Can you imagine that, in just nine days of adventure, these people would become a fundamental part of your life? Deep friendships forged in such a short time. What you are imagining now, is what I experienced as I began my adventure in the Borderlands.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2025 BORDERLANDS FIELD COURSE 

The Borderlands Field Course (BFC) experience was much more than a tour of the border; it was an invitation to rethink the relationship between people, land and communities in a territory marked by ecological and social challenges. Beyond the topics covered in the course, I want to focus on one key learning: restoration as an act of reconnection.

Eliazar and the course facilitators during the BFC graduation.

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION: MUCH MORE THAN PLANTING TREES

Participating in the BFC allowed me to understand that restoring ecosystems on the Arizona-Sonora border is not just a technical issue, but a deeply human process. Restoration activities such as collecting native seeds, building water retention structures, and rehabilitating habitats are tools for healing the land, but also for healing the relationships between people and their environment.

Borderlands Restoration Network's approach goes beyond ecology: it promotes collaboration between communities on both sides of the border, recognizing the interdependence of their inhabitants and the unique biodiversity of the Sky Islands region, one of the most species-rich spots in North America.

Our small group built a large media luna rock structure at El Nogalito ranch.

RECONNECTION: RESTORING LAND, RESTORING COMMUNITIES

One of the most profound lessons learned was to understand that restoration can be a bridge for social reconnection. On the border, where militarization, migration, and water scarcity create tensions, working together on restoration projects creates spaces for dialogue, trust, and shared hope.

During the course, I was able to experience the value of collaboration in practical activities at each site we visited. Listening to the stories of local inhabitants and community leaders allowed me to understand that restoration is a process guided by empathy, in which each action contributes to rebuilding trust and the social fabric.

The environmental challenges of the border, such as desertification, habitat fragmentation, and climate change, are intimately linked to the histories of the people who inhabit it. Restoring the land also implies recognizing and addressing historical inequalities, and creating opportunities for youth and marginalized communities to be protagonists in building a sustainable future.

The BFC cohort participates in a bird walk along the border near San Bernardino ranch.

BLENDING KNOWLEDGE OF RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

I work as an agronomist, which is an agricultural job responsible for efficient and sustainable production. My day-to-day life is marked by the search for solutions to optimize crop and livestock yields, care for crops, feed livestock, and ensure that the land remains productive year after year. However, participating in BFC 2025 led me to rethink the true meaning of “production” and the role of ecological restoration in modern agriculture.

In the agricultural sector, ecological restoration is often perceived as an activity that is unrelated or even opposed to production. However, during the BFC I discovered that restoring the land and producing food can not only coexist, but can enhance each other. I learned that soil health, water availability and biodiversity are not luxuries, but fundamental requirements for long-term productivity.

I was particularly impressed by how, in a region marked by scarcity and uncertainty, innovation emerges from collaboration and knowledge sharing. One of the examples that most impressed me was the “Garden for Sustainability” at Casa Galilea and the crop association that is practiced there. I consider it essential that all of us who work in agriculture learn about and experiment with alternatives such as vetiver grass, whose advantages can be observed and applied even in another garden, such as the one at Dougla-Prieta Trabaja.

These practices, which are sometimes considered “alternative,” may be the key to the sustainability of agriculture in the future.

I see restoration as an indispensable tool to ensure food security and the viability of agricultural fields. It is not just a matter of producing more, but of producing better, taking care of the resources that sustain us, and leaving fertile land for future generations.

Celebrated participant birthdays that happened during the field course.

WHAT DO I TAKE HOME? 

The BFC taught me that small actions are the drivers of big changes, like preparing seed pellets and throwing them into the hills, valleys, canyons, or ravines, can be the beginning of deep and lasting change. Listening to the stories of my colleagues, who have earned a very special place in my heart, inspired me deeply. They are capable people full of potential to transform the world. Likewise, my facilitators, whom I now sincerely appreciate and with whom I hope to meet again in the future, showed me that these moments shared during the course can be the starting point for true personal and collective transformation.

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Eliazar Herrera Herrera's roots are firmly anchored in the mountains of the municipality of Tepehuanes, Durango. Growing up in this natural environment, surrounded by mountains, pastures, wildlife and livestock, deeply marked his way of seeing the world. His passion for the countryside and animals led him to study for a degree in Agricultural Engineering and Animal Husbandry at the Autonomous University of Chapingo, an institution that provided him with the necessary tools to understand and improve agricultural production systems. During his education, he discovered the relevance of sustainability and environmental conservation as fundamental pillars for the future of the rural sector.

Currently, his interests are focused on applying this knowledge to promote a more sustainable agricultural production that guarantees food security and promotes a balanced relationship with the natural environment. He aspires for his work to be useful and meaningful, helping to build a fairer, healthier world, in balance with the environment, convinced that small actions can generate big positive changes for future generations.