Merida, Mexico Homeowners' Retirement Equals Business Opportunity

MERIDA, Mexico, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Being retired nowadays can be about more than playing golf or fishing. For John and Janet Luoma it's about remodeling a colonial home in Merida and raising a forest in the southern part of the State of Yucatan in Mexico.

The Luomas, from Stillwater, Minnesota, started their adventure in Merida by renovating a colonial home to use for retirement. But John, who grew up on his father's farm and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Latin America, decided he needed something more to keep him occupied.

The Luomas are now the proud owners of "Aguada La Celosa," their 1,300-acre ranch in southern Yucatan. With the help of a Mexican national agriculture organization, CONAFOR - Comision Nacional Forestal, John and Janet have started a reforestation project on their ranch.  

"CONAFOR, the Mexican National Forestry Agency, approved us for a 60-hectare reforestation project. It allows us to plant forest and crops together. Research done by CONAFOR shows that dual cropping works well in the Yucatan and promotes economic and environmental interests.

"The CONAFOR project is now underway! We are working with the engineers to establishing a nursery, preparing the seed bed and planning the first crop of calabaza (squash). There is a tremendous advantage of raising trees and calabaza together as they require limited amounts of water. This is the dream of a lifetime, a chance to make some money and watch this beautiful forest grow," says John, smiling.

John and Janet have decided to sell their remodeled home in Merida so they can be closer to their forest and crops. For more information on their remodeled colonial home in the historic center of Merida, see http://mexintl.com/property/002397

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SOURCE Mexico International Real Estate