Living sustainably can be simple. For Alachua County residents who have never thought about sustainability, the options for eating sustainably are growing everyday — right in our backyard.
Thanks to the help of Community Supported Agriculture programs, or “CSAs,” producing and distributing locally grown agriculture products around Alachua County has never been easier.
There are multiple opportunities for residents to support local farms, including farmers markets and CSA programs, some of which could personally deliver your locally grown food right to you.
Community Supported Agriculture is an international movement that supports local farmers and offers residents alternative food options to large-brand grocery stores.
Supporting local farms is not only good for the local economy, but it allows community members to be personally involved with the food they eat everyday. When purchasing locally grown products, for example, residents often meet the farmer who planted each seed.
By creating a new type of relationship, CSA offers the opportunity to see and understand where food comes from and how it is grown.
The concept began at a local level, responding to the worldwide damage to farmers, farm communities and the environment from large-scale conventional agriculture, which now dominates the international market.
The majority of CSA programs work similarly: Community members who want to participate pay a set upfront fee that covers the cost of farm production; once the crops are harvested, the farmer delivers the prepaid food to customers.
These programs are successful because by pre-paying for the food, locals allow farmers to concentrate on organic, nutritious and sustainable agriculture.
Forage Farm
Forage Farm is a local nonprofit education center located near Southeast County Road 234. Forage is available to those in the community who want to learn about sustainable agriculture as well as methods of producing and storing their own food. The organization also provides numerous education programs focused on gardening and preserving food.
Anna Prizzia and her team at Forage believe in the importance of seed-saving efforts.
“We host a seed library,” she said. “We provide garden seeds — mostly food and some flowers — for people to be able to grow their own gardens.”
Forage Farm has also partnered with the Alachua County after-school program to create an after-school workshop to teach children where their food comes from and the importance of sustainability.
Forage also hosts a once-a-month program with different schools around the county at the downtown farmers garden, and the farm is also partnering with Alachua County to help start school gardens.
“We work with the kids and just help them learn more about gardening and where their food comes from,” Prizzia said.
“We also have interns and volunteers come out to the farm,” she added. “We try to train them on the process of our food supply: how we can make it more sustainable and why working together is important.”
Forage Farm believes that there is a real opportunity for Gainesville residents to create a vibrant community of people who take everyone’s needs into consideration, rather than the needs of a few.
“Sustainability is important to me because I recognize that this world doesn’t really belong to the generations before us — it belongs to the generations that will be here after us,” Prizzia said. “We have a responsibility to remember that there is a caring capacity, and if we use up these resources, then other people won’t have the chance to access them.”
In addition to the numerous programs and workshops at the farm, anyone can visit and get involved. There is also “Schools Out Music Festival,” an event hosted by Forage Farm in June that brings people out for a good time.
“People come out, listen to live music and celebrate what is great about our Gainesville community,” Prizzia said. “[They] can come out and volunteer on the farm and have the opportunity to get their hands dirty while also learning more about sustainable agriculture and farming practices.”
Siembra Farm
Siembra Farm is small family farm that practices organic growing and sustainable farming techniques. Located behind The Estates off of Southeast 23rd Place, the farm strives to grow nutritious and natural food without using pesticides, while also practicing small-scale methods that preserve the soil, air and water.
“We are pretty much obsessed with sustainability,” said Veronica Robleto, co-owner and promotions manager of Siembra Farm.
The farmers at Siembra Farm believe that sustainable agriculture begins with the soil.
“By rotating the crops and feeding the soil while growing the plants and vegetables, you can tell the difference by just looking at them,” Robleto said.
Siembra Farm allows people to get involved in the growing process by offering work-trade opportunities. Those who come out to the farm and help with various farming activities get to take home the products they help produce.
Siembra Farm offers a weekly CSA membership that supplies their customers with a direct connection to the food they eat. For those who want to participate, a basket of freshly grown seasonal vegetables can be delivered each week.
Each basket is filled with seasonal veggies, a salad mix, root veggies and greens. The baskets can be purchased on a sliding scale of $25 to $35 from October to July and can typically feed a family of three or four.
Rainbow Star Farm
Rainbow Star is a locally run, 3-acre farm that sits off Southwest 24th Avenue. Farm members believe in using natural, organic agriculture to produce each crop. At Rainbow Star, the farmers and volunteers work hard to keep the farm functioning using just what they have.
“We try to get every drop of use out of supplies,” said Mike Kite, a Rainbow Star volunteer. “I volunteer most of the time — I love it.”
Sustainability is one of the foundations of Rainbow Star, along with building a sense of community and an obligation to contribute to the well-being of Alachua County residents.
These are just a few of the many local farms Alachua County residents can get involved in to help support local agriculture. From buying locally grown produce to beginning a garden of your own, everyone has the opportunity to eat sustainability.
“Sustainability is about finding the balance of production and consumption,” Kite said. “It’s about not over-producing but being able to keep things going.”
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Forage Farm
Pictures of the farm, seed library or one of their programs.
7204 SE County Road 234
Gainesville, FL 32641
Anna Pizzira
Phone: 910-894-3441
Email: [email protected]
Downtown Farmers Market – Wednesday 5:00 p.m.
Pictures of people buying locally grown food.
Siembra Farm
Pictures of the CSA weekly baskets and pictures of the farm.
2033 SE 23rd Place
Gainesville, FL 32641
Veronica – 561-670-6181