Farm Week 2 Recap & Community Support in Nashvile

A combination of the Independence Day holiday, and rainy weather limited my time out in the fields this week, yet I feel like I worked as hard as the previous week. Monday consisted of pulling plastic covers off the field that had weeds grown into them so that the field can be prepared for the planting of new crops. The are many rows that span a long distance, which meant hours of pulling and collecting the covers. Once this task was completed the remainder of the time at the farm was spent pulling potatoes out of the ground. The rows of potatoes are plowed so that the soil is broken up which makes it easier to dig up the potatoes, but it still meant the entire day was spent bent over on the ground digging and collecting. I am continually convinced that neighborhoods need to invest in their own local methods of food production in order to simplify and sustainably scale the amount of work for and availability of healthy, organic food.

Despite the hard work at the farm, this week was busy with hosting friends from San Diego who came out to visit and research the possibility of moving out here. On top of showing them the great places to eat at and see in Nashville, they had set up meetings with some local businesses and organizations involved in the community and the growth of small business in Nashville. I was able to tag along for these meetings, and I met people invested in the community of Nashville. Being able to hear their stories, and the positive response from their communities excited me for future opportunities here in Nashville. I am now more inspired to fervently pursue an urban permaculture, and I am convinced that I will be backed by community support. I have discovered a multitude of organizations focused on providing healthy food to all people of Nashville, especially to those who might not be able to afford it, so I know there is a rich network that will help me succeed. I was excited to just spend time with some close friends, but now I am grateful to live here in Nashville, and I feel more energized to start pursuing my calling immediately.

The Next Step Towards My Calling

My interests in growing food and promoting community have led me to take on work at a local organic farm. Yesterday was my first full day on the job, and I can attest to the hard work farming requires. The farm I work at fulfills about 900 CSA subscriptions, and also sells produce at various farmers's markets and to local grocery stores. This demand for local and organic food requires long hours, and many hands. I didn't realize the scale of this particular farm's production when I first inquired about the job, but I am grateful for the experience of growing food and the realistic look at farm life.

Many of the workers at the farm arrive at 6am and work until dark. Many of the hours are spent bent over picking produce in the sun, or packing hundreds of boxes with fruits and vegetables. I am amazed that many of these workers do these tasks for most of their lives. A lot of sweat is required to feed people local organic food, and I have a better understanding of why CSA boxes and farmers's market produce can cost more than the industrial farm produce sold at many grocery stores.

I know this job will provide crucial experience and insight to organic food production, but this type of farming is not the model I want to employ in the future. I wish to start an urban permaculture farm that will serve as a center of education about food health and social justice. This goal does not come from a desire to not work as hard. Any type of farming work or social work will not be physically or mentally easy. But for food production to be considered truly sustainable, it must be designed according to a scale that does not create waste nor deplete natural resources. I do not know how "waste" is managed at this farm I currently work at, but I have not noticed any evidence of permaculture principles being implemented.

While local organic food is important, and a far better option than industrial, chemical farming, I can't help but feel that it is not enough. Permaculture needs to infiltrate the various aspects of our lives, and it should influence the way we design our lives: from the way we design our homes to the way we organize community life. I am willing to go so far as to say that permaculture can guide us closer to living in a way that reflects the kingdom of God; especially if we bear in mind the three main permaculture principles (care of the earth, care of people, and share the surplus), and how these principles reflect the gospel message of salvation and redemption.

A New Setting

My life has changed significantly since I last attended to this sadly neglected blog. I would have never guessed that I would be moving out of California when I wrote the last post in November, but here I am adjusting to the next phase of life in Nashville, TN. The move resulted from a somewhat spontaneous circumstance that began with research on home purchasing in San Diego. Home prices are out of our reach, and we were hoping to find a home with enough available land to transform in to a small-scale city farm. 

Out of curiosity, the home purchasing research pointed us towards other metropolitan cities with a lower of cost living, and Nashville (particularly east Nashville where we now live) seemed to offer the creative culture that we enjoyed in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. Keegan happened to look on the Vanderbilt University job board, and her ideal job was the top listing. Considering that we are young, and that there are fewer logistical aspects involved with us moving, she went ahead and applied. Several weeks later, we received word that she was selected and that we would be moving to Nashville in about a month's time after that.

The current plan is to save up and purchase a home to cultivate in a few years while living in an apartment, but until then I have been pleasantly surprised at the large number of like-minded people and organizations located in Nashville that are dedicated to sustainable food production and food justice. There are numerous ways to get involved in these types of service, and we were able to volunteer on a Sunday afternoon to help an organization transform a family's home into a site of food production based on permaculture design.

In the mean time, I have found a job that provides a small income for me until I find a job that I'm truly passionate about. I am currently looking for jobs in sustainable food production, teaching, Christian education and publishing, or any of those related fields. Nashville appears to offer many opportunities to work in the fields of Christian publishing or food production, and I feel confident that I will find my way into working with both of my passions of teaching Christians about the rich history of our faith and working to feed people in a way that is healthy for all of God's creation.