Sustainable Berea

       Heat waves, extreme weather, drought, supply chain disruptions, and trade wars are

making food more costly and our food system less secure. The question we are asked

over and over is “what can I do?” In collaboration with individuals, households and other

organizations, the Berea Urban Farm provides answers and supports households in

implementing those answers.

        We start by using our 1.4-acre urban farm to model an integrated, sustainable urban

agriculture resilient in the face of climate and economic upheaval. Using organic and

regenerative practices, we demonstrate the production of large amounts of nutrient-rich

food from a small area. We conserve water with drip irrigation and mulch. We replace

oil-based fertilizers and pesticides with local compost, cover crops and crop rotation. We

protect crops from weather extremes and pests with high tunnels and row cover. We

grow more than 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers; fruit trees and bushes;

and honey bees.

         Then we teach what we know through workshops, tours, on-farm gatherings, social

media and our own bi-annual magazine – Ag Mag. Much of our teaching occurs one-on-

one as we talk with drop ins to the farm or answer phone calls.

           To help local gardeners use this knowledge, we provide material support. Each April,

volunteers build and install up to 150 cedar raised beds with soil for as little as $25 to a

low-income household. We grow and sell starts from our greenhouse, and compost and

soil from our on-farm piles. The Backyard Fruit Growers Project has provided hundreds

of fruit trees and bushes to 150 households, while more than 30 households received

bees and equipment through the Backyard Bees Program.

Our Farmacy Program is a low-cost CSA providing nutrient-dense foods, nutrition

information, and instructions on cooking to adults with chronic illnesses. This is

complemented by our workshops on growing, harvesting and processing herbs from our

medicinal herb gardens.

         But the most important answer the BUF provides to those asking “What can I do” is

community. No household can thrive alone in the face of what is coming. The volunteers

working on the farm, the members of the seed savers group or the families bringing

their kids to build fairy houses on the farm build relationships. They have new friends,

people they can call on for help and to whom they can offer help. And of course they will

have the BUF.

To learn more about our organization, visit www.sustainableberea.org or follow us on Facebook 

If you would like to volunteer, visit Volunteer | Sustainable Berea