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Fellsmere Community Farm Project Update

Project Description:

Click on any one of the thumbnails below to browse through a collection photos from the recent meeting to organize the Fellsmere Community Farm Project.

Added May 20, 2010. During the summer of 2009, a team of 5 representatives from National Immigrant Farming Initiative and Rural Coalition conducted a 3-day training with the core leaders in Fellsmere, Florida (a community on the Atlantic Coast, not too far south of Orlando) on preliminary decision-making for the Fellsmere Community Farm.  They assisted them in processing the preliminary decisions that need to be made related to:  contract for the leased land with the City of Fellsmere, record keeping, farm structure, soil analysis, equipment and security needs, plan for labor, and plan for crop distribution.  (This list is not all inclusive.) 

Following the training, FWAF’s Community Organizer in Fellsmere, Yolanda Gomez, conducted multiple meetings with the community farm participants, and the following preliminary decisions were made:

• The core leadership group decided to develop the farm project as a cooperative, with annual membership dues of $30 per year plus volunteer labor. 
• The core leaders will continue to make decisions collectively for the cooperative, and membership is open to any low-income community member, regardless of race/ethnicity.  
• Two of the four parcels of land were chosen as the first plots to develop into farms.
• Soil testing will be done by IFAS.  Soil preparation, well and water pump installation, and planting will also begin in January/February.
• Crops they would like to grow include:  zucchini, cilantro, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and cactus.  They would also like to grow fruits, including mangoes, papayas, and melons.
• They expect to have two planting and harvesting seasons; some plants will grow year-round.
• They will get training in organic production, likely by either an organic farm in nearby Vero Beach, or by the Farmworker Health and Safety Institute.
• Cooperative members must attend meetings and trainings.
• The plots of land will be worked collectively, and crops shared by all cooperative members.
• Produce harvested in excess of the cooperative members’ needs will be shared with other low-income, needy families locally.
• Detailed records will be kept during the first year of production, and analyzed at year’s end to ascertain the labor needed and costs associated with producing crops on each parcel of land in relation to the amount of crops produced.

This information will help the core leaders to determine the feasibility of opening a local produce stand and selling lower-priced fruits and vegetables, and the possibility of selling consumer shares in the cooperative.

A portion of the training included representatives from the Fellsmere City Council, the University of Florida’s Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, and USDA.  The total attendance during the training was 130.

Fellsmere Community Farm activities since the training last summer include:

• Established an agreement with the City of Fellsmere to provide an irrigation system and training from a local organic cooperative, in addition to providing the land for the Community Farm Project.
• Participated in Voices for Justice event to promote the Fellsmere Community Farm Project, reached 55 potential supporters, and raised $110 for the community farm project.
• The City of Fellsmere committed to hosting a series of monthly workshops conducted by a local organic grower.  Thus far, 16 community leaders participated in a training on community farms, cooperative farm structure, nutritional value of fresh food, and how wild vegetables became domestic vegetables.  7 community leaders participated in a training on how to do lasagna gardening versus tilling.  16 community leaders participated in a training on how to save and store seeds.  14 community leaders participated in a training on organic fertilizers and pest control options.  And, 8 community leaders participated in a training on Florida’s best vegetables.
• Worked with a pro bono lawyer on the preparation of the contract/agreement with the City.  This document still has to be finalized.
• FWAF submitted 2 funding requests (to USDA and Kellogg) to secure funds to support the Fellsmere Community Farm Project. These requests are still pending. The Fellsmere Community Farm Project is also included in a funding request to support diabetes mitigation and address racial health disparities, submitted by the local Health Department and the City of Fellsmere.