Be the change you want to see!
Our Goal
To assist conventional farmers in the transition to organic farming through education, mentor-ship, and community support.
Why We Exist
Reforming a business is hard, and farming is hard enough on its own. In our day and age, it is vital that we use as many sustainable practices as we can. Conventional farming uses a large amount of resource while causing a large amount of pollution. We know how much of a struggle farmers have on a daily basis, so we do not want to make their lives any harder.. We want to help farmers become more sustainable by teaching them organic farming methods. To add to the problem, USDA has many restrictions on organic farming that make it difficult to receive organic certification. We want to make this process easier for farmers to achieve, so they can receive the recognition that they deserve.
Initiatives
Fundraising: We will hold a variety of events from fun runs, organic dinners, workshops, seedling sales, and festivals to raise money for our organization and transitioning farms.
Educating: We will provide workshops, seminars, one-on-one consulting, and hands-on demonstrations to conventional farmers to teach them methods of organic farming. These methods will include composting, permaculture design, growing/planting seasons, grey-water systems, animal/crop rotation, natural insecticides, and many more. We will also promote an online, free permaculture class at www.permaculturedesigntraining.com. We will also do our best to provide written educational material through donations or a book sharing program. Throughout the transition, we will answer any questions they may have and will send out newsletters to keep everyone up to date on events in the area and any growing trends.
Mentoring: We will partner each “new farm” with a nearby established mentor. The mentors will be there to answer questions, provide moral support, show their methods of organic farming, and help new farms gain access to seeds, equipment, and etc. We hope the mentors will also show their support at fundraisers and by participating or hosting workshops for new farms.
These initiatives are just aids to the overall service we will be providing to farmers. Our main process will assist farmers from the beginning of their transition until after they are established and certified. The process will contain many different phases that will occur over a matter of years. The phases will include farm evaluation, research, planning, initiation, development, certification, maintenance, and re-evaluation. We believe by providing these services, we will be able to help farmers successfully transition.
If you are interested in making the transition to organic farming or participating in any of our other initiatives, please contact us at ChangingRoots@gmail.com.