Grow a Farmer

As many of you know, in two weeks time I will stop my international documentary film making, move into a tent, and begin to farm. Earlier in the year I was admitted to the UCSC Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture- a rigorous residential program in organic farming where I'll be gardening alongside 40 other aspiring organic farmers from across the country. I'm looking forward to the shift. From planes to plants. From computers to calendula. 

The program was started by Alan Chadwick in the 1960s and has trained much of the corps of todays' blossoming organic movement. Here is where my tone darkens: Although this program has been a mainstay in training the very foundation of the national trend towards organic that we are experiencing, it's survival is in question. The University of California has told the apprenticeship staff that the students can no longer live in tents on the property as they have for the last 40+ years. UC is insisting that the apprenticeship build houses for the program participants to the tune of around $800,000. ( A pretty penny for 40 permanent tent cabins. )

The staff had successfully raised the funds last year, when the construction project was re-appraised by the contractor and it was ascertained that they would need an additional $250,000 by June of 2009. That's when the Grow A Farmer Campaign started. A band of alumni from the program are working with the apprenticeship staff to come up with the additional funding to build the tent cabins and save the program from demise. 

I'll be blogging over the next few months with updates about the program and the campaign. Please check back in for more details and/or check out the campaign website to see how you can get involved! 

Click the title to be taken to www.growafarmer.org/