• Agroecology and Ferments in Borikén with Ian Jiménez Barreras
    Mar 20 2024

    Hello and welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project Podcast!

    In episode 4, we sit with Ian Jiménez Barreras in Borikén aka Puerto Rico, and discuss his navigations of experiential learning in his field, finding his agroecology community, and his experimentation with ferments and Korean natural farming.

    We cover his background, goals and intention when it comes to agriculture, and understand how he got started working with the land in Borikén. He gives us insight into his learning process for developing living soils, including being self taught through books, attending intensives led by Chris Trump, and experimenting with different ferments with the locally abundant resources of the island.

    We hear from him about his shifting community throughout his learning journey, and how those community shifts led to the position he is currently in, which is a team member for projects like the Caribbean Regenerative Community Development (CRCD) and Ridge to Reefs.

    We really follow the arc of Ian’s journey in this episode. In reflection, for people that are looking to embrace a new practice, he recommends to find good mentors and spend time learning and observing in the spaces you find yourself in.

    You can contact Ian through his instagram @pr.knf and @ian_jo16

    Ian’s resource recommendations:

    JADAM organic farming: the way to ultra-low-cost agriculture

    https://en.jadam.kr

    @marco_is_growing

    @soilsteward

    @naturesalwaysright

    Other resources:

    https://www.crcdpr.org/projects/smart-ag-puerto-rico/

    https://www.ridgetoreefs.org

    You can always reach out to us if you have any questions communityagproject@gmail.com and don’t forget to check out our website communityagproject.com. Thanks for tuning in!

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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • San Diego Urban Farming and Growing Seed with Javier Flores
    May 22 2024

    Hello and welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project Podcast.

    In episode 5, we welcome Javier Flores, a farmer based out of San Diego. Javier got his start working in his local food system at the Wild Willow Farm and Education Center, and now works with the Seeds@City Sustainable Agriculture.

    We discuss Javier’s transition into working in the food system and finding mentors in the agriculture space. We talk about the developing community at Seeds@City and around Javier’s work in general. We also get into farming seed vs growing food, Javier’s vision for his local seed bank, and gardening at the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden space.

    Javier shares the key values that he holds while in farming/education spaces, and the rituals that keep him grounded in his work.

    Below are some of the resources Javier shared throughout our talk:

    Organic Seed Alliance

    https://seedalliance.org

    The Milpa Initiative

    https://www.plantspeoplecommunity.org/the-milpa-initiative

    San Diego Seed Farmer Training

    https://www.plantspeoplecommunity.org/san-diego-seed-farmer-training

    Native Seed Search and the ADAPTS Collection Database

    https://www.nativeseeds.org

    Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

    Food Shed - Food Distribution Hub in San Diego

    https://www.foodshedcooperative.com

    Wild Willow Farm

    https://www.wildwillowfarm.org

    Seeds@City Farm

    https://www.sdcity.edu/community/seeds/index.aspx

    Thanks for tuning in!

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    44 mins
  • An Ethnobotanist Lens of Food with Anthony Basil Rodriguez
    Jan 24 2024

    Hello and welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project Podcast. In S2E3, we have a conversation with Anthony Basil Rodriguez: storyteller, researcher, and documentarian of rare plants, humankind and the flux of global society.

    Anthony defines ethnobotany and we hear about his expeditions to different countries and areas that have focused on specific documentation efforts. We talk about bananas, cacao and quinoa as well as a few other foods of interest.

    We also talk food diversity, the loss of species and indigenous knowledge, seed saving, and land and displacement. Anthony shares insight on how he connects with people and the diversity of food while traveling.

    One of our biggest messages was to get acquainted with plants in your own way!

    If you want to continue following Anthony’s work, check out his instagram page and website:

    @Anthonybasilrodriguez

    Anthonybrodriguez.com

    Don’t forget to check out our website: communityagproject.com

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    53 mins
  • Outside Looking In: WWOOF in the US with Julien and Maryam
    Dec 27 2023

    Hello and welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project, Season 2 Episode 2. Today we welcome our guests Maryam and Julien, who are born originally in France and currently living in Berlin and Paris, respectively. Maryam and Julien spent time in the US this summer working on various farms in New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California through WWOOF.

    We start off our conversation talking about their backgrounds and their relation to food and agriculture. We talk about why they wanted to come to the US to work on farms here. They give a description of the farms they worked at, the relation of those farms to their communities, and what they take away from their WWOOF and farming experience.

    Here are some resources related to this episode:

    https://wwoofusa.org/en/

    https://madlavenderfarm.com

    https://www.instagram.com/mohicanflowerfarm/?hl=en

    https://www.cheesetrail.org/business-profile/spring-hill-farmstead-goat-cheese

    http://savagemountainfarm.com

    Complimentary playlist to accompany this episode thanks to Maryam and Julien: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LOtridZI79xlNtnxAgIVt?si=TpRTqcUcTR6ht1H8zYfHlA&pi=u-DAiUBp1mQcmH

    Be sure to check out our website communityagproject.com!

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    58 mins
  • Solidarity Economy and Cooperative Structures with Ebony Gustave
    Nov 22 2023

    Welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project.

    To start off season 2 of the Community Agriculture Project Podcast, we are delving into ways of being in community, specifically from an economic standpoint.

    Our guest is Ebony Gustave, the founder of the Cooperative Journal - a resource for alternative economic models.

    In our discussion, Ebony and I cover the values of the solidarity economy, different types of cooperative models, examples of both of these types of structures, and what it looks like to maintain them. We start by defining and talking about the solidarity economy.

    Several resources are mentioned in the episode that are linked for you below! Be sure to check out Ebony’s ongoing work and all of the rich resources we cover.

    New Roots Cooperative

    https://newrootscooperativefarm.com

    Indiana Black Farmers Cooperative

    https://www.facebook.com/IndianaBlackFarmersCoop/

    Jubilee Justice Rice Mill

    https://www.jubileejustice.org/sri-rice

    Fiber Shed

    https://fibershed.org

    Saint louis / Marsh Food Co Op

    https://marshrivercoop.org

    Ebony’s Podcast Cooperative Journal

    https://www.cooperativejournalmedia.com/general-7

    Karma Kitchen Established by Service Space

    https://www.karmakitchen.org

    https://www.servicespace.org

    Solidarity Economy Principles

    https://solidarityeconomyprinciples.org

    Essential Food and Medicine Bay Area

    https://www.essentialfam.org

    Cross Atlantic Chocolate Collective

    https://www.chocolaterebellion.com

    New Economy Coalition

    https://neweconomy.net

    US Federation of Worker Co Ops

    https://www.usworker.coop/en/

    Grassroots Economic Organizing

    https://geo.coop

    Community Agriculture Project Resources

    Communityagproject.com

    @communityagproject on instagram

    PayPal: communityagproject@gmail.com

    Artizen Fund: https://www.communityagproject.com/single-project

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Local and Global Perspectives with Vivian and Dorothy Lee
    Oct 11 2023

    Welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project podcast.

    In episode 10, we sit down with Vivian and Dorothy Lee to compare and contrast their experiences through time studying and working in the food system. Vivian discusses her experience working at farms and gardens in the New Brunswick area, and how that eventually lead to their position working with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) on the supply chain of different food/commodities like beef and leather. Dorothy reflects on their journey of starting a composting club at their university, their post-graduate experience with AmeriCorps, and working on a farm in Massachusetts. They also discuss their more recent experiences working as a linecook and baker.

    We go on to reflect on the different forms of community that arise in these environments, and find ourselves discussing various scales of community as they relate to food or agriculture or both. We touch on community in family, friends, neighborhoods, work support groups, mutual aid and buy nothing groups, and just generally people with similar drives and passion. We talk about dreams of what agriculture can and might look like in the future, thinking about topics like seaweed, algae and carbon sequestration.

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • The Groovy Veggie Farm
    Oct 4 2023

    Welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project!

    In episode 9 we talk with Christine and Adam of The Groovy Veggie Farm. The Groovy Veggie Farm is currently operating in Jefferson, NY. However, Christine and Adam have much more to their story and what makes their farm operate the way that it does today.

    I met Christine and Adam in 2020 at Rainshadow Organics in Sisters, Oregon when they were working for the Rogue Farm Corps. From there, they continued farming in the Methow Valley and established The Groovy Veggie Farm in 2022. They moved from the Methow Valley back to their home state of New York.

    The Groovy Veggie is still producing incredible and high quality fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy products from their goats. In this episode we get to dive into some of the philosophy behind Christine and Adam’s work, as well as their connection to the food that they grow and land that they steward. We touch on topics like indigenous microorganisms, soil nutrients, and the implementation of hugelkultur.

    If you want to touch base with Christine and Adam and find out more about their work, you can do so here:

    https://groovyveggiefarm.com

    https://embodiedearthbotanicals.com

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    42 mins
  • Gay in the Garden with Diego Martins
    Sep 27 2023

    Welcome back to the Community Agriculture Project! In episode 8, we sit down with Diego Martins, who currently works for the New York Horticultural Society as a Greenhouse and Garden Manager. Diego has started a program called Gay in the Garden.

    Gay in the Garden is for queer folks and their allies to come together for both unstructured and facilitated time in the garden, and is a place to show up freely and authentically. You can expect to grow horticulture skills through collective garden work like weeding, watering, composting, and various garden care tasks followed by a communal harvest and potluck. Monthly, attendees can explore the wisdom the garden offers in the current season, and queer culture-bearers can lead communal, nature-based artmaking and ecological knowledge shares.

    There is a lot of laugher and joy in this episode! At the same time, Diego has the space to share their story as a queer and trans man navigating their interest in agriculture, horticulture and gardening in New York City.The story follows his experience with Green City Force and how they came to work at the New York Horticultural Society.

    Here are some follow up resources from this episode:

    Green City Force website: https://greencityforce.org

    The Horticultural Society website: https://www.thehort.org

    Diego’s Instagram: @plantfatha

    Diego’s contact for professional matters: Dmartins@thehort.org

    Lastly, the genius creator Nicole Daniels: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoleolived

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    1 hr and 7 mins