<
https://www.hcn.org/issues/55.9/agriculture-seattles-black-farmers-collective-nurtures-communities-and-crops>
"On a drizzly November day, Masra Clamoungou, the farm manager for Small Axe
Farm, was getting ready for winter. Small Axe is part of a patchwork of farms
east of Seattle, between the pine-filled Cascade foothills and the maple-lined
banks of the Sammamish River. During the growing season, the area feels like an
enormous produce aisle, striped with neat rows of kale, carrots, cabbage,
peonies, blueberries, tomatoes and more.
Clamoungou stood at the end of a 100-foot-long crop bed studded by the wilting
leaves and sagging stalks of the last remaining collards. Transparent tarps
nailed to the ends of a half-finished greenhouse whipped in the wind behind
him. With his arms spread wide, he dragged in lengths of a pliable black tube —
drip tape, used for slow-release watering — that stretched the length of the
row, twisting his torso as he doubled the tape over on itself. Next, he planned
to mow down the still-standing plants before sowing rye and vetch, cover crops
that would hold the soil in place during the wet winter ahead and fix nitrogen
and other nutrients in it, ready for the vegetables he’d seed the coming
spring.
While the cover crops prepped the land, Clamoungou and his crew prepped
themselves, along with the equipment, infrastructure and seedlings they’d need
for a successful growing season. Even on a compact farm like Small Axe, which
spans only four acres — the national average is 446 acres — there was much to
be done: crop rotations to plan, greenhouse doors to finish, a new shed to
build.
But, as part of the nonprofit Black Farmers Collective, Small Axe is more than
just a place for growing food. It’s also a place for growing Black-owned
farm-based businesses and helping the collective to fulfill its mission:
building a Black-led food system that heals and enlivens Seattle’s Black
community. The collective collaborates with Black-led markets and food banks,
and brings people together to celebrate life and land, with its farms and
farmers at the center of its efforts."
Via
The Fixer September 6, 2023
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/small-urban-spaces-boost-biodiversity-australia/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
