"...ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you.." (The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, From the Persian. No. 20)
Consider a vocation in Sustainable Agriculture. Small intensive sustainable mini-farms can generate up to $15,000. per acre annually with a lot of hard work but very little capital investment. "They could be rocket scientists if they chose to be.", Amigo Cantisano says of his fellow organic farmers. "They love the work, they love being outside, they love the plants, they love feeding people. They redefine the image of farming."
Eco Ag Service is a non-profit Baha'i directed organization formed through an initiative of the Assoc.. of Baha'i Studies North American Agriculture Seminar, for the purpose of providing an information link between qualified ecologically-oriented farms and Baha'i youth between the ages of 15 and 25. Eco Ag Service will interview, screen and attempt to match prospective volunteer/apprentice workers with the needs and nature of prospective host farms. The farms, in most cases "organic" are qualified farms that need extra labor in exchange for imparting some of the knowledge, skills and techniques necessary to run an ecologically-oriented farm. The farms are for the most part "mini-farms"; large market gardens or large Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) gardens. Room and board are provided by the farm and in some cases a small stipend and/or personal garden plot are provided. The work is driven by weather and season and is generally more sunrise to sunset than 9 to 5. The term of service can range from a month, a season, to a year or two. The geographic focus of Eco Ag Service is Virginia and the Carolinas, although Eco Ag has facilitated the locating of apprentices in Michigan and South Africa. Eco Ag Service seeks to encourage Baha'i youth to consider a vocation in agriculture and to learn about the growing of food in ways that sustain natural resources and promote community. For more information on Eco Ag Service contact one of the following email addresses:Nancy McIntyre -nancym@madison.main.nc.us; John Bradley-jobradley@infoave.net; Winnie Merritt-omerritt@aol.com
Apprentice for a month, a season or a Year of Service at the gardens of Louis Gregory Baha'i Institute. There is much to learn and much work to be done and too few to do it. Be part of the solution, creating a model of Baha'i sustainable agriculture, reconstructing the local community around the Institute, around Hemmingway and Williamston County and outward. In the early spring of 1995 the first garden was dug with the help of many volunteers in a clearing beside the road , a round 90' diameter pattern of raised beds with 9 paths radiating from the center, with a big sign the reading " Baha'i Sustainable Agriculture Garden". The gardening methods in use are a combination of Biointensive raised bed, Machobane row-crop method from Lesotho, and traditional local methods. Since April of 1995, the gardens have been producing year round seasonal crops, and have recently been expanded to approximately two acres. In addition to supplying a significant portion of food for the Institute, especially during the summer Youth Academies, the gardens have become self-supporting and even a positive revenue source through the roadside sale of vegetables. Summer Youth Academy participants share in the work of the gardens on a daily basis and develop appreciation of the soil and its bounty. The roadside garden has become a magnet for teaching. Passers-by who have never previously shown an interest in the Faith, now stop to buy lettuce, peanuts or collard greens, admire the abundance, ask about gardening techniques and occasionally inquire about the Faith. Agricultural information is now being incorporated into the radio station programming. And there are plans to do much more! For more information on the agricultural opportunities at LGBI contact the following email address or one of the above Eco Ag Service email addresses: Lanita Barnes or Sophia Berghani at lgi@usbnc.org
Over the course of the past few years the Bosch School has developed an impressive organic garden and offers the opportunity for youth and adults to share in the furtherance of this bountiful creation. For more information on the Bosch garden project contact Sima Cockshut at the following email address: simasc@aol.com
GARDENING Plant a garden, no matter how small. Build life into the soil. Become more in-sync with the seasons. Keep an eye on the weather. Understand the requirements of your seeds and plants. Deal with pests and critters. Harvest, preserve, share and enjoy he fruits of your labor. Share knowledge. Appreciate the farmer. Become, in the terms of Baha'u'llah, a person of "discernment" with respects to the earth. For advise on home gardening contact Howard and Ruth Leeb at the following email address: Lrhleebs@usit.net
READING LIST For an ever expanding reading list of Baha'i and Otherwise works relating to sustainable agriculture ranging from high philosophy classics to low-down ,hands-on, how-to nitty-gritty classics contact John Bradley at the following email address: jobradley@infoave.net
BUY SUSTAINABLY GROWN OR ORGANIC FOOD, WHEN POSSIBLE.
-You help to support a farmer in maintaining the health of the soil, the foundation of all life.
-You help to protect our supply of clean air and water.
-You help to encourage the use of composting- the recycling of plant and animal wastes into fine quality soil fertilizers. Full-scale, properly organized composting could reduce landfill garbage by 70 percent.
-You help to encourage crop diversity, which is needed to ensure food and seed supply.
-You help to honor the value of the small farm and help provide safe and wholesome work environments.
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