Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

EcoVillage at Ithaca (EVI) has become a shining example of sustainable community
development, and is probably the most replicable model in North America. In this article,
Executive Director Liz Walker writes about their agriculture programs. At the height of
the growing season, EVI’s West Haven Farm feeds 1,000 people per day off of 10 acres,
mostly through its CSA and outlet to a farmer’s market. There is also a tradition of
outreach to Cornell University and Ithaca College. Yet perhaps what is most impressive is
the regional network of local food production and education that has developed with EVI
at its center ... Liz Walker and her ecovillage are setting precedents.
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Bringing the Harvest Home:
CSA Farming and Farmer
Education at EcoVillage at Ithaca
Liz Walker – EcoVillage at Ithaca, New York, USA
It is a clear summer day in mid-August. Jen and John, our resident farming
couple, work with a dozen helpers to bring in the day’s harvest. They pick
bright red and sun-gold tomatoes and three kinds of beans. Huge heads of
romaine, green leaf, and butter lettuce overflow their containers. Zucchini,
patty pan, and yellow summer squashes abound, along with purple shinyskinned
eggplants. The air in the barn is redolent with the aroma of herbs
– dill, basil, and cilantro.
Everyone works quickly. Soon the Farm’s 200 shareholders will come
to pick up their weekly allotment of organically grown produce. People
will stop and chat with friends, as children play in the sandbox. And they
will pick bright bouquets from the flower garden to add color and scent
to their homes. The bounty of this place will find its way to kitchens and
tables throughout the ecovillage community and beyond to the greater
Ithaca area.
West Haven Farm was the first part of the EcoVillage at Ithaca (EVI)
vision to manifest. Established by Jen and John Bokaer-Smith in 1993, the 10
acre (4 hectare) farm is certified organic by the Northeast Organic Farming
Association (NOFA). Unlike other farms, it will never feel the pressure of
developers eager to create another subdivision, since it is protected by EVI’s
permanent conservation easement on 55 acres of land (about a third of our
total acreage), held by the local Finger Lakes Land Trust. The Farm is also
a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.