Since 2005, Earthshare Gardens has provided education, inspiration, and most importantly, high-quality food to the Acadiana region.
It is a 1.5 hectare organic farm operated by a non-profit community organization and volunteers. It provides space for organic farmers to expand their operations, train farm members, and provide fresh, organic, much-needed local produce to those who need it most.
Earthshare Gardens board president Chris Adams has been there from the beginning. The farm has seen new business, new equipment and growing success in recent years, although he admits last summer wasn't easy.
"It's been a difficult year," he said. "In theory, when we water the plants, we use overhead irrigation: last summer we did it for maybe two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall... but this year, the summer was so dry that we had to run. "Just one "Week, all summer. It was a very hot, dry, hot summer. It was very hard on the plants."
Earthshare Gardens, Scott's first community-supported agricultural garden, averages 15 to 20 members, and families or individuals purchase seasonal memberships. The various prices depending on the volonté des membres de travailler dur and de la frequence (littéralement) à laquelle ils souhaitent récolter les fruits de leur travail, les adhésions allant de 90 $ pour le leveau le plus bas à 360 $ pour le leveau le highest. Fall memberships for the garden are now open, Adams said.
In addition to CSA Gardens, a new program has been launched to lease land to farmers who want to expand their operations in response to COVID-19. So far, two farmers – or partners, as Adams calls them – have taken him up on the offer and are growing their own crops using farm equipment, water and improved land.
"It's more of an incubation program," Adams said. "We shared information, discussed problems and helped each other when necessary. It was a success and a lot of fun."
Earthshare Gardens not only provides benefits to its members, but also strives to provide its products to meet the needs of the community. Participants in both incubation programs sell their products at Fightingville Fresh Market in Lafayette, which offers incentives from SNAP recipients to promote the business, with about a third of the garden reserved for grants to underserved communities.
"It depends on how the crops grow and what kind of harvest we have," Adams said. "But (giving one-third) is our goal, which is what we strive for. That's why we (give to the community) directly through our farming and our donations, and our farmer members give the same value to their work."
Adams is a city planner for Lafayette focusing on urban planning and sustainable development. It's not hard to see a crossover with her role in Earthshare Garden.
"(Earthshare Gardens) is an exciting project," he said. "This is a community I've been a part of for many, many years. It's not something that makes me money."
Camila Correa was the second participant in the farm's incubator program. He admitted that when the land was first leased in October 2021, his knowledge of farming was limited.
“I was a nursery gardener and was very interested in growing vegetables,” he said. “But my husband and I had no farming experience and at first we didn't know what we were doing.”
"Agriculture is a world of knowledge. There are pests, diseases, frosts, droughts... especially because we do everything by hand, we had to learn everything and there are people around to teach and help, there are people you can ask ...It really helps.
The advantages were numerous. Korea learned a lot about farming by planting everything from okra to broccoli and selling the results at local farmers markets, as well as forging friendships and connections within the community. Their popular Williemen's Backyard Facebook page is a testament to the program's success.
"I would definitely recommend it to anyone who lives in the city and is considering buying a farm," he said. "It's a great opportunity."
