By Dylan Oster
This past week, we had the opportunity to visit the Learning Farm. The owner, Pete Núñez, kindly gave us a tour, teaching us about their sustainable farming practices as a small-scale organic farm. Their produce is completely organic, as they do not use any pesticides or herbicides. They love and care for their animals, relying on their waste to improve the soil. Additionally, they’re focused on planting a variety of crops rather than creating monocultures that harm soil health and work against nature’s system. They also try to plant as many trees as possible to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We learned about their regenerative farming techniques, Pete’s vision for the farm, and how he got into farming. He is passionate and dedicated to sustainable farming, marked by a strong desire to create meaningful change. He talked about the long hours as a farmer and how he even uses an electric mower rather than a gas one despite it being inconvenient, illustrating his commitment to doing as much as he can to protect the environment.
Left: One of the trees that Pete freed, which would have otherwise been choked by a couple of invasive trees.
Right: This bee hotel captures local bees, helping improve their decimated population.
Say hi to some of his alpacas:) All of the animals on the farm are free-range too!
Pete’s drive to solve issues of food justice and his desire to create an equitable food system through farming practices, education, and outreach are inspiring. He started the farm to teach children about sustainable agriculture through a hands-on curriculum that connects them to the land and nature called STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics). Their Quarter Acre for the People project provides land for families to farm–with a focus on providing land to BIPOC individuals to improve food sovereignty, empower marginalized community members, and dismantle systemic inequalities in the current food system. Pete and his wife also lead the Farming for Freedom Trail, which uplifts marginalized farmers and raises awareness of our current unjust and racist food system. We also learned about Pete’s other projects, including several glamping cabins where guests can help on the farm, a commercial teaching kitchen, a space for farm-to-table community meals with diverse food, and more.
Inside the glamping cabin and the learning center!
The learning farm shows how we can create a more equitable future that is better for both the planet and the people by connecting people with the land, each other, and fresh, delicious food. By giving children various tools, support, skills, and knowledge, as well as instilling care for food systems and nature in them, they can continue this meaningful work for generations to come. The tour offered us a unique understanding of what sustainable and socially-minded food systems look like in practice.
What people said about the tour:
“Great methods of farming! Loved Pete’s personality and the tomatoes are fab.”
“I learned about regenerative farming and how planting diverse plants in an area helps develop the soil over time in practice.”
“Working on a farm is so hard”
They loved “eating the tomatoes; meeting new people; Seeing the alpacas”
Thank you so much to Pete and the Learning Farm for a wonderful experience!
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