On
the eve of the
groundbreaking for our donated land in Buttonwillow, and the 4th
anniversary of losing our South Central Farm, a for-sale sign has gone up at 4st
and Alameda!
The
asking price - $16 million. So we are once again forced to raise enormous funds!
We remain undaunted. We know we can do it. But only with your help and
support...
Help us get this lot, still barren from being bulldozed, and
regrow the largest urban farm in the country!
The Buttonwillow and South Central
Farms are intricately linked in our mission to a more holistic and equitable
food system. And,  to creating independent and  autonomous communities through
sustainable jobs.
 
What made the South Central Farm so
meaningful was its ability to build community out of diversity.
Now
we are expanding that spirit to the Central valley. We hope more areas will join
us as we work to benefit the general community,
society,  and environment.
The Farm Project
Over the last seven months, through a
web of support and an amazing show of generosity, a myriad of local and national
businesses have donated materials and labor in excess of $150,000 to rebuild the
existing defunct well and make it viable for farming.
The Well Project has made real the
South Central Farmers' dream to farm their own land, organically and
sustainably, now and for generations of farmers to come.
Kern contributes to 'noble cause' of veggies for low-income families
Written by Administrator
Mar 12, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Kern contributes to 'noble cause' of veggies for low-income families
BY COURTENAY EDELHART, Californian staff writer | Saturday, Feb 20 2010 12:00 PM
The
South Central Farmers Cooperative sells organic produce from 8 a.m. to
noon Saturdays at Certified Farmers Market next to Golden State Mall,
3201 F St. in Bakersfield.
For information about the cooperative or to make a donation, visit the group's Web site at www.southcentralfarmers.com.
Images:
Casey Christie / The Californian
Los Angeles resident, Tezozomoc, harvests romaine lettuce, Saturday, on
a leased field in the Shafter area. The farmer comes up on several
weekends during the year, working the fields and harvesting as seen
here along with other co-op farmers.
Casey Christie / The Californian
This co-op farmer picks onions in a leased field near Shafter,
Saturday. They are a group of South-Central Los Angeles farmers who
lost their makeshift inner city farm to development and have had 85
acres of farmland in Buttonwillow donated to them.
The land is 85 acres of bumpy, weed-infested clumps of dirt. Rusted
pipes and other castoffs are strewn about, and there are three
abandoned trailers on the property, all vandalized by thieves in search
of scrap metal. One of them is tipped over.
USDA, Justice Dept. set to probe consolidation in agriculture
Written by Administrator
Mar 11, 2010 at 07:44 PM
USDA, Justice Dept. set to probe consolidation in agriculture
By P.J. HUFFSTUTTER
For
40 years, farmer Todd Leake and his family have battled bitter cold,
hungry pests and a short growing season to coax soybeans out of their
fields in eastern North Dakota.
The one thing they never had to fight for, though, was their seeds.
A
decade ago, salesmen from as many as 50 seed companies would compete
for their dollars. Each would promise healthier plants, richer yield or
a better discount.
Today the Leakes have little choice: There are
four seed companies in their area, and all sell seeds that include
genetic traits patented and licensed by Monsanto Co., the world's
largest seed firm.
"There's basically nothing else available," said Leake, 48. "You have to use their seeds and pay their prices."
The
concerns of farmers such as Leake will take center stage in Ankeny,
Iowa, on Friday as the Justice Department and U.S. Department of
Agriculture kick off the first of a yearlong series of public meetings
to examine whether antitrust practices in agriculture are driving food
prices higher.
Even after years of struggle and in a time of
economic crisis.”
Photos and video available
upon request.
LOS ANGELES—On Saturday,
January 30th at 12:00pm the South Central Farmers will roll out
The BIG Fruit Tree Giveaway in collaboration with
Tree People organization. Taking place at the South Central Farm Center located
on 1702 E. 41st Street, right next to the former site of the South
Central Farm, one hundred fruit trees will be distributed to neighboring
families. The Farmers want every tree that was bulldozed, killed, or forcibly
removed from the South Central Farm to be lovingly replaced by a new sapling of
potential and hope in South Central Los Angeles. Tree types will include
passion fruit, apples, apricots, nectarines, loquats, peaches, cherimoya, plums,
and guavas.
THIS campaign is part of a larger
plan to address community food security issues through comprehensive and
multi-faceted efforts that engage multiple stakeholders and constituencies in
planning for and implementing viable food systems that feed hungry families in
disenfranchised urban neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
The rise of the South Central
Farmers began nearly four years ago when their raucous and playful street
protests, with over-sized cardboard corn FIGURES and a multicultural blend of
community, gave voice to 350 families being thrown out of a public URBAN FARM
they had cultivated into a hidden paradise in the middle of L.A.'s industrial
district.
Developer Ralph Horowitz bulldozed
the site of the South Central Farm, the nation's largest urban farm, in June of
2006 after negotiations between the Mayor's office and Horowitz failed.As of now they have temporarily halted Horowitz's planned construction of
a mammoth DISTRIBUTION CENTER for Forever 21, forcing Horowitz to agree to an
Environmental Impact Report before construction could go forward on the
warehouse. Regardless of the difficulties, the farmers continue on their mission
for food sovereignty and environmental justice through the established
non-profit organization South Central Farmers Health and Education Fund, a
501c.3. They also continue to hold weekly farmers markets in Watts, Leimert
Park, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, LA City Hall, as well as
Hollywood.
-danny
santana~> -South Central Farm Volunteer -
Never Forever 21 Coalition -
