Vinti Singh’s blog

By Vinti Singh

When you think of a farm, you most likely picture a quaint, rural setting. Maybe there's a cow in your reverie, or perhaps some fields of wheat. Whatever you envision, it's probably miles away from New Canaan.

But if the model of agriculture is to change to account for people's demands of fresher, healthier food with a smaller carbon footprint, New Canaan will have to embrace certain farming practices.

Luckily there are plenty of ways to do that without converting your garage into a barn and your tennis court into a pasture (although, experts say, that's not as outlandish as it may seem.)

1. Join a CSA

Community supported agriculture, ( CSA ), gives a farmer more financial stability and is a way for participants to get a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Community members buy a stake in the wintertime, usually about $500, in the upcoming season. Buying into a CSA is a risk because if the crops fail that year, participants get less crops. But in a good season, shareholders usually get a crate of whatever is ripe each week.

Patricia Popp, owner of Sport Hill Farm in Easton, has 75 participating families in her CSA program this year. They come mostly from Easton, but also from as far as Norwalk and Stamford.

"There's already a waiting list for next year," Popp said.

Since participants buy-in during the off season, farmers can spread their expenses over the year.

Participants not only get fresh food, they also "eat seasonal," a concept that dictates eating produce when it is in season because that is when its nutritional content is the highest.

2. Buy produce from local farmers

"We have to make sure there's a market for local produce," Liba Furrhman, executive director of the Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust said. "The larger the market, the more people who will want to go into farming."

Become a "localvore," or someone committed to eating food grown within their local food shed.

New Canaan has a Saturday and Wednesday farmer's market where local produce is available, as well as farms within a half hour's drive.

Going directly to a farmer's stand is less expensive than going to a farmer's market, farmer Patricia Popp,of Easton, said. "The whole idea of buying local or being a localvore has become more popular not only to support the local economy, but also to lower carbon footprint," New Canaan resident John Kriz, who is a board member for the Connecticut Farmland Trust, said. "It helps support local employment and local open space. People in New Canaan are really a very sophisticated group who really understand and care about what they eat. Buying fresh, local organic food is part of their lifestyle and part of the values they believe in and want to support."

3. Replace landscaping with agriculture

Anyone can farm on the small scale with a vegetable garden or even a small chicken coop.

Kriz considers himself a producer of agriculture since he keeps beehives on his property in New Canaan.

During World War II, when food was rationed, people dug up their lawns and planted "victory gardens" to demonstrate self sufficiency.

"Considering that New Canaan is made up of a significant amount of parcels with generous surplus land there could be a lot more personal or neighborhood scale gardens," Town Planner Steve Kleppin said. "Obviously the soils would have to be amended and I would recommend some industrial strength deer fencing. But if you have a 2 to 4 acre lot that is not all wooded, there is more than enough room to install a large garden and/or some fruit trees. Like anything else they need a lot of maintenance, but if people really want to talk about sustainability, that would be a great start. Couple that with some home-based composting and now you're cooking."

If that sounds like too much hard work, you can always ask your landscaper to plant vegetables instead of flowers or even hire an organic farmer to till your soil, Fairfield County Land Trust President Candace Benyei said.

4. Educate the next generation

"If we want to save farmland in Connecticut, we have to start teaching and put love in kids," Popp said. "Just because you have farm doesn't mean children will want to carry it on. It's hard work, lots of labor, extreme heat, you're soaking wet."

Popp hosts a summer camp on her farm.

They plant seeds, pick the fields and talk about seasonal eating. If they are brave enough, they can go into the chicken coop and pick an egg.

"We need to teach people that understanding and love when they're little," Popp said. She said she has some potential farmers in her group.

"I have handful of kids who from day one we started just took to it and truly do love it," Popp said.

The interest is there. The Fairfield County Farm Bureau hosted a conference for beginning farmers in March. The 13 workshops were filled to capacity. At the Northeast Organic Farming Association's winter conference in February, 700 people attended and there was standing room only. Two-thirds of the people were under 45.

"Huge numbers of young people, who are college educated, understand the way we are growing food in this country, with pesticides and such, is killing us off," Benyei said.

5. Support a land trust

Organizations such as the Connecticut Farmland Trust and Connecticut Farm Bureau work with Connecticut farmers to help them preserve their land for agricultural use only.

"All those all non-profits help preserve small farms like me," Popp said. "Donate your time, money. Preserve it. Help farmers find a way to do it. If not, they'll have to close their farm."

 

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