A Rocha to the Table

If you aren't familiar, A Rocha Canada is a non profit environmental stewardship organization. They focus mainly on sustainable agriculture, conservation and education. With programs like farm to family and their internship program, they strive to be part of their community and not just a farm.

On our trip we focused primarily on their sustainable agriculture and what they are doing to make it more realistic for the average person. For your convince I linked their video about it below. The thought that they have to put into their work and how they use the land is much deeper than I first thought. Things like what happens to the river that runs through their property and the life with in it or how to compost properly (pic 2). They also do lots of research into animals and how they contribute to the system as well. For example, they have different kinds of birds like ducks and chickens that can eat weeds and fertilize the soil naturally (pic 3,5). The quality products that are grown from these practices are not even comparable to what you can buy in a grocery store. Even ignoring the products, the whole point of sustainable farming is that instead of being harmful to the soil and the environment, through proper practices it restores and nurtures the environment. Creating a healthier climate and more varied species in the area.

A Rocha also has a CSA program where people can subscribe by paying a lump sum at the beginning of the year. This signs them up to receive weekly containers of fresh produce that is grown right on A Rocha property (pic 1). This way the farmers are supported at the beginning and do not have to worry about the market and crop success rates throughout the year. Not only would you support a local farmer by eating local (even if it isn't a subscription), produce that is ripened naturally before it is picked it has more nutrients and thus greater health benefits. However, it isn't always reasonable to purchase as the attention and effort that the farmers have to put in to make these products so great drastically bumps up the price.

All in all the trip was quite fun and it really opened my eyes to what really goes into being fully sustainable.