GREENVILLE, SC Jason Schmidt Shelby Cohen Farm Manager Community - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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GREENVILLE, SC Jason Schmidt Shelby Cohen Farm Manager Community - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

May 17, 2023 369 likes •649 views

GREENVILLE, SC Jason Schmidt Shelby Cohen Farm Manager Community Relations Coordinator Former Chemical Engineer MA Global Sustainability Former Chemistry Teacher Former S&W District Intern Assistant at local organic farm Former English

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SLIDE 1

GREENVILLE, SC

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SLIDE 2

Jason Schmidt

Farm Manager

Former Chemical Engineer Former Chemistry Teacher Assistant at local organic farm Backyard grower (Literally, his entire yard…)

Shelby Cohen

Community Relations Coordinator

MA Global Sustainability Former S&W District Intern Former English Teacher Volunteer at local organic farm

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MISSION

the

  • Educate students, neighbors, and other

local farmers on soil & water conservation

  • Provide a consistent supply of fresh

produce to the local community & Legacy Charter School

Establish an urban farm that uses sustainable practices to:

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PARTNERS

  • ur

LCS agreed to integrate its curriculum with the farm, and had interest in purchasing the land from County Rec. They also supplied facilities for storage and packaging. GGS operates a mulch & compost facility using recycled yard waste. They agreed to support soil building by donating ground cover, soil, and compost. Chartwells is Legacy Charter School’s food

  • provider. They promote locally grown produce,

and agreed to purchase from the farm after we became GAP certified. GFG is a network & resource center for community gardens. They provided us access to their tool library, and agreed to promote educational opportunities at the farm.

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SLIDE 5

CITY VIEW

about

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“When I was growing up, food brought our neighborhood

  • together. I hope this project can do that again.”
  • Ms. Pat Tarrant
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  • 53% of residents live below the poverty level
  • Low education levels & little access to work
  • 87% of homes are renter‐occupied
  • City View is a food desert

theGOOD NEWS

BAD NEWS

the

  • Neighbors, local business owners & leaders support WCF
  • Bon Secours ‘Healthy Communities’ Initiative
  • County developing Master Plan for City View
  • City View Coalition
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SLIDE 8

FARM PLAN

long‐term

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THE FARM…

welcome to

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SMALL

start

Above: Our total growing space would be three acres eventually. As clearing continued, we were happy to start with 1/10 of an acre. Our partner, Greater Greenville Sanitation, donated 2ft. of mulch and leaves, and 6in. of soil to get us started.

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COMMUNITY

in the

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  • Two Legacy Charter School Earth Science classes made up of

Juniors & Seniors

  • Researched the “super soil” of the Amazon Rainforest
  • Driving question: What impact does biochar have on

crops, and is it worth the investment for the farm?

  • Two times through – Clay VS. worm castings VS. biochar
  • Career Day
  • Unexpected byproducts – a camp Counselor, Mill Village

Farm crew & Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery job

PROJECT

soil health

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SLIDE 13

PROJECT

youthbuild

  • A Goodwill program that helps youth earn their GEDs

and gain certification in the construction industry

  • Converted two sheds into walk‐in coolers with

insulation, GAP‐friendly siding and flooring & CoolBot AC unit

  • Led a class on food deserts, sustainable agriculture &

farm infrastructure needs

  • Field trip to farm site
  • Plans for farm stand
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REJOICE

lettuce

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TRANSPLANT

time to

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GROW!

look at ‘em

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SLIDE 17

HARVEST

time to

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SELL

time to

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STORY

sharing our

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SLIDE 20
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TURNING POINT

the

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RESULTS

environmental assessment

  • Found a “Recognized Environmental Issue”
  • Showed signs of fill dirt – may have been a result of a

neighborhood landfill or mill incinerator

  • Domino effect – Legacy Charter School no longer wanted to be

affiliated with contamination, lost interest in buying the land, and working with us.

  • Loss of largest partner and our storage & post‐harvest facility
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SLIDE 23

LEARNED

lessons

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“You never step in the same river twice.”

1

  • It’s difficult to build a structure in the

middle of a river.

  • Administration changes. Teachers
  • change. Priorities change.
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SLIDE 25

25

Land access issues are exacerbated in an urban area.

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  • Even when land has limited use, questionable

history, or limited development value, urban areas have more people with conflicting ideas of how to manage it.

  • Hindsight is 20/20
  • County Rec = Long‐term security
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What we do today affects tomorrow.

3

  • Likewise, there are consequences of doing an

Environmental Assessment – even if you’re just trying to be decent stewards of the land.

  • Did our decision prohibit us from making a

difference tomorrow?

  • Decisions made in the early and mid‐1900s put

an end to a project in 2017.

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SLIDE 27

To learn more about our project, visit www.woodsidecityfarm.com Shelby Cohen scohen@greenvillecounty.org