For young people not raised on the land, getting into farming can seem daunting. Even for people who have worked on farms before, it is easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed when it comes to starting a farm of one’s own.

This week, we’ll look at short films that feature a few of the learning centers and networks created specifically to educate, support, and connect people of all ages who want to begin farming. We’ll also look at some examples of ecovillages where farming and farm education are integral parts of community life.

The Growing Farmers Initiative

This film offers a brief introduction to the Growing Farmers Initiative, a program run through the Stone Barns Center in New York, USA. The Stone Barns Center works to educate and unite young farmers from around the world — as part of their mission to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system.
(4.23 min)

Nashira Ecovillage

Nashira Ecovillage is a sustainable and entirely matriarchal community near Cali, Columbia. Home mostly to women from low-income backgrounds, many of whom were driven from their homes by violence, Nashira (named for the Incan goddess of abundance) is spreading hope by becoming an example of equity, sustainability, and celebration in unstable times.
The film is also available in Spanish here.
(6.29 min)

Organic Urban Farming on a 1/2-Acre Property in Oxford, NZ

This film tells the story of Kane and Fiona Hogan, of Oxford, NZ. The Hogans have transformed their 1/2-acre property into an abundant veggie garden and educational center for those who want to learn to grow food in their own backyards.
(5.50 min)

Green Bronx Machine

This film tells an incredible story of kids finding healthy food, hope, and skills for the future through an urban school farm in an underserved neighborhood of the Bronx, in New York City.
(2.50 min)

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

(8.22 min)

and

Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage

(10.38 min)

These two films are part of the Planet Community Series. The first communities the series explores are in the Midwestern USA — a region often associated with industrial farming. But Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (in rural Missouri) and Enright Ridge Ecovillage (in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio) both provide examples of communities that hold sustainable food production and farming education close to their hearts.

Allegheny Mountain School

This film describes the beautiful Allegheny Mountain School, in the mountains of Virginia, USA, which is known for its 18-month fellowship in sustainable farming and farm education.
(4.08 min)

A Day In the Life of An Ecovillager

This video provides a fun window into the lives of the residents of O.U.R Ecovillage, permaculture farm, and learning center in British Columbia, Canada.
(4.18 min)