Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Sustainable Farm Field Trip!

A couple weeks ago we took the students to an organic sustainable farm located several miles north of Legacy Institute as part of their Ag class.  Here Jeff Rutherford (owner) explains how Fair Earth Farm works with its many types of vegetables, fruit trees, and animals grown together in tandem as in a natural environment.  
Passion fruit growing on this trellis serves to purposes as edible shade.


Geese, ducks, and chickens are raised for food and help at the farm.  The ducks churn up and  fertilize the wet rice paddies.  The chickens compost (by scratching the ground) and fertilize the plants.

Jeff showing us how he makes animal food from fermented taro, mulberry, cassava, banana trunk, with a mixture of molasses and salt.

Dragon fruit, taro, bread fruit, and pineapple in the front pf his food forest.

Cassava, taro, and many of kinds of fruit trees planted together give  food for  the family and neighbors.

A canal fed by the local waterways channel through his 1-1/2 acre farm to
supply fish and irrigate the crops in the dry season.

 A delicious snack of freshly picked bananas during our visit.

Rice paddies produce much of the food for Fair Earth Farm.

This chicken tractor is used to keep the chickens contained and to fertilize a apecific area.