Agroecology Commons is a 1-acre agricultural nonprofit in El Sobrante, CA that grows seasonal vegetables. They received a $4,918 grant to enhance their water conservation practices by installing drip irrigation, adding bee hives for pollination, and building a hoop house to extend their growing season.
Agroecology commons installed their drip irrigation system as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer training program. The new system allows them to control and monitor their water usage and will help create incubator farms that “will provide people with explicit access to land in the Bay Area, a rare opportunity, to grow food and medicine, while learning, deepening, and returning to the skills of our ancestors from around the world.” They were also able to add two beehives, increasing the pollinators on their farm, and host a beekeeping workshop with Cameron Redford from the BlackHives Matter project. Unfortunately, they faced setbacks with their hoop house design but were able to shift funding to install some much-needed perimeter deer fencing.
