Red H Farm, a 2-acre farm in Sebastopol, CA, is grounded in the agroecological ethics of growing soil, conserving water, fostering biodiversity, cultivating community, and building equity. While the majority of their land is dry-farmed, climate change issues such as California’s ongoing drought, wildfires, and extreme heat have prompted them to expand the portion of the farm using drip irrigation. They received a $5,000 grant to expand their drip irrigation system to support production for their sliding-scale winter CSA program, establish perennial edible and pollinator-focused hedgerows, and a caterpillar tunnel.
Red H Farm has already begun seeing benefits from their project. They have been able to install and use their drip irrigation system and caterpillar tunnel, helping to improve yields and extend their growing season. They also have grown or purchased plants, including grapes, berries, and mulberries which they’ll be using to create hedgerows along the deer fencing they installed this year. Owner and Operator Caitlin Hachmyer told us, with winter crops still thriving in the tunnel, “we are running a 38 member CSA this year and have plans to expand to at least 50 next winter.”
