Unadilla Community Farm Education Center Inc.
is an 11-acre, nonprofit farm and permaculture education center in West Edmeston, NY dedicated to providing education and training in sustainable agriculture and providing access to fresh produce for low-income and low-access communities. Their off-the-grid center grows 200+ varieties of annual and perennial cold-hardy fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs. With their $5,000 grant they converted their existing solar-powered irrigation system from overhead sprinklers to drip irrigation.
Unadilla Community Farm’s water-saving drip irrigation system was successfully installed and is now in operation. “Positive outcomes of this project are already being measured, as the amount of staff hours spent managing the farm’s irrigation system has dropped dramatically — from an estimated 3 hours per day spent maneuvering the old overhead irrigation system, to 1 hour per week spent cleaning the filter, inspecting drip lines, and adjusting timer valves as needed,” said Board President Greta Zarro.
