Since one of the foci of the UMD-Morgan State University Center application will be sustainable and organic agriculture, one important partner to consider could be the Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park. Eight acres of their 200 acre site is an ecosystem farm that is believed to be the “model for farming for the future.” They believe it is a model because despite the marginal soils in this area due to years of the over-farming of crops like tobacco and soybeans, they have successfully planted a highly productive 8 acre organic vegetable garden.
The farm has two solar green houses. It is supported as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Project. Fifty households participate and prepay for products that are harvested between April and December. To provide educational opportunities to others interested in starting a similar project, they hire two to four apprentices per year to work on the farm and learn how to replicate this type of business.
One additional partner to bring into this mix would be the University of Maryland Extension. Interestingly, their website allows “any agriculture, horticulture, or natural resources-based business or organization” advertise for free.
Actually, according to the Maryland Agriculture Info website, there appear to be over 60 CSA projects in Maryland. From the Ground Up, located in Upper Marlboro on Clagett Farm and funded by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, serves the Washington DC community and has pick-up locations in Dupont Circle and Anacostia.
Could this be a model that the University Center would support? I suppose with additional consumer research and outreach to the University of Maryland Extension, we would have our answers.
I think we definitely have the makings of a sustainable food initiative with this UC. Good work identifying these partner organizations. We need to talk about a strategy for engaging them.
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