I drove right past Alemany Farm three times before I finally found it. That’s because I wasn’t looking up. The mostly volunteer venture that grows organic food (and green jobs) for low-income communities is located on a hillside, the rows and rows of green leafy goodness like rungs on a ladder leading skyward.
Once I hiked the hill, though, I found a hard-working group of volunteers with hands in the dirt and smiles on their faces. And they were more than happy to tell me about their efforts to “sow the seeds for economic and environmental justice.”
I spoke first to Carolyn Sumrall, a Bay Area resident who’s been volunteering with Alemany Farm for about four months. Here’s what she had to say:
Then I got the chance to talk with Alemany Farm cofounder Antonio Roman-Alcala — who told me about the history of the farm and his work on a series of films about sustainable food systems as he gently directed volunteers to plant the collards farther apart and make sure the new beds got a good watering. Here’s what he had to say:
Below, some photos from Alemany Farm:
