Spring Valley EcoFarms is a non-profit organization focusing on education, research, and outreach to promote more ecologically sustainable agriculture. Its seat is Spring Valley Farm, 100 acres in the Georgia Piedmont. The vision is to reduce reliance on external subsidies in agricultural systems through incorporating free services of nature. The goal is to develop a model for conservation of biological diversity and to provide a laboratory where ecological science and theory are put to a real-world test.
Spring Valley EcoFarms wins 2012 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award District 2
Pictured are Gov. Nathan Deal, Dr. Carl Jordan, Sybille Foucart and Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black
FALL 2012 COURSE IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
The popular Spring Valley EcoFarms field course in organic agriculture will again be offered in the Fall of 2012. This course is for students who would like to have an experience of planting, managing, and harvesting their own organic garden, as well as hands-on experience with agroforestry, farm animals and fruit production. The course, worth 4 hours of University of Georgia credit, is given through the Odum School of Ecology. For details, see the course page.
To read the recent article from the UGA Columns Magazine click here
Spring Valley EcoFarms is addressing the need to develop future farmers and environmentally conscious people. We do this through participatory growth. Spring Valley EcoFarms currently works with dynamic students, entrepreneurs, schools, volunteers and scientists to build a farm that features many compatible applications. We are (on a small, human scale) providing a “real” farm environment where one can encounter a “little bit of everything” that makes up a farm.
In today's climate, it's become obvious that there is a concrete need for site specific research, agricultural training at all ages and raising general awareness of environmental issues to ensure local economic stability. There is a real interest in cultivating self-sustaining practices and getting people from all cross-sections of society a little more plugged into nature. *Spring Valley EcoFarms can help.
*Spring Valley EcoFarms is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Introduction to Spring Valley EcoFarms:Restoring Georgia's Natural Capital
Video: Carl Jordan and Anabel Foucart discuss the mission of the farm
Film credits: Laurie Fowler, UGA River Basin Center, Katie Smith M.S. candidate -UGA Conservation Ecology, Kathleen Frey SVE member and M.S. candidate- UGA Conservation Ecology
Why do we exist? We exist because there is a need for agriculture that is environmentally friendly.
What constituency do we serve? We serve people who are concerned about the harmful effects of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer pollution, and wish to learn alternative ways of producing food and fiber. These people would include undergraduate and graduate students, some of whom would like to become agricultural professionals, extension agents whose job it is to train farmers, conventional farmers who wish to transition to organic, urban dwellers who wish to have their own organic garden, and anyone else from the U.S. or abroad who is interested in a healthy and sustainable life style.
What services do we provide? We currently teach courses in organic agriculture at both the undergraduate and graduate level at the Univ. of Georgia. We would like to expand our training by offering courses, workshops, and internships to people outside the academic setting.
What needs of our constituency do we satisfy? The demand for organic products in many areas of the country is greater than the supply. An important reason is lack of organizations that can train organic farmers. We can satisfy that need, at least in part.
Who else provides such services? There are several Universities and Colleges that have courses or programs in organic/sustainable agriculture. There also are numerous private organizations that offer training to non-students. But as far as we know, there are no non-profit organizations that can give similar University accredited courses to students and non-students alike, that is, courses with academic rigor plus field laboratories and hands-on training.
How are we unique? Our training facility is a privately owned farm. Therefore we have much greater flexibility in experimenting with novel approaches to all aspects of agriculture than is possible on land owned by a College of Agriculture. Nevertheless, research on the farm is carried out through grants given to a Research University, and courses on the farm are accredited by a University. Thus we have the best of two worlds – the detailed expertise of specialists at the University plus the freedom to cross disciplinary boundaries, a freedom often not found in academia.
