The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on a visit to the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute, also known as the Creque Dam Farm, in St. Croix.
Driving up the winding, mountainous roads to St. Croix’s rainforest, we bypassed the famous beer-drinking pigs at the Mt. Pellier Hut Domino Club for a more important destination: the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute. Islanders know the place as Creque Dam Farm.
The 200-acre farm is off the grid, harvesting the intense Caribbean sun and using the land to supply most of their needs.
Rebecca Sornson, 23, from Brighton, Mich., is program coordinator, living on the farm for the past eight months with 11 full-time staff.
She’s filled with youthful enthusiasm, loves working with kids and is a dedicated teacher. She’s trying to help islanders and visitors alike learn about sustainable practices.
“People aren’t growing their food, they don’t know how to and they don’t want to. I think that’s shifting and that’s why we’re here to help that shift.”
Read the complete article and see video at the Post-Gazette site.
The Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute (VISFI) was founded in 2003. From their website:
VISFI promotes the development of agroecology: an innovative field of agriculture that enjoins productivity with resource conservation, using ecological and indigenous management models to create sustainable life systems. We believe local, organic agriculture and a practical educational experience are the first steps toward building vital communities and achieving long term sustainability within a healthy environment. These beliefs led to the establishment of our Four Pillars: Education, Sustainability, Community, and Environment. We use these focal points to guide decisions that will promote our farm’s vision.
Find out more at visfi.org, at the VISFI Facebook page, and by viewing some of their YouTube videos.
[Photo: readerwalker]
