We are quietly inciting an insurrection in Rochester against food scarcity, against environmental degradation, against
disconnection and community dysphoria. The weapons of our warfare are the trowel and the shovel; we are a peaceful revolution. The heart of Revolutionary Earth is the “Farm”: what we call our garden plots scattered throughout
the city. We consider them one urban farm with common investors, owners, and a common volunteer labor union. The mission of the Farm is simple:
Eliminating food scarcity and insecurity by transforming lawns into gardens.
The Farm is the genesis of our movement. It is a union of donated backyards, commercial spaces, and common public areas that have been converted from grass lawn into vegetable gardens and habitat for pollinators and other
insects, amphibians, and other beneficial animals. The purpose of the Farm and Habitat program is to eliminate food scarcity and insecurity for all living things, from soil organisms, to plants, pollinators, and people. The model is to accept
donated land that is either existing garden or lawn space that can be converted to garden. Sites are either open to volunteers or part of our Garden Partner program, which are tended by the donor and his own family or friends. Our open sites
allow volunteers to enter the premises and tend the gardens. Produce is harvested and distributed to food-insecure subscribers in a weekly, CSA-style home delivery service that runs the entire growing season. The long-term goal of the Farm
program delivery service is year-round weekly home delivery.
Help us purchase equipment and supplies to build new gardens. You can raise any amount and we will let you know which garden you are supporting.
Most of what the Farm does involves our volunteers transforming lawns into gardens and distributing produce to our food-insecure subscribers. But we learned early on that there are a lot of farms and gardens already growing in and around the Rochester area, and partnering up with local gardeners and organic farms could expand our ability to provide more of the best food we could provide for the poorest folks.
If you’ve been thinking of donating land, but you aren’t sure you want volunteers coming on to your property, you’d rather grow a large-scale garden yourself, or you already have a garden, the produce from which you’d like to donate to the cause, let us know. We have about half a dozen “Garden Partners” who don’t invite members of the volunteer corps onto their land, but harvest and drop off the produce they grow to our processing site. Please read our commitments page for information about what sorts of practices we’d like you to join us in doing.
We’ve partnered with organic farms to help them make sure their produce doesn’t go to waste and so that our capacity is increased. It’s not leftover, damaged, or deficient food, it’s fresh and would be offered on the market normally. Our partners agree to harvest within our 24-hour window of time, and we make sure that it stays fresh until it can be distributed. Currently, we work with Pearson Organics, EarthDance Farm, Middle Fork Farm, Barefoot Gardens, and Firefly Berries. If you’re an organic grower in the area, please contact us about being a Farm Partner.
Join our volunteer labor union, getting your hands dirty on our farming collective or working behind the scenes to lead and organize.
VolunteerWe need in-kind donations of soil, compost, hand tools, small-scale farming equipment, deer fencing, tarps, landscaping fabric, and running, serviceable vehicles (pickups and cargo vans). Consider making an in-kind donation today.
Donate ToolsBecome a donor-activist, giving a recurring monthly donation while also developing a direct relationship with our food-insecure subscribers through our Alliance program.
JoinWe are always looking for new backyards to convert into large-scale gardens. If you have a flat, sunny area of 600 square feet or larger within the city limits of Rochester that you would like us to consider as a farm plot, let us know.
ApplyIf you have an existing large-scale garden that you manage yourself and would like to donate excess produce, or you would like us to consider building a large-scale garden for you that you would plant and tend on your own (without the help of volunteers), consider becoming a Garden Partner.
ApplyOur gardens need fencing to keep our pests, irrigation to keep our plants consistently watered, equipment and supplies for our volunteers, storage, rain barrels, compost bins, and safety equipment to meet the challenges of COVID-19. Consider a donation to support the building of a new farm plot, or create a fundraiser to enlist your friends, family, and/or coworkers to help.
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