Sasi's Organic Teaching Farm
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Sasi’s Organic Teaching Farm
Hello, I’m Dr. Sasikumar Balasundaram. Though I grew up on a tiny farm in Sri Lanka, for the past decade I’ve been a professional anthropologist. After teaching university classes year after year on environmental sustainability and social justice, I’ve decided it’s time to put my lessons into practice. I recently bought eight-acres of farmland in rural Virginia in order to establish a model organic learning farm to teach and inspire people to eat fresh, care for the environment, and live healthier lives. The picture below is a sample layout of the teaching farm.
This farm will be a social enterprise that is financially self-sustaining but that makes significant contributions to the community and to the environment. A portion of profit generated from this project will be used to fund a campaign to plant 10000 fruit trees. The main focus of this project is on combating the food crisis and creating consciousness about climate change. Bird life listing and heirloom seeds saving are two ongoing sustainable activities on the farm.
By combining my passion for teaching and my agricultural roots, I seek to address local food insecurity, increase biodiversity, develop an environmental education curriculum, and build the local community. I anticipate donating much of the farm’s fresh produce to communities in need and I hope to inspire hundreds of young people through partnering with colleges and schools. I am asking people like you who care about local communities and the planet to help me make this vision possible through a financial gift. All donations, big or small, will be appreciated. They will be used to cover start-up costs to purchase fencing, seeds, sheds, tools, a greenhouse, and farm animals. Please join me in making this transformational dream farm a reality! Contributors will be publicly recognized by name on the farm. Also a fruit tree will be planted and named after each donor. Please help get the word out by sharing the link to your Facebook timeline and other social media. Thank you for your support!
A 2017 story describes my background and academic work
Estimate
Fencing $5000
Equipment and tools (seeder, weeder, gator, tiller, box grader, wheelbarrow etc) $6000
Organic compost, mulch, and fertilizers $5500
Outdoor classroom structure $3000
Small Greenhouse and low-tunnel $ 5000
Seeds and plants $ 3000
Farm animals, coops, and sheds $6500
Hello, I’m Dr. Sasikumar Balasundaram. Though I grew up on a tiny farm in Sri Lanka, for the past decade I’ve been a professional anthropologist. After teaching university classes year after year on environmental sustainability and social justice, I’ve decided it’s time to put my lessons into practice. I recently bought eight-acres of farmland in rural Virginia in order to establish a model organic learning farm to teach and inspire people to eat fresh, care for the environment, and live healthier lives. The picture below is a sample layout of the teaching farm.
This farm will be a social enterprise that is financially self-sustaining but that makes significant contributions to the community and to the environment. A portion of profit generated from this project will be used to fund a campaign to plant 10000 fruit trees. The main focus of this project is on combating the food crisis and creating consciousness about climate change. Bird life listing and heirloom seeds saving are two ongoing sustainable activities on the farm.
By combining my passion for teaching and my agricultural roots, I seek to address local food insecurity, increase biodiversity, develop an environmental education curriculum, and build the local community. I anticipate donating much of the farm’s fresh produce to communities in need and I hope to inspire hundreds of young people through partnering with colleges and schools. I am asking people like you who care about local communities and the planet to help me make this vision possible through a financial gift. All donations, big or small, will be appreciated. They will be used to cover start-up costs to purchase fencing, seeds, sheds, tools, a greenhouse, and farm animals. Please join me in making this transformational dream farm a reality! Contributors will be publicly recognized by name on the farm. Also a fruit tree will be planted and named after each donor. Please help get the word out by sharing the link to your Facebook timeline and other social media. Thank you for your support!
A 2017 story describes my background and academic work
Estimate
Fencing $5000
Equipment and tools (seeder, weeder, gator, tiller, box grader, wheelbarrow etc) $6000
Organic compost, mulch, and fertilizers $5500
Outdoor classroom structure $3000
Small Greenhouse and low-tunnel $ 5000
Seeds and plants $ 3000
Farm animals, coops, and sheds $6500
Organizer
Sasikumar Balasundaram
Organizer
Mountcastle, VA