Digger's Mirth: A Collective Model in Sustainable Agriculture

There have been many arguments surrounding the fact that sustainable agriculture which produces local, healthy, fresh, quality food can often be inaccessible to those living in low-income neighborhoods and / or food deserts. At least one cooperative is changing this idea, hopefully creating a model for other communities to do the same.

Digger's Mirth is a worker owned collective out of Burlington, Vermont. They have converted an old mail truck into a biodiesel delivery vehicle that services market clientele as well as low-income neighborhoods who don't have dependable, regular access to quality, healthy food.  For them, it's simply a bonus that it's locally grown and sustainably farmed.

A recent article in The Atlantic quotes them to say they will be accepting food stamps next July "As soon as we get the first ripe tomatoes." While I couldn't find a website for the cooperative, I did find a good paragraph that gives a little background:

Diggers' Mirth was founded in 1992 and currently has five members farming 15 acres. This is a worker-owned and operated farm. The name Diggers' Mirth was derived from a British agrarian collective that operated in the mid-1600s. The original Diggers reclaimed abandoned land to grow food for themselves and the poor. All collective members taking part in the farm have an equal voice in its operation.  Each year Diggers' Mirth cultivates approximately 2/3 of the field and cover crops the other portion to ensure soil regeneration, growing over 40 types of certified organic vegetables and fruits. Their most popular and focus crops are mesclun and carrots.

When asked What makes Digger's Mirth so successful over the last twenty years? Elango, a long-time collective shareholder, replies that the fact that it's a cooperative allows the capital costs of a farm to be lower because the costs are spread across the collective, not on a sole individual the way that a "traditional" farm setup may be.

As a model, the collective suggests to start small and grow consistently, keeping the not just the soil but the capital healthy. Vermont has a reputation for organic farming despite its short growing season and so that makes this endeavor especially beneficial for a number of people who wouldn't  otherwise have access at all to fresh, local, sustainable food.