2012-02-02 "Berkeley Jewish farm mixes agriculture, learning" by Carolyn Jones from "San Francisco Chronicle"
[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/02/BAAP1N2DK4.DTL]
Sometimes chard is something you saute in garlic, and sometimes it's a political and spiritual act.
On a vacant lot in West Berkeley, chard is all of the above. So are snap peas, carrots, beets and other vegetables. Chickens are, too. Even aphids.
Urban Adamah farm, located on a 1-acre lot on San Pablo Avenue, merges agriculture with education, charity and Judaism to create a Kibbutz-like fount of good food and comradery.
"I never planned to come back to Berkeley, but now that I've found this place I never want to leave," said Hayley Currier, 23, one of Urban Adamah's dozen or so volunteer farmers who live together in a communal house near the farm. "Now I want to do this forever - subversive farming, mixing agriculture with social justice."
The farm was founded a year ago by Adam Berman, a UC Berkeley Haas School of Business graduate who had worked on urban farms on the East Coast. Starting a farm was a way for him to combine his business background with his other passions: farming, the environment and helping the poor, with a twist of Judaism.
Urban Adamah (Adamah means earth in Hebrew) hosts Jewish celebrations, classes and guest speakers, and Hebrew-language banners adorn the farm fences. But the farm is open to everyone, regardless of beliefs.
"For me, part of being Jewish is to try to make the world a better place," Berman said. "The tradition is for every generation to work to improve the current realities they're living in. For us, we see a need right here."
That need is fresh food. Pockets of Berkeley, West Oakland and Emeryville have a dearth of grocery stores, so Urban Adamah gives away vegetables and eggs. In six months last year, the farm gave out 3,000 pounds of food to food banks, a church, a community health clinic and the public through a weekly giveaway. This year, they hope to give away 10,000 pounds.
"It's a great model," said Berkeley Councilman Darryl Moore, who represents West Berkeley. "It gives young people a chance to work in the community, and it's great for families and school kids in the neighborhood, too."
The farm offers field trips, camps and classes on growing vegetables, beekeeping, chickens, composting and other farming challenges. The volunteer farmers, who serve three-month stints and receive free room and board, lead many of the classes, deliver food and tend to the crops.
At a field trip Thursday, second-graders from the Oakland Hebrew Day School learned how to make pesto with parsley and arugula, fired their own pita bread and enjoyed lunch amid the rows of kale and bok choy.
"The Jewish connection is that we live on the earth, God created the earth and we take care of the earth just as we take care of each other," said Bat Sheva Miller, the school's director of Judaic studies. "This is a good, hands-on way for the students to learn that."
Urban Adamah pays for seeds, soil and other expenses through donations, class fees and by selling earthworms. The land is donated by Wareham Development in San Rafael, which eventually plans to build a laboratory on the site.
"We thought the farm was a fantastic short-term use for the site," said Chris Barlow, a partner in the firm. "I'm full of admiration for the place. Hats off to them."
When Wareham gets approval to build on the site, probably in 2013, Urban Adamah will move to another vacant lot. Berman ideally would like to see urban farms on vacant lots throughout the country, and he's planning one in Memphis.
It shouldn't be difficult to uproot the farm when the time comes. All the crops are planted in raised beds, and the office is a trailer. Even the fruit trees are in pots.
"For me, urban agriculture is a gateway to environmental and social issues," Berman said. "It's about sustenance, inspiration and education. Plus it's fun."