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Donatella Gasparro

Recipe for a new farm: plans, creativity, and a pinch of courage

Blogger Donatella Gasparro watches a dream come true at an urban farm started by a group of young friends, including one of her fellow MOA students.
Donatella Gasparro

© Sven Menschel

It’s been a while now since I wrote about the farm visits that go with my study. To refresh the reader’s memory: we go see a lot of farms with the Masters Organic Agriculture. And if you scroll down through my blogs from last year, you’ll be able to read something about them and about how much they excite me. But since the first year of courses has been over, the whole MOA community hasn’t been going on farm excursions all together for a long while. Till last Saturday.

Weeding contests

This was a very special field trip: we went to visit an urban farm that was started this year by a group of young friends, including (surprise!) one of us, a MOA student. We had a delicious home-made lunch, played fun games about and around vegetables and seeds, competed in weeding contests and — of course — had the farm tour.

Walking the talk

It was so cool and inspiring to have a tour by one of us on their brand new farm: it’s like seeing a bit of a common dream come true for all through just one. We’ve been talking about this so much. All of us with different ambitions and perspectives, but all with a soft spot for farms, gardens and vegetables, a.k.a. practice, walking the talk.

We need more young farmers? Well, here they are. We need to connect cities and farms? They’re just outside Amsterdam

It’s such a good sign that farms like this exist, and that MOA students also take this path and put directly into practice what they’ve learned. We need more young farmers? Well, here they are. We need to connect cities and farms? They’re just outside Amsterdam. We need more community support for farmers? They’re a CSA (Community supported agriculture). What more? A lot of plans and creativity. And a pinch of courage.

Endless opportunities

Already I see this as a success for my group of those who started studying together in 2017. So lucky, also, to see one of the ‘MOA’ farms become reality! Imagine how we will spread all over the world and create incredible projects, contribute to positive change, be part of innovative and pioneering companies, and all the other endless opportunities that we may have.

Inspired and inspiring people

I’m so excited and curious to see where and what we’ll all be in 5, 10 years. Some of us may join the forces, create something together; some will go back to their home countries; someone will stay in the Netherlands. Wherever this bunch of inspired and inspiring people will end up, I’m sure we’ll all be part of the solution.

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