Delicious, healthful food produced on permanently preserved local farmland will be a hallmark of the Angwin Ecovillage. To make this vision a reality, a new nonprofit organization, the Angwin Agricultural Conservancy, is being formed. The Angwin Agricultural Conservancy (AAC) will support the community’s enduring tradition of healthy eating and land stewardship and will celebrate the town’s location in the heart of a rich agricultural region.
The AAC is also integral to the Angwin Ecovillage sustainability plan. Locally grown food and sustainably managed farmland will be linked with environmental stewardship, public health, and community vitality.
The Angwin Agricultural Conservancy will be organized around three farm enterprises: row crops, orchard crops, and livestock. These three enterprises make up a synergistic whole, both as an integrated organic system and as a balanced business system. The entire 50-acre farm will be certified organic, and will be managed using “agro-ecological practices” as a closed loop ecosystem, with carefully managed cycles of nutrient and water use. In addition to the benefit of providing healthy fresh food, these practices will make the farm ecologically sound and a good neighbor to the Angwin community.
Angwin’s Organic Farm
The Angwin Agricultural Conservancy will permanently protect and manage up to 50 acres of high-quality farmland interspersed throughout the community. The Village Square Fields may be devoted to seasonal row crops and may include a small orchard at the entrance to Angwin. The Airstrip Fields may include mixed orchards east of the airstrip, another row crop area, and fields of hay, grain, and pasture surrounding the airstrip itself. The AAC may also manage easements on other conserved forest lands and may manage the restoration of Conn Creek’s riparian habitat.
Row crops will be produced using a rotation system in order to maintain soil fertility and reduce the buildup of pests and soil diseases. Orchards will be cultivated with fall-planted spring-mowed cover crops to enhance the fertility and structure of the soil and manage beneficial insects.
Animals will be an integral element of the organic system, functioning as digesters of otherwise unusable left-over crops, as providers of manure that becomes fertilizer, and as temporary grazers reducing the need for mowing and tillage. Species will include chickens (laying hens), sheep (for wool and grazing), and goats (for milk and goat cheese). Milk cows may be added later.
These activities will recall PUC's working dairy and many of Angwin’s other historic agricultural activities.
Vision
The Angwin Agricultural Conservancy will permanently preserve the agricultural productive capacity and conservation values of its land holdings, and will promote sustainable agriculture and a strong local food system as core elements of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Angwin Ecovillage. Food production onsite results in a significant reduction of food miles which translates into an estimated 54% reduction of GHG emissions from transportation of food for Angwin.
Community Supported Agriculture
Residents of the Ecovillage will help support the farm through their Homeowners’ Association fees. The Angwin community is also expected to support the farm with their food dollars. The farm’s intended markets include Pacific Union College’s cafeteria, the Angwin market, Village Square eateries, St. Helena Hospital, local schools, farmers’ markets, Ecovillage residents and the Angwin community.
Angwin Agricultural Conservancy Map
Click on the map above to see a full size PDF version.
FIELD NAMES |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entry Triangle | 5 |
Airstrip West Offset |
| 2 | Conn Creek Southeast | 9 |
Observatory |
| 3 | Ball Field | 10a |
Memorial Grove West |
| 4 | Conn Creek Northeast | 10b |
Memorial Grove East |
| 4c | Conn Creek Northeast Annex |
Engaging the Community
The AAC will provide employment opportunities, internships, educational programs, seasonal activities, and events for all ages. Programs will include a monthly newsletter about the farm, U-Pick areas, a volunteer program, farm tours, planting and harvest festivals, cooking classes, a summer camp, workshops and lectures, farm-to-school programs with farm visits integrated into classroom curricula, and space for other community and private events. These community engagement and educational activities will be mostly supported by in-kind partnerships and through program revenues and grants.
Measuring Success
The AAC is designed to become self-sustaining within five years. Educational programs will be developed based on the availability of funding and participation of partners. In addition to achieving economic viability, the AAC is also designed to strengthen Angwin’s food system.
To measure progress on this task, the Eating Local Survey will be conducted every year to determine what residents think about local food, whether they prefer to buy local, and how much local food they typically buy.
At the end of the day, the truest measure of success for the AAC will be that all Angwin residents feel that the farm belongs to them as part of their agricultural tradition and as part of their hopeful future.
Our sincere thanks to the local and regional farmers who gave generously of their time and expertise to help us in the comprehensive planning of the Angwin Agricultural Conservancy.