Turtle Island Farm Alliance

Turtle Island Farm Alliance is a network connecting small farms, Farmers’ Markets and Farmer/Food Coops in rural coastal areas of California, Washington and Hawaii. We are also convening the Turtle Island Farmers’ Market Alliance serving the three states.

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Today’s Farmers are Amazing Heroes coping with climate change, resource depletion and conflicting food system redefinitions.

Turtle Island’s goal is to provide support to these farms to help them realize their full potential as both food providers and powerful instruments leveraging positive social and resource changes in the face of the most pressing environmental and human challenges of our time.

 

 

Turtle Island Alliance’s Mission: Reclaim the Local Food System and Build Resilient Communities by fostering new connections between farmers, consumers and rural communities.

 

dbay 1 25The Alliance is comprised of small farms already involved in educating and inspiring the next generation of farmers. With the Alliance’s support, these farms will expand and improve their teaching resources, learn from one another’s best practices and pitfalls, test new education and land use practices, and strengthen their capacity for economic and environmental sustainability. Farmers’ Markets are also joining the Alliance to gain access to free and low cost outreach, marketing and consumer engagement programs plus bring EBT buyers to rural markets. Farmer supply coops and Food Coops are also joining the Alliance to help connect with new customers, save on costs to operate, and build their brand awareness.

 

 

chicken 25Each farm member faces common land, labor, water, housing and market access challenges that the Alliance is focused on seeking solutions to overcome. All of the farms practice organic and regenerative soil, plant, water and compassionate animal husbandry practices that are living proof of the inherent wisdom in an agro-ecology approach to food production and land management.

 

Each Farmers’ Market, Farmer Coop, and Food Coop is challenged to meet both consumer education and farmer sales, and food/farm product supply needs. By working together, the Alliance can leverage funding and expertise to help remote, rural markets reach new customers, build demand, save on costs, and connect with local farmers.

 

 

Through online communications, quarterly teleconference meetings, and field trips to one another’s farms, markets and coops, the Alliance is turning to its fellow members, sister organizations, and to seasoned experts who will mentor Alliance members in our shared quest for sustainable agriculture models and solutions. By working together to overcome rural isolation and segmented knowledge, the Alliance supports viable growth and development for each member farm and all partner Farmer’s Markets and Farmer/Food Coops.

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Services the Alliance offers member farms as technical assistance
• Professional development for Farm Managers
• Connections to seasoned farmers as mentors
• Online farm steward learning resource modules for interns
• Land owner / new farmer land access models
• Sources for farm start-up capital and improvements
• Development of value-added products
• Market expansion and networking
• Equipment and materials funding sources
• Farm intern recruitment and screening
• Farm worker housing development
• Seed security methods
• Soil and water conservation funding sources
• Group buying power
• Renewable energy grants and loan sources
• Business planning and risk management
• Web and social media marketing support
• Convivial alliance of peers and colleagues
• A strong voice for food system legislation and reform

 

 

Communities currently being served:

 

poppies-to-the-pacificwCalifornia

Point Reyes and Bolinas, Marin County
Occidental, Sonoma County
Pescadero, San Mateo County
Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County
Doe Bay Garden 1

 

 

Washington

Orcas Island, San Juan County
Whidbey Island, Island County

 

 

 

rbow farmHawaii

South Kona District, Hawaii County
North Kohala District, Hawaii County
Ka’u District, Hawaii County
Hamakua District, Hawaii County

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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