Photo courtesy of NRDC
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) bestowed one of its Growing Green Awards on Larry Jacobs of Jacobs Farm Organic and Del Cabo Organic.
Larry Jacobs is the founder of Jacobs Farm Organic and Del Cabo Organic and a passionate organic farming advocate. He has joined Briana Sandoval as one of the four awardess of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Growing Green Award. I had the opportunity to interview Larry about his efforts and his food philosophy. I admire his work to help people secure jobs that maintain healthy work conditions and support their families financially. Jacobs Farm Organic cultivates organic herbs in California and their slogan is “Healthy Soils, Healthy Plants, Healthy People.” It’s a great way to view the interconnected of us and what we eat and how we grow it. Del Cabo is based in Mexico and produces a wide range of fruits and vegetables. It is a hub of sustainable farming and community support and is a venture well worth supporting. Below is the interview we had and you will quickly see why the Natural Resources Defense Council selected him as an honoree this year.
CGM: Why do you choose to farm with sustainable practices?
LJ: Sustainable practices makes sense. This wasn’t a choice, but a common sense decision to consider the environment and our health as part of the equation. From a resource management perspective, we value “frugality” and making the best use of the resources we have. So, employing drip irrigation was a good choice for water savings, weed reduction and improved field working conditions (less slugging around in the mud). Building soil fertility by growing cover crops and adding compost made more sense than using chemical fertilizers as does striving to mitigate insect problems by providing habitats for beneficial insects.
CGM: Can you elaborate on how your coop business model works?
LJ: We’ve made a career of empowering small scale growers to work together, learn organic farming practices and connect them to markets outside their communities. It sounds simple but getting farmers to work as a cohesive unit is challenging. It requires listening and patience. The model works by aggregating growers into community groups which facilities opportunities of scale. This lowers the cost of packing and farm supplies by ordering in large quantities and lowers freight costs. On the food side, bringing each farm’s product to a central packing facility helps standardize packs for different markets, lowers the costs of packing, handling, cooling and shipping as well as making it possible to supply large retailers with crops grown on very small farms, some as small as ½ acre. The big plus to Del Cabo has been for many a ten fold increase in family income and the opportunity to farm in an environmentally friendly way without the health risks of handling toxic materials.
CGM: Where can people find your products for sale in stores?
LJ: Our products are found in the produce section of many different stores including “corner stores”, regional supermarkets and national retailers Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Krogers. We have stronger distribution in west but a lot of what we grow is enjoyed in the Midwest and East.
CGM: How can “backyard farmers” use beneficial insects to help maintain their gardening efforts?
LJ: Great question. Backyard farmers can start by who they have in their garden and what species sees those insects that feed on their plants as a source of food, like syphrid larvae<http://en.wikipedia.
I hope that Larry Jacobs motivates you, as he does me and the folks at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in your green living efforts and your choices at the supermarket. It’s always good to find companies who are working to not only support the planet, but also the humanity which resides on its surface. If you want to learn more about Larry and his work, be sure to check out his blog post on the Natural Resources Defense Council website.
How do you support sustainable practices in your garden or via your wallet at the store?
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