{"id":11061,"date":"2020-11-27T14:36:22","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T22:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11061"},"modified":"2020-11-27T14:36:22","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T22:36:22","slug":"big-learning-on-the-littlest-little-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11061","title":{"rendered":"Big Learning on the Littlest Little Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Big<\/a>

Big Learning on the Littlest Little Farm, originally published in Santa Barbara Independent on November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

O\u2019Connor Family and AHA! Engage\u00a0Students on a Hope Ranch Annex\u00a0Property<\/strong><\/p>\n

Organic farming utilizes the interconnectedness of\u00a0nature, but an even more bountiful example of community\u00a0connectedness has sprung to life on the Littlest\u00a0Little Farm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tucked away in the Hope Ranch Annex neighborhood,\u00a0this dynamic collaboration brings together teens from\u00a0AHA!<\/a> to work alongside two facilitators\/farming educators\u00a0to create, maintain, and grow a biodynamic farm. And\u00a0it all takes place at the home of Laurel and Matt O\u2019Connor,\u00a0who host the farm in what is literally their backyard, working\u00a0alongside the team to turn a little less than half an acre\u00a0of \u201chard pan dirt\u201d into an impressive urban farm.<\/p>\n

Along with revitalizing the land, the Littlest Little Farm\u00a0has also sparked something special in the teens. \u201cAt the\u00a0beginning of the program, I\u2019ll admit I was reluctant to join\u00a0because I\u2019m normally not someone who enjoys the outdoors,\u201d\u00a0said Owen Hubbell, a senior at San Marcos High.\u00a0\u201cBut the amazing facilitators and environment allowed\u00a0me to enjoy the outdoors more than I ever have before. I\u00a0was able to learn about the value of nature and the value\u00a0of taking care of it. Not only that, but I also learned the\u00a0science of farming, which was very eye-opening to me,\u00a0because I was never aware of the amount of work that goes
\ninto farming. The feeling of watching something grow and\u00a0develop, and to do it with a community of people I trust,\u00a0is a gift I will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Littlest Little Farm, which celebrates its one-year\u00a0anniversary this month, was indeed inspired by the\u00a0documentary The Biggest Little Farm<\/em><\/a>. Both Laurel\u00a0(a clinical therapist) and her friend Jennifer\u00a0Freed (the cofounder of AHA!\u2019s\u00a0nonprofit social-emotional education
\nprogram) were fans of the\u00a0film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was having my dream of\u00a0wanting a farm, and she was\u00a0trying to figure out how to\u00a0bring a farming program to\u00a0the teens,\u201d said Laurel. \u201cIt happened\u00a0really fast. Jennifer is a\u00a0visionary; she\u2019s amazing. That\u00a0was in the summer a year ago,\u00a0and (with support from the\u00a0Manitou Foundation and other\u00a0generous donors) we had kids\u00a0with boots on the ground in early
\nNovember.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the guidance of two AHA! alums\u00a0\u2014 Julian Castillo, a clinical therapist, and Stevie
\nO\u2019Connor, a facilitator (and Laurel and Matt\u2019s daughter)\u00a0\u2014 teens learn about soil nutrition, composting, row planting,\u00a0amending soil, irrigation installation, worm\u00a0composting, and noninvasive and chemical-free pest and\u00a0weed management at the same they\u2019re building social and\u00a0emotional skills and self-awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work with a lot of adolescent boys, and it\u2019s definitely\u00a0way better to meet outdoors and explore something than\u00a0just sit there,\u201d said Castillo. \u201cThe bigger picture that I like\u00a0to tell them is that this is a little part of changing the world.\u00a0The soil can actually sequester carbon. A lot of them have\u00a0taken home not only plants and produce, but they\u2019re starting
\ntheir own little home gardens. So we really think it\u2019s a\u00a0lot bigger deal, and I think they\u2019re getting that it\u2019s a much\u00a0bigger thing than just putting stuff in the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see teens get excited about their impact\u00a0on the planet,\u201d said Stevie. \u201cAlso, we\u2019ve harvested a ton in\u00a0the last couple of months, so the teens are able to take some\u00a0home and then we donate the extra produce to the Unity\u00a0Shoppe. It\u2019s great to be able to give that\u00a0fresh produce back, because we\u00a0want this to be appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we get more\u00a0volume going, then we\u00a0can expand to give\u00a0to other nonprofits,\u201d\u00a0said Laurel.\u00a0\u201cSo many people\u00a0are always\u00a0like, \u2018Thank\u00a0you so much\u00a0for this,\u2019 and I\u00a0always feel like\u00a0I\u2019m the one who\u00a0should be saying,\u00a0\u2018Thank you.\u2019 I feel\u00a0so lucky. It\u2019s just a\u00a0win-win situation.\u00a0And especially given\u00a0this time. Things are hard,\u00a0and this is just such a positive
\nexperience out here every time. It\u2019s just\u00a0a feel-good place for all of us. And we all come together in\u00a0a safe way and get in touch with ourselves, with each other,\u00a0with the soil, just all of it. It\u2019s really amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SB<\/a>

SB Independent Cover, Schools of Thought, November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on November 19, 2020. To read the section as it appeared in print, please click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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