|
|
|
APRIL 2007
Since writing the original vision for the Sunshine Farm in the winter of 2005, much has changed on the land and much has stayed the same.
In the past two years, we have welcomed new faces on the farm and the talents and passions they bring. We now have a thriving organic vegetable business. We have the foundations of a successful micro-dairy. The cohousing group has formed and recently adopted its vision: "to be a center of health, compassion, and creativity". The learning center has affiliated with the North Central Washington Museum and Cultural Center which paves the way for tax-deductible fund raising activities. And the land development process has broadened to include neighbors to the east of the Sunshine Farm working together to create a comprehensive, 275 acre land plan. Much has changed indeed.
And through these changes, the guiding principles have remained the same: to preserve valuable farm-land, to create affordable and enriching homeownership opportunities, to create a venue of learning and creative expression that touches visitors and residents alike, and to foster small-scale, entrepreneurial, economic development. In this way, the vision for the Sunshine Farm and Institute remains an impassioned outgrowth of the questions raised in the documentary, BROKEN LIMBS, Apples, Agriculture, and the New American Farmer:
- How can we inspire a more sustainable, locally based food system?
- How can we inspire the social conditions necessary for such a food system to thrive (affordable housing; entrepreneurial engagement; affordable health care; healthy relationships, etc.)?
- How can we educate ourselves and others about the needs of the planet and modify our lifestyles (most significantly our eating habits) accordingly?
We continue to follow Rilke's advice to 'live these questions' at the Sunshine Farm. Such a path requires humility on the part of the questioner - there are no clear-cut paths leading towards common ideals. We are creating the communal paths as we go, and the process is not without its share of frustration and mistakes. But we are encouraged by the progress that has been made.
Today in the Chelan valley, we now have a reliable source for locally-grown organic vegetables. Today, we have the seeds planted for a variety of other sustainable, farm-based businesses including: artisan cheese production, fresh-cut flower production, artisan bread production, and an on-farm restaurant. We look forward to seeing these new ventures sprout and grow.
And the viability of pursing these agrarian businesses along with the learning center and other enterprises on the land is also becoming a reality. Thanks in part to a creative partnership between Chelan County and the City of Chelan, the Sunshine Farm is part of an innovative planning process that brings a variety of mixed-use zonings to the land. Utilizing clustered development principles, these zonings will be tailor-made to meet the needs of the Sunshine Farm and neighboring properties. The result will be an infrastructure that supports affordable housing, small business, and the continued cultivation of farmland.
The creation of the Sunshine Farm and all of its smaller components (cohousing, learning center, etc) continues to be an embryonic effort. For all of the successes in the last two years, we are still just getting started in what will be a long process of evolution. Those attracted to the process at this stage have been visionary by nature - able to see the potential, willing to tolerate the ambiguity and uncertainty of "living the question".
As the farm evolves and the various components of its vision become more tangible, these visionaries will be joined by others more accustomed to working within defined parameters. We welcome this transformation and the infusion of support it brings. As the land plan evolves into greater focus, passionate contributors to the cohousing process, the learning center, and on-farm business activities will begin to appear in greater numbers. We welcome their presence and the skills they bring.
The days ahead of us will require all of our collective presence if we hope to live with grace and compassion. We are gathering this presence with the steady patience of the earth herself. Each new day, the sun again rises, the cycles of birth and death revolve, the night arrives. Each new day, we again rise, apply ourselves to the duties of the season, rest in the falling light.
The Sunshine Farm expresses itself this way: becoming, departing, changing, complete. A good way to live one's days. |
