crop mob

Cropmob

crop mob (noun): an event where (mostly twenty-something) volunteers gather at a small farm and donate their time to make intensive agricultural improvements.

In an article in the New York Times Magazine, Christine Muhlke described the work of the Crop Mob, a pioneer in crop mobbing:

The Crop Mob, a monthly word-of-mouth (and -Web) event in which landless farmers and the agricurious descend on a farm for an afternoon, has taken its traveling work party to 15 small, sustainable farms. Together, volunteers have contributed more than 2,000 person-hours, doing tasks like mulching, building greenhouses and pulling rocks out of fields.

On its website, the North Carolina-based Crop Mob organization describes its mission of specifically helping fledgling "sustainable small farms" growing "diversified crops on small acreage, using only low levels of mechanization, and without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers":

Many crop mobbers are apprentices or interns on these sustainable farms. The need for community participation matches a desire for community among young people interested in getting into farming. The crop mob was conceived as a way of building the community necessary to practice this kind of agriculture and to put the power to muster this group in the hands of our future food producers.

Any crop mobber can call a crop mob to do the kind of work it takes a community to do. We work together, share a meal, play, talk, and make music. No money is exchanged. This is the stuff that communities are made of.

Image: quitter/flickr.


 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Mar 1, 2010 in Business, Dictionary of Modern Gastronomy, What's Fresh | Link | | Print this page | Share This



 

Comments

Mar 1, 2010 10:11:21 PM
Posted By: Dee Reid

Here's a dispatch I wrote from the latest Crop Mob event in North Carolina, held yesterday Sunday Feb. 28:

The Crop Mob made us an offer we couldn't refuse -- help us build rice paddies in the mud, eat good grub, make friends. http://bit.ly/dp1oWj

 

Mar 15, 2010 2:46:44 PM
Posted By: San Jose domestic violence lawyer

Great organization. Enjoyed learning about the Crop Mob.

 

Feb 27, 2011 1:49:52 PM
Posted By: Kania T.

What a great organization, enjoyed learning about crop mob contributions. Since it's based on voluteer work I was wondering do these organization's donate some of their fresh produce to soup kitchens, food banks or etc. This would be a greatorganization to help feed the hungry, it would be like a food cycle industry.

 

Mar 1, 2011 11:08:04 AM
Posted By: Allison Robbie

I like this "Crop Mob" idea. I think it is a good idea to get the community involved with agriculture and farming. Most people don't have any idea where their food products come from, or how they're cultivated. So, if more people got involved with creating their food, they would have a deeper respect for what they're eating. I know that I would appreciate agricultural crops much more than processed foods. This is a good way to bring people together and benefit the community as a whole.

 

Mar 1, 2011 11:08:20 AM
Posted By: Allison Robbie

I like this "Crop Mob" idea. I think it is a good idea to get the community involved with agriculture and farming. Most people don't have any idea where their food products come from, or how they're cultivated. So, if more people got involved with creating their food, they would have a deeper respect for what they're eating. I know that I would appreciate agricultural crops much more than processed foods. This is a good way to bring people together and benefit the community as a whole.

 

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