NEEM is a innovative replicable solution that has impacted childhood hunger as
a leader in the field of sustainable local urban production. Other like minded
organizations have adopted techniques developed by NEEM addressing food
security in a bottom up approach and in a sustainable way. Principals we have
promoted since 1974 and 1996. Our projects are not
ours. Of the multitude of projects we have been
involved in many were a first and all are the communities. NEEM as an organization operates Organoponico NEEM as an example of what can be achieved in small steps and expansion toward capability for community. Innovation is not the amount of land but what you do with it environmentally in a cooperative model.11.2 contiguous acres is our palate. Its a process of community and at OG NEEM the cooperative model.
Organopoonico NEEM is the first and largest Farm Services Agency registered USDA sustainable urban farm in the United States. This property represents real capacity. Organoponico NEEM is a sustainable production facility. Our client are those who don't have transportation too and would or will not shop in organic natural stores or farmers market venues. We are sustainably producing food for the poor, those socioeconomically excluded from organic.
We ardently support the farmers market concept for urban and rural farmers but our mission is strictly relegated to the low income community where help is needed most and availability non existent. To do that effectively requires capability and to be affordable at least some infrastructure and support. Selling product at low or "loss prices" works because it satisfies the goal; introduction of organic, fresh to the minority low income population.We applaud the good work of food banks but we also point to the fact that while essential, they do not promote a self sustaining community.
President Carter told us not to give, or people will not respect but expect; and the foundation for Habitat. We applied a portion of that model to the Cuban model which NEEM replicates. We have developed a closed loop farm system in the most natural habitat that is off the grid displaying self sufficient possibilities. This initiative provides solutions to nutritional problems of our children and our own immediate community where health issues are prominent.
Community solutions lay in exposure to fresh organic, produced in neighborhood introduced to community. Educational solutions are achieved in sustainable community development concepts and Sustainable Food Security that must both go hand in hand. IF focus becomes solely Food Security then we lose the opportunity to educate in the area of sustainability. We must insure community that it is in fact dangerous to the city, streams, ground water, air, environment and the urban ecology to farm in town conventionally. The rural conventional farmers we work with agree that conventional urban is indeed dangerous. We do not want to address one problem while creating another as a bi product for the same community. This is why we practice Agroecology as a method that works with the land as stewards to it as opposed to against it in an environmentally sound way. When our neighbors are on the farm they are exposed to to the Agroecological concepts we promote. That is innovative. OG NEEM is a cooperative organic urban farm and process. It is a production area, nothing fancy here; its a farm.
Processed food is a reality, it is fast food in the grocery, distribution of it feeds children but there must be a healthy balance.
NEEM as an organization seeks to off set imbalance by providing 100% sustainable production, fresh and healthy with no negative impact to the environment. We understand and support other answers but we must always be aware of the ramifications. If we seek self sustenance in part, then we will embrace it and sustainable ideas that are relative to effectively, tackling the issue that stands before us.
(NEEM leads Agroecological delegations to Cuba since 2003 as educational foreign exchange component for knowledge exchange) Got to: www.neemtree.org/cubatravel/
