The Challenge
Most commercial produce sold within supermarkets in the US lack nutrients and are treated with dangerous pesticides.
The Approach
Roots Farm is a USDA certified organic vegetable farm that practices regenerative farming using no till, intensive and compact methods with six moveable 30’x40’ greenhouse high tunnels allowing for a high yield on a small plot of land (1.5 acres). Nets are used to keep pests at bay. Organic compost and alfalfa meal are used as fertilizer.
By The Numbers
Each year their 1.5-acre farm in Tiverton RI produces healthy organic vegetables for the community, with 8 successions using 4 beds.
- Pounds of healthy organic vegetables produced: 25,000
- Community members served: 200
- Cost of a $300 share of crops offered to communities who cannot afford a full balance: $100
Ensure Food Security for All Rhode Islanders
To provide organic produce year-round to the community using regenerative farming with a focus on building nutrient rich soil.
Program Description
Statement of Impact
Kelli and her husband Mike are engineers who decided to go into farming after working together on an organic farm after graduate school to be the part of the positive change that they know is desperately needed in organic regenerative farming in the US. They use no-till, regenerative, and human-scale farming methods, with building healthy soil as their focus. They aim to make high-quality fresh vegetables accessible to as much of our community as possible.
Statement of Changes
Through its farmers markets, online store, and farmshare program, Roots Farm brings organic vegetables to hundreds of families each year. Their means of production supports healthy soils and limits the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. Their Community Costshare program makes their farmshare affordable for households that find the full cost of the farmshare prohibitive, ensuring that lower-income families have access to their fresh, nutritious food.
Future Plans
Roots Farm plans to continue their positive impact on the community, grow their membership and provide nutrient dense, sustainable produce using the farming system adopted from Eliot Coleman at Four Season Farm in Harborside, ME adapted to the RI climate. Kelli believes that “farming is an art”, and they take great pride in sharing their beautiful nutritious work with their community.
This Rhode Island Story was prepared by Rebecca Lema