Testimonials
We are involved in the Farm-Based Education Association because
it supports working farms that provide unique experiences. It used
to be that every child had a farm in their life. Whether they grew
up on a farm, or visited grandparents on theirs, most children
could describe the difference between a sheep and a goat, and knew
the pleasure of finding frogs at the watering hole or playing pick
up ball in the pasture. They watched as the crops grew tall in the
field, helped with the harvest, and when they sat down to a warm
plate of sweet squash mid-winter they could recall the afternoon in
fall when it was canned. Rising at early hours and being a part of
the natural rhythms of a farm gave a person life-long appreciation
for the price of milk and eggs. In today’s fast-paced world people
are often so removed from the source of their meal they can’t even
name the origin of all the ingredients. I believe in the importance
of connecting our communities to the role of agriculture in their
lives, and to re-establishing that basic human connection to the
land that sustains us. Every child who comes through our farm can
recite that milk comes from a cow, but when their eyes open wide
and they look up with surprise and whisper, “It’s warm!” I know the
value of farm-based education is immeasurable. FBEA is the first
step to seeing that these sorts of experiences continue and
strengthen for generations to come.
- Marci Birkes ,
Education Director, Stonewall Farm , Keene, NH
We joined the FBEA for a few reasons. We need a resource that
will stave off the isolation we feel out here in the countryside
and that will save us the time we spend seemingly reinventing the
wheel. Most importantly, we firmly believe in the unparalleled
power of farm-based education to change people’s lives and the
world and felt an organization was needed to help promote and
nurture these special programs.
- Wayne Castonguay ,
General Manager, The Farms of the Trustees of Reservations ,
Ipswich, MA
The Spannocchia Foundation is delighted to be a Founding Partner
of the Farm-Based Education Association and hopes to bring an
international perspective to discussions about the importance of
farm-base education and preservation of rural culture.
- Erin Cinelli ,
Executive Director, Spannocchia Foundation , Siena, Italy & Portland,
ME
Wendell Berry, a farmer and poetic author, has said that.
“eating is an agricultural act”. In today’s world, the vast
majority of eaters lack any connection to the source of their food.
Yet it is the land, the farms and the farmers who nurture and
nourish us. People are rarely passionate about something they don’t
know. People who are as passionate about farming as they are about
learning founded the Farm-Based Education Association. Join us and
help convert eaters of all ages into consumers who care about where
and how their food was grown.
- Daphne Derven ,
(Candidate) Master of Science degree in Sustainable Development
at the University of London
2003-2006 founding director of programs at Stone Barns
Center for Food and Agriculture
Tarrytown, NY
"A community and educational farm in every town is
an essential part of a larger movement to conserve land and promote
stewardship that engages people with the land. I became involved
with the Farm-Based Education Association to further this vision.
We need an organization that supports existing educational farms
and that inspires and assists the creation of more educational
farms."
- Brian Donahue ,
Co-founder of Land's Sake , Weston, MA, & Trustee, Spannocchia
Foundation , Siena, Italy
When we founded the Farm Institute on Martha's Vineyard six
years ago, our dream was to make our teaching farm a "model for
America". Now, in collaboration with other similar organizations
who share our vision, we have created the Farm Based Education
Association so that all citizens can be exposed to the noble work
and experiences that engaged us.
- Sam Feldman ,
Founder and Chairman of the Board, The FARM
Institute , Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Farm-based education programs are working their fields to plant
crops, raise livestock, and tend forests and gardens with the
helping hands of children and adults who are seeking to experience
the dynamic cycles of a working farm. These farms also serve as a
tool nurturing and cultivating qualities of civic engagement,
creative thought, independent action and responsibility,
cooperative effort, pride and integrity. I support the work of FBEA
because I share the belief that the virtues gained in farm work are
greater than the production of food alone.
- Matthew Goldfarb ,
Executive Director, Bull Rider, Stunt Double, The FARM
Institute , Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Our modern society seems to be moving further and further away
from the land and into media fantasies and flicking screens. I have
chosen to work in farming and land stewardship because it is an
authentic and real experience, linking my life to that which
physically sustains me and spiritually nourishes me. I want every
kid to have the experience of working on a farm so they at least
have a doorway to use to come out of the modern mess and seek their
own path to the good life. The FBEA links many like minded folks
working in this field and provides us a stronger team of horses to
hitch our wagons to, and get more community farms to help more
people get back to their agrarian roots and the goodness of the
land.
- Grey Lee ,
Executive Director, Land’s Sake , Weston, MA
