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The Agriculture and Land-Based Training
Association (ALBA) provides educational and business
opportunities for farm workers and aspiring farmers to grow
and sell crops grown on two organic farms in Monterey
County, California.
Our mission is to advance economic
viability, social equity and ecological land management
among limited-resource and aspiring farmers. We work to
create opportunities for family farms while providing
education and demonstration on conservation, habitat
restoration, marketing and whole farm planning.
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Eight ALBA farmers and ALBA’s Education
Program Manager, Nathan
Harkleroad, received scholarships to attend the
Small Farm Conference in Fresno on March 10-12.
On the conference, the attendees went on different field
courses ranging from visiting Hmong and Latino farmers
in the Central Valley to having an opportunity to talk
regional buyers. There was also a day and a half of
workshop events, a tasting reception, and a banquet
dinner. Some of the ALBA farmers took advantage of the
opportunities to network with the many farmers’ market
managers also in attendance. |
Update of ALBA’s Voluntary Wetlands Restoration
Project:
February, 2013. On the left, an ALBA PEPA student, Evangelina,
volunteering with the restoration project partner, the Coastal
Watershed Council, performing post-restoration water quality
monitoring as the water leaves the Triple M Ranch wetlands. Next
picture, ALBA Triple M farmer, Francisco Serrano, showing a pond
area where he and his crews removed noxious weeds to help the
native plants establish.
Read an
article about this project from the Register-Pajaronian.
After the first storm event on November 30, 2012
Carneros Creek had significant water flow. The creek jumped the
banks of its man-made channel and entered the wetland areas,
filling up the majority of constructed ponds. These ponds now
provide breeding habitat for endangered amphibians. Another
storm on December 1st filled in the other ponds
across this restored wetland field.
September and October 2012
ALBA’s Voluntary Wetlands Restoration Project:
Before: Wetland field with a monoculture of
nativepolygonum amphibium to be restored.
After: A series of 8 constructed amphibian breeding
ponds in the same area. All excavated areas will have native
plants installed to improve wetland functioning and will be
monitored by biologists to ensure the habitat is suitable for
threatened and endangered species’ needs.
During the rainy season, Carneros Creek
floods out of its channel trying to return to its historic
pathway. The raised road will allow the water to flow back to
its historic pathway and fill a series of 4 amphibian breeding
ponds. In progress: The Sill Road crossing is
being raised with a series of three gated culverts to control
wetland hydrology. The longer the water remains in the wetlands
through late spring and early summer, the better chances that
the threatened and endangered amphibians living in the wetlands
will fully develop into adults. In addition, pro-longed water
retention times allow for better wetland functioning, more water
recharge to the groundwater table and increased elimination of
water impurities.
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