A small but mighty farm: Rebuilding Shemesh Farm

One thing leads to another. The Shemesh story came through this UA-cam channel. A lovely guy called Davis Watson, the original farmer at Shemesh Farms got in contact after watching one of these videos. Shemesh Farns is a program and an enterprised that evolved from the seed of an idea. Programs for children with disability are fairly common but as the students graduated from these programs there was nowhere for them to go. This program was started by Reverend Bill Kaplan from the Shalom Institute and the parents in his community with children on the autism spectrum, who needed a program for their adult children. Shemesh started as a garden program and evolved into a full-fledged business, selling Salt blends online and in farmer markets and boutiques nationwide. They provide meaningful work and purpose to these adults who had little opportunity to be involved in community endeavours.
This story ticks so many boxes for me and was a true honour to tell. It’s a story of change, resilience and how often great ideas evolve out of hard times. It’s also a very creative use of a tiny piece of land to grow food and herbs. In this film, you’ll see just how worthy even the tiniest farm can be to the community at large. I’ve witnessed first-hand how exclusive our society can be to people with disability and it’s a joy to see an organisation like Shemesh really tackle this face-on. So much can be achieved when we come together as a community with the land to create abundance and opportunity. I hope this little film inspires some budding urban farmers to create more of these kinds of projects.
I’m looking for my next farm story! This channel is ever-evolving and if you are working on an exciting regeneration project and need a storyteller I’m here to help. Reach out and recommend people and projects in my comments below.

[@kimberlyschwarz]

A MAGICAL and WONDERFUL community! Go Shemesh Farm Fellows!

[@TheRainHarvester]

Put leaves in all your pathways and each spring harvest your pathways for soil. I did a couple videos on it last year. With all the people walking on the paths, you won't believe the results.

[@peopleoftheplants]

Thanks for the tips!

[@kathleenomalley7838]

A wonderful community ❤️

[@peopleoftheplants]

It really is!