Sacramento, California, USA
September 22, 2014
In an effort to help grow sustainable agriculture in the greater Sacramento area, Bayer CropScience donated $10,000 to the Center for Land-Based Learning, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and motivating people of all ages, especially youth, to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature and society through their own actions and as leaders in their communities. The gift will support the Urban Farm Project in West Sacramento, which provides beginning farmers with access to land to grow produce for local farmers markets, farm stands, restaurants and food banks. Bayer CropScience made the donation in a celebratory ceremony on Friday, Sept. 12 at the urban farm, located at the corner of 5th and C Streets in West Sacramento.
“Bayer CropScience sees incredible opportunity for agricultural development in West Sacramento, as the area has a rich agricultural history and citizens and civic leaders are invested in sustainable farming,” said Mike Miille, Head of Business Management, Biologics at Bayer CropScience LP and West Sacramento site leader. “We hope that through our donation, the Center for Land-Based Learning and the West Sacramento Urban Farm Project will continue to be fruitful in providing both food to sustain the community and the development of local agricultural leaders.”
Approximately 100 volunteers from Bayer CropScience’s West Sacramento team helped wrap up the summer harvest and prepare two West Sacramento plots for the winter planting season. Along with the Center for Land-Based Learning and local civic and government officials, Bayer CropScience volunteers:
- Removed summer vegetable plants, tomato poles, and double-dug soil beds in preparation for the winter vegetable plantings;
- Dug out an existing underground sprinkler system at the newest urban farm site, so that the ground can be tilled and prepared for a winter cover crop, and
- Painted a beautiful mural of vegetables composed by Arturo Romero, a Sacramento-based artist, to show the community the important role of fresh, healthy vegetables to their lives.
Together, these efforts will help cultivate the growth of the Urban Farm Project in West Sacramento, an area experiencing rapid growth in its rich agriculture and bioscience industries.
Bayer CropScience and the Center for Land-Based Learning remain highly invested in promoting sustainable agriculture throughout the greater Sacramento area and California, as:
- The global population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050;
- Advancements must be made in sustainable agriculture to grow enough healthy food to feed people around the world, and
- Corporations like Bayer CropScience giving back to local communities through urban farming efforts such as the West Sacramento Urban Farm is an essential component in combating food scarcity issues.
“At the Center for Land-Based Learning, we envision a world where there is meaningful appreciation and respect for our natural environment and for the land that produces food and sustains quality of life,” said Mary Kimball, Exeuctive Director of the Center for Land-Based Learning. “Through Bayer CropScience’s generous donation, we will be able to care for land on the West Sacramento Urban Farm and produce nutritious food that can help sustain our neighbors in the local community.”
The West Sacramento Urban Farm, an almost one-acre field in the site of a former gas station, will grow more than 50 varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. For more information on the Center for Land-Based Learning and the Urban Farm project, please visit http://bit.ly/1lVM2NW.
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