Sustainable agriculture refers to the ability of a farm to produce perpetually using such methods as crop rotation and soil replenishment. The best ways to make replenishment of nutrients sustainable are to recycle crop waste (composting), to use livestock or human manure, and to grow nitrogen-fixing cover crops such as legumes, alfalfa and red clover.
Cedar Springs is committed to growing food organically and supporting other organic growers. Our 50 acre farm has all the important factors for sustainable agriculture: long growing seasons, southern exposure, river-bottom soil, water as rainfall and 2 spring fed wells.
We are in a prime location for growing abundantly and profitably. In an economic context, the crops that are grown here have the ability to generate revenue. The fresh foods will be used by residents of Cedar Springs in addition to the retreatants who come to the renewal center. The surplus can be sold at local farmer markets and not subjected to complex systems requiring materials, labor and transport.
There has been considerable debate concerning which form of human residential habitat is best suited for sustainable agriculture. Generally it is thought that village communities can improve sustainability because they tend to provide a cooperative environment that supports farming. The family farms that were integral parts of our social structure before land became a “commodity” and real estate became “prime” were passed on from generation to generation. It was imperative to practice good land stewardship because the next generation would be directly affected by present day care and management.
It is necessary for those of us who have been blessed with small farms to envision the future of food production as a means for environmental restoration and a source of sustainable energy. Cedar Springs is committed to creating and developing sustainable agriculture practices that profit and benefit the community as a whole.
Horticultural therapy is the relationship between mental well being and the natural or gardening world. It involves a place where productive vegetable, fruit, flower and herb gardens are tended by residential staff and visitors. The food is harvested for the center as well as excess sold to the neighboring community.
In a healing environment, which is the focus of Cedar Springs, the garden is a metaphor for self-exploration and natural healing. The stages of a garden from digging to harvest all provide meaning for individual’s development. Some of the books that refer to horticulture as therapy are Marilyn Barrett’s book “Creating Eden – The Garden as a Healing Space” and Diane Relf’s “The Role of Horticultural in Human Well-Being and Social Development”.
