{"title": "HeartSeed Farm at Landwell", "logoImg": "bafkreibofpgmmkffiompl2cjayldmevll4vpfxua55nedu52s6pumcfl54", "website": "https://growingkinship.org/who-we-are", "bannerImg": "bafybeihmawg7ljvn2dvpqfhmsko76pvqklgsjiv7gkbnsmn3vr54acrinq", "createdAt": 1713464997235, "credentials": {}, "description": "HeartSeed Farm is located on 22 acres in the wetland valley of Jonive Creek in Sebastopol, California.\n\nIn the mid-20th century, the creek was dredged in an effort to reduce flooding, and we are working to undo some of the damage this did to the creek and ecosystem.\n\nWe are in the process of restoring the floodplain, placing the land into a trust, and putting the housing on the upper land into a nonprofit limited equity housing cooperative.\n\nWe observe the water as it flows down the hill into the creek. Through carefully planned swales, basins, and ponds, we slow and spread the water throughout the landscape. We prepare and apply our own compost, intentionally rotate crops, use cover cropping, select seeds for drought tolerance, bury large amounts of biomass in hugelkultur mounds, and practice rotational grazing. This leads to increased soil fertility and reduced groundwater demands. We avoid tilling beds after they’ve been opened for the first time. Additionally, we incorporate perennial trees and shrubs, nitrogen fixers, and pollinator plants into each of the garden landscapes.\n\nHeartSeed Farm is closely connected to the BeeHive School, which is nestled within the farm. Students help and learn by weeding and planting, gaining hands-on experience in recognizing and valuing a thriving ecosystem, and understanding how a farm can work in harmony with its surroundings.\n\nWe are seeking funds to manage water flow. Our vision includes a network of ponds and basins on the hillside, and implementing this plan will require labor, consulting, and equipment.\n\nThe bulk of the work involves shaping the hillside to maximize water retention and aquifer recharge. We envision four basins and two ponds added to the hillside, with contoured terraces conveying water between them. We’ve already created a pond at the top of the hill, and the first basin will be situated near its outlet to receive overflow. This basin will have two outlets connecting to other basins on either side of the slope, positioned as high as the contour line allows. The second basin will capture runoff from the neighboring pasture, as well as from the first basin.\n\nOur first basins are capturing 10,000 gallons of water per year. With your funding, we hope to add another 30,000 gallons annually.\n\nThe basins will feed ponds in the valley. Native wetland plants will be used to mitigate erosion around the ponds and basins. The terraced areas that convey water between the basins will be used for annual and perennial food crops, interspersed with pasture blocks for winter grazing.\n\nThis project will create habitat for native species, reduce soil and creek bed erosion, and provide water for crops during the drier months. The more water we can sink into the earth, the less we will need to draw from our well.\n", "logoImgData": {}, "bannerImgData": {}}