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Teaching farm in Ferguson reflects on growth since 2014 unrest

EarthDance uses 14 acres of land to teach and provide healthy foods to surrounding communities.

FERGUSON, Mo. — People in Ferguson and all across the world remembered Michael Brown and the unrest his death sparked 10 years ago this week.

EarthDance, a teaching farm in Ferguson, has since been a harvest for hope.

Molly Rockamann, the founder, was proud to point out that the 14 acres of land is the oldest organic farm west of the Mississippi and a secret to many.

She and her team work to increase equity around fresh food.

"That means people not having adequate access to it and it also means people needing and desiring the skills to learn how to grow it themselves," Rockamann said.

North St. Louis County needed this in August 2014.

The farm was in its sixth growing season when a dark cloud was cast on the land, Brown's death. The 18-year-old was killed by then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The incident spurred months of anger and put a spotlight on division in the country.

A grand jury decided that Wilson would not face criminal charges for killing Brown.

"My personal passion has always been about social justice but even for me hearing about what happened to Mike Brown was such a wakeup call," Rockamann said, "Sadly how many of us didn't realize the radical gap in people's lived experiences based on the color of their skin."

When vandals uprooted the Ferguson Farmer's Market in response to the verdict, Rockamann kept nurturing the crops outside and what was on the inside.

"What conversations did we need to have ... how can we be a gathering place for the community. How could we be more inclusive? she asked. 

Ten years later, the farm is a foundation and rebuilding lives in Ferguson in multiple ways.

Five hundred people have graduated from the farm's garden training program.

"Now people are actually being paid to do the apprenticeship program because they are contributing labor," Rockamann explained.

EarthDance invites young people to learn on the land and visits them at school through a partnership with the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

A 'Pay What You Can' Farm Stand gives community members affordable access to fresh produce, and the produce being grown on the farm supplies food deserts throughout the area.

"We just try to mimic nature and figure out how can we create symbiotic relationships that really create abundance and allow people to flourish," Rockamann continued.

You can learn about Earthdance's programs by visiting their website.

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