With our studio’s visit to Dirthugger Farms yesterday, we have begun to think about how GAP procedures really affect local farmers. Meg, at Dirthugger Farms, helped us understand her processes of washing, packaging, draining, weighing, storing, and shipping produce. She not only showed us her existing systems, but also described her ideal setup, as well as her vision for what a GAP structure could be.
Ideally, the GAP shed will be a light, easily-assembled structure. Meg told us, “I could move at any moment.” Young tenant farmers cannot afford to build complicated permanent structures on land that belongs to someone else. Their landowners could ask them to leave at any time. This structure should have the ability to break down and be moved.
This project has the potential for long-term benefits to start-up farmers. We hope to provide an example of a simple structure that could be repeated by any farmer who wishes to become GAP certified.
Tomorrow the studio will visit Sweetgrass Garden, the location for our GAP shed prototype. I look forward to learning how the processes of Dirthugger Farms differ from those at Sweetgrass.