The Rio Gozo
and
Mano Farm

The CRA collaborates with the Farmer and the Cook to support an educational program at the Mano Farm in Meiners Oaks. Here are some pictures of children visiting the farm during TV turn-off week, when they learned hands-on about the process of growing organic food. For more information about the Farmer and the Cook organic grocery and cafe, please visit:

April 08 update

We are still farming at Mano farm, but doing more of a just harvest what crops volunteer. We have also planted some cover crop to help out the soil.

We have had over 500 students and adults come out to visit Rio Gozo already this year. We have worked with people ages 5-65 and have had a variety of programs, from tours to classes and workshops to work parties. TV turnoff week also saw schools visiting Rio Gozo farm. We have covered topics from definitions of organic and sustainable agriculture, to planting and harvesting techniques, GMOs, farmworker justice, perceptions and perversions of "local", the history of pesticides and fertilizers, and gender inequality in agriculture.

We have worked with students from CSU Channel Islands, Thacher School, all the public elementary schools in the Ojai Valley, UCSB, Oak Grove School, Valley Oak Charter, and a troop of Boyscouts.