Grounding Ourselves & Growing Amidst Uncertain Times

We’re all finding ourselves in uncertain times in this moment… It is more important than ever to be in social solidarity with one another — especially our most vulnerable communities to the virus, such as the elderly and the immunocompromised — and physically distance ourselves. We’re learning even more, too, how important the skills of feeding ourselves are — especially in the midst of uncertainty. At the Resilient Roots Farm, a number of projects have paused for the time being — such as our Community Weekend Workdays, Neighborhood Meeting and our youth program. As we are adjusting to meet the needs of our community, we are pivoting to really focus on our neighborhood and supporting our neighbors with CSA boxes of fresh, organic and locally grown food by outreaching to them over the phone. We aim to support EBT purchases and to also offer solidarity shares. To further support our neighbors, we are planning ways to give out soil and seeds to encourage our community to tap into this life-giving practice of growing your own food and thereby become more self-sufficient.

During this time, our team has agreed to a number of precautions:

COVID-19 Team agreements

• Self-scan when you’re about to go to the farm- listen to your body and what it is telling you; it’s ok to not show up at any sign of sickness!
  • Coi lại bản thân mình trước khi mình đi đến khu vườn- lắng nghe cơ thể của mình ; nếu có những giấu hiệu bệnh nào thì ở nhà
• Minimize public transit use, carpool when possible, biking to one place to make carpool easier
  • Giảm thiểu phương tiện công cộng, sử dụng xe của Lan, đi xe đạp đến một địa điểm chung tâm
• Have windows opened during car ride
  • mở cửa sổ trong khi đi xe
• Limited Staff – max 4 people per time; working 6ft apart
  • Nhân viên giới hạn – tối đa 4 người mỗi lần; làm việc cách nhau 6ft
• Growers to practice Hygiene- wash hands before farm; wash clothes as soon as possible
  • Nông dân thực hành vệ sinh- rửa tay trước khi canh tác; khi về nhà, cởi quần áo ra
• Tools will be sanitized
  • Dụng cụ cần vệ sinh
• Mindful of projects- only urgent farm tasks will be prioritized at this time 
  • Lưu tâm đến các dự án – chỉ các nhiệm vụ trang trại khẩn cấp sẽ được thực hiện
• VL closed to public in March — No Youth; 
  • Đóng VL để công khai vào tháng 3 – Không có thanh niên;
• Elders- Let them know when staff is at the farm; Chi Nga creates schedule with elders
  • Đóng cửa công khai vào tháng 3 – Không có thanh niên; Người cao tuổi- Hãy cho họ biết khi nhân viên ở trang trại; Chi Nga tạo lịch trình với cac co chu

Speaking with our elders, we’re learning that more than ever it’s important to eat well. Homecooked meals (like soup) are incredibly nourishing, especially in this moment. Co Phuong shares, “Đối với cô chú thời gian này, chỉ nên ở nhà vì đã lớn tuổi. Sức khỏe không như người trẽ, cẩn thận để tránh sự lây nhiễm của (virus) tránh bớt phần lay nhiểm của người khác cho mình, trong tình hình hiện tại.Thực phẩm nấu trong nhà tốt cho sức khỏe, để chống lại bệnh virus từ sự lây nhiễm.” This translates to, “During this time, my husband and I are staying at home because we’re elderly. Our health is not like young people — be cautious because physical distancing right now decreases the chance of getting the virus and transmitting it to elders, like us. The food for cooking at home is healthy, to fight the virus and to keep ourselves strong”. We are also encouraging elders to still come out to the farm, as getting fresh air and connection with land is immensely grounding especially amidst uncertainty. To support this effort, we are scheduling visit times to minimize contact with each other but to maximize everyone’s contact with the land and the plants.

Since many of us are quarantined with others, we have been taking the time to cook together / have deeper conversations about growing food — whether it’s with roommates, parents or siblings that we share our quarantine space together with. It’s been especially uplifting to see how the land loving community has come together in the past few weeks to organize around skill-sharing and how to best support each other in this network!