Connection is the heartbeat of Angie Oliva’s organic journey. “The food is medicine mantra is very important, along with the revitalization of small farm businesses through America. So, when I look at the needs of our nation, and I notice how we’re connected to food, it’s those things that really drive me to be a part of organic farming”.
Oliva ‘s first memories are of growing up in a small town in Guanajuato, Mexico, in a rural agrarian village. After finishing her morning chores, she spent her days exploring cornfields, getting lost in the stalks, discovering the diversity of the ecosystem, and then joining her family for meals prepared by the women in her community who would cook for the men who worked in the fields planting and harvesting.
It was these experiences that called her into organic farming. She recognizes that organic practices are traditions rooted in Indigenous land stewardship. The CCOF Foundation’s Future Organic Farmer grant allows Oliva to honor her ancestors while advancing her vision of owning her own farm in North Carolina. After graduating from Central Carolina Community College, she plans to become a farm owner, cultivating vegetables, offering eggs, and raising cattle or pigs for meat to be sold to the local community.
The CCOF Foundation empowers organic professionals to grow organic agriculture, which in turn creates a more prosperous, resilient world. Our grant programs are designed to offer support during pivotal times in an organic farmer or professional’s journey. This program offsets the costs of gaining an education in organic agriculture for emerging farmers, while helping to bridge the gap between farmers aging into retirement and those just entering the field.
To date, our Foundation has awarded $923,942 to 474 new organic farmers. To learn more about our granting program, visit us at https://www.ccof.org/page/grant-programs. If you would like to contribute to the success of Future Organic Farmers in the United States, please reach out to the CCOF Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Shawna Rodges at srodgers@ccof.org to learn more.