CCOF Future Organic Farmers grantee Paula Crews’ commitment to organic agriculture is rooted in her dedication to a sustainable and ethical future for our environment. Her philosophical commitment to organic and her education in organic practices will facilitate Crews’ career in preserving and protecting our planet. Crews currently studies sustainable agriculture at Santa Rosa Junior College, where she works toward her associate degree.
Crews’ motivation and focus remain grounded in a passion for a healthy planet and the drive to promote change in the current food and agricultural system. “Currently, I am working to be a part of the movement which focuses on creating a regenerative, organic, and environmentally friendly way of farming. Some of my main goals are to promote changes in how we grow our food, where and how we shop, as well as how we choose to eat.” Focusing on specific methods such as designing and creating hedgerows and increasing pollinator diversity and native species, Crews centers conservation and habitat preservation in her agricultural studies and work.
With the support of the CCOF Foundation’s Future Organic Farmers grant, Crews aims to complete her sustainable agriculture associate degree and transfer to agroecology at the University of California, Santa Cruz to complete her bachelor’s degree. Equipped with classroom knowledge and experience from her hands-on work at Shone Farm in Santa Rosa, Crews aspires to further the field of organic agriculture toward a more sustainable future and help solve the ecological dilemma that we face today.
This is the first year that the CCOF Foundation supported Paula Crews’ career in organic agriculture. Crews plans to finish her associate degree at Santa Rosa Junior College and continue her formal education by completing her bachelor’s degree in agroecology while concurrently working on the student farm gaining practical experience. The CCOF Foundation congratulates and wishes the best to Paula Crews with her studies in 2022!
Find out more about the Future Organic Farmers Grant Fund from CCOF on the Future Organic Farmers website now! Applications are open for higher education and vocational students from March 15 to April 15, 2022!