Community THE OSIDER NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022
Sustaining What Sustains Us with Community Roots Farm WORDS: CIARA DOMINIQUE
KEVIN MIJARES
Bianca Bonilla and her daughter Maya.
We’re lucky to live so close to the beach and with the price of rent toecho that sentiment, we acknowledge the value in living alongside a selfsustaining geographical landmark. If you were to think about what makes Oceanside, ‘Oceanside,’ you may argue it’s the people, but who would we be without our environment reflected back to us? With heightened talk surrounding buzzwords like ‘sustainability,’ it’s worth rethinking our actions and how we honor the living and breathing landscapes we have no qualms profiting off. While we have the benefit of particular tools and mechanisms to make taking care of the land easier, we got most of our practices and knowledge from the ones who did the work before us. Unlike the question of who came first: the chicken or the egg —we know that the land
Oceanside stands on once belonged to the native Kumeyaay and Payomakawichum people. This fact is key when we consider the scientific advancements and labor it took to sustain such large plots of land. If we fast-forward to today, we see we have every reason to be successful, but applicable knowledge and tools are no substitute for a grand reverence of the land. It’s hard work, but it’s meaningful. Most importantly, someone has always done it so even if the agents of sustenance were invisible to you, now is the time to get acquainted. Located off North River Road behind Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church stands the Community Roots Farm. While the farm space was once owned under the North County Community Services (NCCS), it was through the risk of losing that green space that Bianca Bonilla, a former worker through NCCS, salvaged it in 2018 under a newly founded non-profit: Botanical Community Development Initiatives. While the goal of connecting people to plants and a sense of community seemed easy enough, the work was just starting. Bianca reaffirms it was and will always be a communal effort to maintain the vegetables, fruits, and space in general, but it was she who was tasked with the heavy lifting of getting said food out into the world. She details times of throwing whatever produce she could onto the back of her red pickup truck just to sell and bring the farm some money; however, it wasn’t until the owners of 58
Wrench & Rodent came through in a big way that her efforts were rewarded. Bonilla speaks in high regard of Davin and Jessica Waite who not only took the chance, but put their money where their mouth is by purchasing produce through the farm. The Plot is now the second restaurant to follow suit and with the addition of their Community Roots Farm assisted produce bed, it’s the freshness in our local food that gives the flavors of Oceanside a whole new meaning. The push for clean food that’s not just affordable but accessible is another reason to support. Through their own home delivery service, a box of locally grown produce is yours for $30—and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home. If you’re on EBT, that price is slashed in half going for a mere $15 for that same big box. There’s the Plants for Justice program that distributes seedlings to school gardens and food justice programs, and the Seed to Preschool project that grants preschoolers access to the delicious produce on the farm. With the ongoing community composting bin, you can see the commitment from the farm extends beyond just words. Apart from the nutritional benefits of these programs existing, the farm is much more than a plot of land that yields produce. The Community Roots Farm also hosts community events spanning from educational exhibits, a Dia De Los Muertos event this past October, and even weekly volunteer time slots every Sunday and Wednesday.
