Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Salvatore.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Sarah Salvatore, and I am the director of Eartha’s Farm & Market. I will have been with the farm for 5 years this July. I started as an assistant farmer under an NRCS CIG grant, improving soil through biological practices. I was the lead farmer after that and now the director since April 2023. It is the honor of my lifetime to facilitate the work at Eartha’s Farm & Market and to carry on the rich legacy of our founder, Dr. Eartha M.M. White, a philanthropist who believed in “doing all the good you can, in all the ways you can.”
Eartha’s Farm & Market (EFAM) is an initiative of the Clara White Mission. The Clara White Mission (CWM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served the Jacksonville (FL) community since 1904 with programs directed toward low-income individuals and homeless military veterans in the areas of housing, job training, feeding, and advocacy. In 2012, the agency started EFAM, a 10.5-acre urban farm in Northwest Jacksonville. The farm aims to increase the production of healthy fruits and vegetables, improve food access in a targeted food desert community, and provide training and educational programming to the residents. EFAM is located in the Historic Moncrief Springs neighborhood of Jacksonville, a historically black community that was once a bustling neighborhood with recreational and business enterprises and economic opportunities that served the residents. In the 1940s and 50s, the City of Jacksonville utilized the area to dump incinerator ash on over 50 acres and across several sites on the Northside of Jacksonville. Several years ago, the area was cleaned up as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Superfunds were a way to mitigate the adverse effects associated with those issues, but the recovery for the residents and improved vitality of the area was slow and ultimately minimal.
EFAM is dedicated to ensuring the local community in Health Zone 1 has access to fresh, healthy foods at affordable prices and is provided with resources to achieve better health outcomes.
EFAM practices organic and regenerative farming and was the site for a Natural Resources Conservation Service Conversation and Innovation Grant (NRCS CIG) project from 2019-2021 that focused on improving soil health, nutrient density, and yields through biological inputs, integrated pest management, intercropping, and composting. EFAM continues to use these practices.
EFAM has a bee apiary, compost facilities, a community garden, perennial fruits, annual vegetable plots, a greenhouse, a Quonset hut, a perennial herb garden, and community beds for rent.
EFAM hosts weekly volunteering on Wed, Fri, and Sat from 8-1 pm. EFAM is also a site for community service hours for youth and adults. The farm hosts weekly workshops and training sessions. To name a few: Intro to Gardening, Compost 101, Bee Keeping Internship, Financial Literacy, Soap Making, Herbalism. Eartha’s Farm and Market hosts a weekly farmers market every Saturday from 10 am-2 pm. We have an average of 10 vendors every Saturday. Particular event markets happen once a month with a total of 15-20 vendors. Vendors range from fresh produce to cottage foods, eggs, local meat, honey, juice, hot food vendors, hand-crafted goods, and arts.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a non-profit organization, our biggest challenge is always funding. Grants largely support the farm. It is our goal to not only maintain our current staffing and programs but to expand to meet the needs of the community.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a non-profit organization.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I moved to Jacksonville 5 years ago from Columbus, OH. What I like about Jax is that there is so much potential here. I love that there is still space for creatives and entrepreneurs to get a start here. What I like least is how large the city is– not because it is large but because the people feel disconnected from one another. There’s more allegiance to the sides of town than the city as a whole. The city doesn’t feel united.
Contact Info:
- Website: clarawhitemission.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/earthasfarmandmarket
- Other: earthasfarmandmarket.eventbrite.com
Image Credits
Sarah Salvatore, Eartha’s Farm & Market (all volunteers sign a liability waiver and photo release when on the farm)
