Article: Creating a Local Organic Food Economy in Silver Springs, Fernley and Yerington

A Local Organic Food Team: Fortunately for our region, the chairwoman of the Nevada Organic Commission, Marcia Litsinger, lives in nearby Stagecoach. She and her husband, Stephen, will teach 4 in-depth classes during February in the community garden at the Dayton Community Center. The classes are limited to about 35 Carson, Lyon and Storey area residents who applied earlier this year and committed to joining a team committed to building a local organic food economy. The team will learn about composting, planting cycles, propagation, organic principles, what to plant and when,  how to build hoop houses from recycled materials,  how to make a living from organic farming, and how to create a productive garden even with very little space, etc. Christy McGill stressed to those attending Saturday that this was not “just a training, because you will be joining a team committed to building a local organic food economy in this region.”

A Project of Healthy Communities Coalition: The series of classes on organic gardening is organized and funded by Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties through a Nevada Health Division grant, and taught by Marcia and Stephen Litsinger of Churchill Butte Organics farm. This “training of the trainers” is for people committed to taking their new knowledge back to their communities to help expand or create the community gardens and composts, school “living playground” gardens, nonprofit farmers’ markets, micro-farms and backyard gardens that the Coalition hopes to encourage in the region.

Building a Local Organic Food Economy: Christy McGill, director of the Coalition, explained that the “We have found many brave souls to join our first team to assist our communities in building a local organic food economy. What’s that? Basically, local small farms and gardens that contribute to feeding our communities fresh local produce. Our Carson, Dayton, and Fallon valleys used to feed the Comstock during the mining heyday….it’s still doable. One of our Coalition goals for this project is to promote preventive aspects of eating and farming healthy so that people can quite simply eat and live better.”

More Fresh Produce For Everyone: The Coalition task forces and other partners helped fund volunteer- led community gardens in Dayton, Silver City, Virginia City, and Silver Springs last summer, and will offer technical support and funding to citizens in Yerington, Fernley and Mound House as well this summer so that they can expand opportunities for local production and sales of fresh produce. There has been a lot of enthusiasm from residents about making sure more fresh produce also reaches local food banks, older adults, and schools, and the Coalition partners, including schools, task forces, and food banks, among other groups, are working together to make that happen.

What is Healthy Communities Coalition? The Coalition includes community task forces, youth substance abuse prevention teams, and over 30 local, county, state, tribal and federal agencies all working on a collaborative agenda to end poverty, reduce substance abuse, and increase well-being in the region. Public meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at the Silver Springs Community Center at 9a.m. Call 246-7550 for more information.