CLEVELAND — Nathalie DeMen said throughout the month, she can be found at the Coit Road Urban Farm planting seeds, checking crops and learning new things about farming, a passion she said began 30 years ago.
“I put seeds down, not knowing what I was doing, and it was a miracle because these seeds turned into plants that we can eat, and that’s what really kind of just got me interested,” DeMen said.
DeMen is a participant in the Coit Road Farmers Market Apprenticeship program. The program is aimed at growing food and helping Cleveland community members grow a farm or produce-focused businesses. The apprenticeship program began in March of 2022 and is a collaboration between the market and Central State University, providing 60 hours of lessons, lectures and hands-on experience in cultivating crops on a plot of land provided by the market.
There are more than 25 participants in the program. Latoya Hall said she has three years of gardening experience. Hall said everyone here has different skills, but similar goals.
“People in my community find having access to food as important as I do. I’ve met a lot of people here that share my passion. I’ve learned a lot about how to do it in a way that’s sustainable, how to do it with very little and how to do it with a lot,” Hall said.
Hall lives in Collinwood, where one of the main grocery stores just closed. She said the apprenticeship program is teaching her tools to help fill that void.
“I hope to have a small farm in my community where I can feed people local food that’s grown locally and accessible. Accessibility is a big deal here,” she said.
Coit Road Farmers Market manager Joe Jerdonek said the program is free for participants thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“That grant supports the instructions. We get some funds to buy materials, to pay a farm manager part-time to buy equipment. So it’s like a total package that helps us make it easy to educate people,” Jerdonek said.
Jerdonek said during winter months, participants will focus on learning things like acquiring land and financing and after the program, participants will be able to provide their communities with fresh produce, grown on their own land, and sold through their own businesses. DeMen said this program is just what she needed to take her love of farming and gardening to the next level.
“This is a passion for me, and it can also be profitable,” DeMen said.
