Celebration Gardens is a seven acre CSA in a suburban neighborhood outside of Kalamazoo. The CSA has been in operation for six years having a membership that varies from 70 to 120 shareholders. The gardens are literally in the back yard of the owner/organizer, a man who with his young family is commited to organic, and particularly biodynamic, practices. The gardens are carefully maintained and visually appealing.
The farm employs three full-time gardeners, one of whom is the owner. All depend on external sources of income (i.e., off-farm employment, personal savings); the CSA simply does not generate a living wage. Considerable time and effort have been devoted to improving the CSA's financial situation. Some of the garden produce is also sold at the local farmer's market or directly to local businesses (i.e., florist, restaurant).
Directly vieing with economic concerns is a philosophy of 'right livelihood.' The CSA and its farmers attend to the earth and the responsibility of growing good food for themselves and their CSA community in a quasi-religious manner. They do not hurry; they study natural patterns and interactions; they view themselves as part of a continuous process that begins in the soil and evolves into wider biological and social communities. Animals are felt to be a logical component of a diverse and well-integrated agroecosystem. Incorporating domestic birds into their system, for eggs (but not for meat) and for weeding and pest management is compatible with their sense of sustainability.
Celebration Garden farmers set up an experimental design to study the impact of birds on weed abundance and soil quality in his vegetable plots (i.e., asparagus, raspberries, empty beds). This individual was a CSA and market gardener and had the most experience with intensive methods of crop production. He also kept the most detailed journal notes. His notes called attention to the effectiveness of his African geese for removing weeds, but questioned the effects of the resulting loss of ground cover and moisture on his crops. In a similar manner, he noted that the use of birds tended to compact the soil, while rototilling (to overcome compaction) brought up new weed seeds. Despite these critical observations, this collaborator felt that birds should be integrated into his farming system to increase biological diversity and overall ecological health. His interest in the birds extended beyond a simple interest in improved yields or lowered input costs to a philosophical commitment to explore (and utilize) the nature of soil/plant/animal interactions. He viewed sustainability as a never-ending process and not as an attainable condition or final resting place.
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