Growing on Solid Ground
Place-based education & community development in Appalachian Ohio
Our home: �Solid Ground Farm, LLC
With a mission: To develop, share, and celebrate sustainable solutions to home and community-scale food production, and to demonstrate that through creative ecosystem tending, the land, as always, is the basis of our health and wealth.
A productive inhabited ecosystem and community Education center, promoting engagement with the land and reconnection with nature
Solid Ground Farm, LLC
Pioneering Appalachian Agroforestry and Agroecology
We believe that small, diversified perennial-based community farms and inhabited forests will be the foundation for an emerging ecologically rooted regional economy.
Solid ground Farm serves as a regional germplasm and research, demonstration, and training site, proving the efficacy of novel and traditional land stewardship practices and sharing lessons learned through workshops, publications, and special events.
Sustainable Agriculture Solutions for Appalachia
Our programs... Rising Appalachia�
�Rooted in Relationship to our Land and People
Through education; demonstration; community exchange; and farm, forest, and wildlife preservation, Rising Appalachia fosters a regional culture rooted in sustainable stewardship of natural assets supporting economic prosperity, collective needs, and meaningful connections with each other and our world.�
Learning, growing, and thriving together through youth summer camps, homeschool programs,
sustainable living and agriculture workshops, community gatherings, and more.
Our programs... RAW Camp�
A non-profit summer camp and youth education provider Empowering Youth through Play and Nature Exploration
Rising Appalachian Warriors Summer Camp engages youth in the outdoors through hands-on projects, creative play, and participation with nature, fostering connection to the environment, growing bonds between peers, and inspiring the confidence needed to navigate our world.
Sister organization... Solid Ground School�
A non-profit place-based elementary school pioneering progressive, nature-based education in Southeast Ohio
Immersive project-driven curriculum, honoring the inherent curiosity, drive and capability of children. Solid Ground School encourages children to find and develop their innate talents, nurture their creativity, and learn to work together to meet the challenges of a changing world.
Offering pre-K to 6th grade alternatives to public school, a nature-based afterschool program, and weekly ecology and entrepreneurship classes for the homeschool community.
Future Developments..�Growing Culture and Economy from Appalachian Fields and forests�
growing a new, replicable model for local economic development in Dover township, Ohio rooted in relationship with our natural Assets and based on;��-longterm planning and regionally adapted tending practices�-community driven business incubation designed to remove barriers to business success by providing access to land, mentors, tools, and markets�-collaboration with regional non-profits, local government, business owners, and community stakeholders.
Ongoing Projects
land-based business incubation program
-16 Apprentices working to expand projects at Solid Ground into full time businesses
-agroforestry Consultation, Design, Installation, and � land tending service
-Planting native Fruit and Nut trees on private � and public land in Dover Township
-Farm and Forest Engagement Programs
-Community Farming and forest Tending weekly events
-Seasonal Gatherings� -Trainings and Volunteer opportunities
-Value added farm and forest products with a focus on tree crops�-Natural Building Training and Construction service�
Future Projects�
-Build Community Center on coal company land,Featuring a farm and forest to table cafe and welcome center.�
-Build a native fruit and nut processing facility on Barnes Rd, Adjacent to Solid ground and Proposed Sugar Creek Community Forest
-Continue to plant fruit and nut Trees throughout the region to supply the new facility and support a tree-based economy.
-Secure more land to preserve for public good
Community Forests �
“Land is the basis of Freedom”
-Malcolm X
Community Forests �
a type of forest that is managed for the benefit of a local community. These forests are typically characterized by:
Community // County Benefits �
This project will create the following benefits for our community:
Thank you for your time and consideration
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