Vets learn the benet of cooperative gardening

  • Published
  • By Lee Ross
  • Nucleus editor
Albuquerque's La Montañita Coop is offering veterans a chance to learn a new trade, get a little exercise and give back to the community, all at the same time.

The Veteran Farmer Project provides the initial training for veterans to work in a sustainable agriculture businesses and a chance to put their hands in the soil at a therapeutic garden space, according to Robin Seydel.

"We work it all together in a cooperative way," she said. "That's a reflection of how the military works. We work together as a team. And we are a food coop, so we really believe in that team approach and that's how we garden."

The group demonstrated its cooperative spirit Saturday morning at the Rio Grande Community Farm behind Alvarado Elementary School in Albuquerque's North Valley. Members pulled old irrigation lines out several acres of clay-packed soil.

The irrigation lines, which are adjacent to the 0.6-acre plot for the veterans, were planted too deep, Seydel said. Sara Grandy, who serves on the board for Rio Grande Community Farm, said the help the veterans provide is more than welcome. It's not work for the feint of heart, but the group of about a dozen volunteers all left the dusty field with smiles on their faces.

One volunteer, Sarah Jacobson, served in Germany as a nurse and is now working at the intensive care unit at Los Alamos. She said the work is great for anyone with post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said she is learning something very valuable at the garden as well.

"I want to become more connected to food, to the earth," she said.

She'd like to become a naturopathic doctor, which means she would treat people using herbalism, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle counseling.

"Through this program, you literally learn from the ground up how to do everything," she said. "We can work out here for as long as we want. We're like unpaid interns."

Seydel said there are other perks as well, though.

Participants receive sometimes receive discount cards for the coop and are able to harvest the food they grow in the garden.

"It's peaceful here and it's beautiful," she said.

All veterans, active duty and National Guard and Reserve members can participate in the program. Go to www.lamontanita.coop/vfp for more information.