Benjamin Fahrer Email & Phone Number

California, United States

United States

The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) has chosen 6 farms in 5 bioregions across the country to establish and pilot a new ROC™ flagship farm program, formally known as Regenerative Organic Learning Centers (ROLCs), to help educate regional farmers, community partners, and potential buyers about the Regenerative Organic Certified® program. The first phase of this project is to assist well-established, exemplary ROC™ farms who have been pioneers in their work to promote the solutions and unique… Show more The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) has chosen 6 farms in 5 bioregions across the country to establish and pilot a new ROC™ flagship farm program, formally known as Regenerative Organic Learning Centers (ROLCs), to help educate regional farmers, community partners, and potential buyers about the Regenerative Organic Certified® program. The first phase of this project is to assist well-established, exemplary ROC™ farms who have been pioneers in their work to promote the solutions and unique techniques they have employed to earn the certification. The goal is that a successful outreach and coordinated effort from ROA with these host farms can better assist other farmers in the area transitioning to Regenerative Organic Certified®, as well as onboard other stakeholders who want to be educated in the process and desired outcomes of this style of farming and land stewardship. If successful, Phase 2 could build off this work within these bioregions and replicate other ROLCs in succession throughout the country. Show less

Oakland, California, United States

Berkeley, California

Designing, building and operating highly productive ecologically and economically urban rooftop farms.

San Francisco Bay Area

Cornerstone Farms is a farming project with a vision of restoring social and ecological balance through regenerative agriculture.Our four main goalsBuilding a seed producers cooperative using agricultural techniques that can restore ecological balance.Rehabitation of indigenous Ohlone people and presence on their native peninsula landCreating a training and educational facility for aspiring organic farmers.A place for artistic and inter-cultural dialogue related to the… Show more Cornerstone Farms is a farming project with a vision of restoring social and ecological balance through regenerative agriculture.Our four main goalsBuilding a seed producers cooperative using agricultural techniques that can restore ecological balance.Rehabitation of indigenous Ohlone people and presence on their native peninsula landCreating a training and educational facility for aspiring organic farmers.A place for artistic and inter-cultural dialogue related to the health of the earth and the vitality of communities. Cornerstone Farms (CSF) will build a seed growers farming cooperative that will work primarily within a 100 mile radius of the San Francisco bay area. This radius includes 17 counties and is the most dense and diverse area of organic farmers in the country. The main focus of the coop is to establish of a regional hub where we would process and store these seeds for redistribution. These seeds are primarily heirloom and open pollinated seeds along with the breeding of new varieties selected for heat and drought tolerance as well as lower inputs. Show less

Sebastopol, Ca

Design consultation on small to medium size land-based projects located mainly throughout Sonoma County. Focus is on ecological and social sustainability: Includes community development, water management, home and garden design, community gardens, residential retrofits and broad acre farm planning using natural land management strategies. My main duties include initial client interviews to set-up of installation contracts, presenting at events, collaborating with non-profits on educational… Show more Design consultation on small to medium size land-based projects located mainly throughout Sonoma County. Focus is on ecological and social sustainability: Includes community development, water management, home and garden design, community gardens, residential retrofits and broad acre farm planning using natural land management strategies. My main duties include initial client interviews to set-up of installation contracts, presenting at events, collaborating with non-profits on educational courses and public speaking. As a project manager I was directly responsible for oversight and management of Sweetwater Springs Ranch in Healdsburg, Ca. This included managing work of a 3-5-person crew on a 170-acre property. Build out of water system and land planning, working with local RCD and fish and game on salmon restoration project as well as project coordination with civil engineer and county permitting.International work has included a large project in southern New Zealand at the Aro Ha eco-resort. This $28 million installation required a full design review of all infrastructures; water system, energy system, design of a 4-acre farm and 1 acre market garden as well as the human resource planning around decision making and the development of personal. As an educator in this role I was the primary teacher and facilitator of a 3-week design course in Sayulita Mexico that included additional 5-month farm design with the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival. Additional daylong workshops and hands-on workshops include working with our non-profit sponsor Daily Acts and public advocacy for skill training in agriculture.Working as a sub contractor with Permaculture Artisans my expertise input is primary on farm and home projects and at Artisans main site in Sebastopol with farm set-up and on-site trainings. Compensation is $55-$95/hr based on skill being utilized, working with the public and if managing other people. Show less

Big Sur, Ca

I was a lead instructor at the Institute for 5 years in which I created multi-day workshops focused on ecological design and gardening. These were very successful and administered under contract through the Institutes catalogue. As an instructor on multiple 3-day and 5-day workshops, I instructed participants on how to design with ecological principles and the importance of working together to build new models within our food system, this included hands-on farm and garden related techniques as… Show more I was a lead instructor at the Institute for 5 years in which I created multi-day workshops focused on ecological design and gardening. These were very successful and administered under contract through the Institutes catalogue. As an instructor on multiple 3-day and 5-day workshops, I instructed participants on how to design with ecological principles and the importance of working together to build new models within our food system, this included hands-on farm and garden related techniques as well as facilitation skills in teaching others. I co-instructor a 7-day advanced Teacher Training certificate course with Kat Steele that ran on six different occasions as well as farm and garden workshops throughout my time there. I also directed, taught and facilitated a two-month course within the residential work scholar program. This program works with students who come for a month at a time. My program was a two sessions, 8-week immersion, the content centered around the Permaculture Design Course (PDC) that I certified through the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia with whom I am a registered teacher. In this course I coordinated with all of Esalen's departments for our hands-on activities in which we installed greywater systems, garden and landscape projects and multiple earthen structures. I brought in an additional 8 guest speakers for selective topics and worked individually with students to meet their needs of the program. This residential program was limited to 30 students every year and was conducted five times from April 2008-June 2012. Show less

Big Sur, Ca

Supervisor of the farm and garden department at the Esalen Institute, a non-profit educational institute that runs over 500 workshops annually. My job's primary responsibility was in the management of 5-acres of organic vegetable production for the Esalen Kitchen, which fed over 300 people daily with our cultivation of over 35 main crops, supplying about 65% of the kitchen's needs.In this staff position I was in charge of oversight within the department and managing the work schedule and… Show more Supervisor of the farm and garden department at the Esalen Institute, a non-profit educational institute that runs over 500 workshops annually. My job's primary responsibility was in the management of 5-acres of organic vegetable production for the Esalen Kitchen, which fed over 300 people daily with our cultivation of over 35 main crops, supplying about 65% of the kitchen's needs.In this staff position I was in charge of oversight within the department and managing the work schedule and duties of an 8-12 person crew, as well as daily volunteers and coordinating communication with other Esalen departments. Primary duties included management of production schedules, oversight and leadership for the department, main coordinator of 5 day a week harvesting schedule, weekly instructor for apprenticeship program, provide monthly reports on production, presentations to the public on sustainable agriculture, in charge of outside sales of produce to local Big Sur business, establishing and operating a 27 week long farmers market stand in the Big Sur Valley, weekly staff meetings for department planning and decisions on land use development, creating annual budgets for the department and presenting an annual progress report of department goals to the Board of Directors. As a part of this position I was also in charge of managing and operating a medium scale machine run composting facility for all organic waste produced on property from kitchen and grounds, resulting in a 2-ton compost pile every 8-10 days. Extra responsibilities and skills exercised during my two years in this position included machine repair, extensive tractor cultivation, crop planning, fertility management planning, Integrated Pest Management, carpentry, tree pruning, 1600 sq foot greenhouse installation and a overall re-design of the farm and garden management in relation to production for maximum yield and the implementation of the apprenticeship program. Show less

Carmel, California

As a part-time teacher and trip leader I led a course in Natural Resource Management for the statewide Regional Occupational Program with Carmel Unified School District for 10 years. This course was offered to High School students over 16 yrs of age and to adult students. The course content focused on occupations within land management and environmental sciences including the parks service, restoration land stewardship and agriculture. The course consisted of 20% classroom time and 80% in field… Show more As a part-time teacher and trip leader I led a course in Natural Resource Management for the statewide Regional Occupational Program with Carmel Unified School District for 10 years. This course was offered to High School students over 16 yrs of age and to adult students. The course content focused on occupations within land management and environmental sciences including the parks service, restoration land stewardship and agriculture. The course consisted of 20% classroom time and 80% in field studies including a 7-day field trip to the deserts of the southern California every spring and a 2-week summer program in the mountains of central and northern California. As the credential teacher and trip leader of The Desert Trip I was responsible for the administration of the course and the planning of all the activities and support systems, which was in collaboration of a core support staff of 8-10. This included the management of a $50k budget, meetings with CUSD administration, planning curriculum, coordinating park visits and hands-on activities with the students, which included team building exercises, native plant restoration, endangered species monitoring, mapping, etc. I had been a staff member of this trip for the first 5 years, in which my first duties including coordination of food and in program development for the weeklong spring trip that had an attendance of 50 students and 10 adults. I then received my teaching credential from the state and led the trip for five years. The summer programs were of smaller groups that included coordinating with a team of 2-4 instructors and 10-14 students. These consisted of multi-day back packing in the high countries of the Sierra/Nevada and the Los Padres National Forest. Teaching lessons included personal growth and empowerment exercises, team building, observational exercises and occupations in the field. Completed 10-day certification in wilderness medicine first response, renewing every 2 years. Show less

Occidental, Ca

For 4 years I assisted the Permaculture Design Course at OAEC, A two week design program offered twice a year to 25 participants, I worked directly with the program director Brock Dolman and instructed on several topics during the program, These include: Concepts and themes in design, group facilitation and decision making processes, natural patterning, trees and their energy interactions, design strategies and techniques in cold and temperate climates, broad-scale land management, urban… Show more For 4 years I assisted the Permaculture Design Course at OAEC, A two week design program offered twice a year to 25 participants, I worked directly with the program director Brock Dolman and instructed on several topics during the program, These include: Concepts and themes in design, group facilitation and decision making processes, natural patterning, trees and their energy interactions, design strategies and techniques in cold and temperate climates, broad-scale land management, urban agriculture, aquaculture, dryland strategies and critique of student design projects. I am still a guest teacher for this course.I was also a seasonal assistant to Doug Gosling in the Garden department for nursery work, which entailed transplanting, and organization for their annual plant sales, in which they offer hundreds of organic heirloom varieties to the public. During these 2-day events I also volunteered and led seed saving station in which I interfaced with the public and explained the importance of seeds and techniques to save them from season to season. Show less

Occidental, Ca

Oceansong Farm and Wilderness Center (OSFWC) is a non-profit public membership organizations that is based in West Sonoma County. While at OSFWC I was responsible for complete management and coordination of a 9-acre certified organic farm, ornamental gardens for public events and overall land management of the 115-acre site, including maintenance and upkeep of buildings, roads, water systems, wild lands, restoration and animal husbandry. Open to the public all year round I was constantly… Show more Oceansong Farm and Wilderness Center (OSFWC) is a non-profit public membership organizations that is based in West Sonoma County. While at OSFWC I was responsible for complete management and coordination of a 9-acre certified organic farm, ornamental gardens for public events and overall land management of the 115-acre site, including maintenance and upkeep of buildings, roads, water systems, wild lands, restoration and animal husbandry. Open to the public all year round I was constantly presenting to the public, helping host events and leading tours of the site. I developed an educational internship and workshop program as well as a worker based Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) program for 3 years. We grew a wide variety of crops that were grown for weekly harvests that supplied our local farmer's market, home deliveries of goods and the CSA. We also grew flowers and produce for weddings and events hosted on-site throughout the year, in which I would have to coordinate scheduling and planting plans to meet the needs of the events. As a staff member of the non-profit I attended monthly board meetings in which I was asked to generate yearly budgets for the garden, farm and land maintenance. I also attended monthly meetings for the on-site resident staff of 8 in which I often help facilitate. OSFWC also hosted a number of groups in which I was also asked to help facilitate and coordinate their stay to make sure all their needs were met. Compensation was derived from sales at markets, events, tours, workshops, as well as on-site lodging, which would range from $1500-$5000 a month. Show less

Carmel Valley

Farmer and Farm Manager - all duties in operating a successful 1-acre organic market garden, with two other part-time employees, as well as additional land stewardship jobs. The focus was on production and expansion of existing farm, upgrade and build out of indoor greenhouse space. Irrigation, compost and bio-dynamic farming techniques used in all phases from seed starting, bed prep, cultivation, harvesting and successions. Was responsible for sales and produce deliveries as all produce was… Show more Farmer and Farm Manager - all duties in operating a successful 1-acre organic market garden, with two other part-time employees, as well as additional land stewardship jobs. The focus was on production and expansion of existing farm, upgrade and build out of indoor greenhouse space. Irrigation, compost and bio-dynamic farming techniques used in all phases from seed starting, bed prep, cultivation, harvesting and successions. Was responsible for sales and produce deliveries as all produce was being grown exclusively for Tassajara Zen Mountain Center located remotely in the Los Padres National Forest. Show less

Registered Teacher, Environmental Design

Bachelor'S Degree, Eco-Dwelling And Natural Building, High Honors

This year long BA completion program was taught primarily by Richard Heinberg and Kendall Dunnigan with the focus on culture, ecology.

Education record