Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association
Contents
History of Rural Development Center
In 1985 the Rural Development Center (RDC) was founded by the Association for Community-Based Education (ACBE) of Washington, DC. From 1985 to 2000 the RDC initiated numerous farm programs, in produced capital that aided in the construction of valuable infrastructure key to the success of ALBA to this day. Since the formation of ALBA in 2001, they have maintained previous strategies used by RDC and have expanded on many of the original ideas used in the development of RDC.
Environmental Stewardship in the Carneros and Elkhorn Slough Watersheds
In 2000 the Elkhorn Slough Foundation acquired a land easement, and in 2001 ALBA took over the responsibility of managing the land. The land parcel acquired is now called the Triple M Ranch, it is within the watershed boundary of Carneros Creek and the Elkhorn Slough Watershed. Only 60 acres of 165 acres are farmed within the property due to natural land easements. The property is cultivated with practices that prevent soil loss, efficient use of irrigation water, and habitat conservation. These conservation efforts are taught to all ALBA clients. Bilingual education programs are available for Spanish speaking farmers. Meeting water quality regulations and conservation are key components of the farmer education program. ALBA's goal is to help educate small farmers, and demonstrate that farming and conservation can co-exist.
Environmental Partners
ALBA operates in partnership with many local and national level organizations. Below is a list of some of the partners that work in cooperation with ALBA:
- Agriculture Water Quality Alliance (AWQA)
- Big Sur Land Trust
- California Coastal Conservancy
- Central Coast Agricultural Water Quality Coalition
- Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Central Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council
- Coastal Watershed Council
- Ecology Action
- Elkhorn Slough Foundation
- Friends, Artists and Neighbors of Elkhorn Slough (FANS)
- LandWatch Monterey County
- Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS)
- Monterey Bay Sanctuary Citizen Watershed Monitoring Network
- Monterey County Agricultural and Historical Land Conservancy
- Monterey County Water Resources Agency
- Resource Conservation District of Monterey County
- Sustainable Connections
Properties
ALBA owns two properties in Monterey County for hands on training and research.
The Rural Development Center
The RDC is ALBAs headquarters, and is located on a 110-acre organic farm in the Salinas Valley. From the Salinas farm ALBA provides the Small Farm Education Program, a program that teaches beginning farmers about organic farming, and marketing. The RDC includes a resource center and classroom, distribution facility and produce cooler, and an on-site maintenance workshop.
The Farm Training and Research Center (Triple M Ranch)
The Triple M Ranch is a 195 acre farm situated in the lower part of Carneros Creek Watershed. Only 60 acres of the farm are cultivated due to a natural land easement on the property. The property that is farmed is leased out to small farms for training in organic farming, and education in sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices. Triple M Ranch
References
- ↑ ALBA website: http://www.albafarmers.org/index.html
- ↑ Calrecylce: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/calmax/inserts/2005/Summer/Alba.htm