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Stealthy Crop Mob forges local agrarian bonds

Like a stealthy tomato, hidden beneath the camouflage and chaos of leaves, Crop Mob is a rogue (well, sort of) grassroots group, rich and potent with a passion for local farms, local foods and the connection we often miss with those who do the growing. Crop Mob is primarily a group of landless and wannabe farmers who come together to work on and build an interconnected agrarian community. Crop Mob is also a group of experienced farmers and gardeners sharing knowledge with their peers and the next generation of agrarians. Crop Mob is open to all regardless of experience, background or age. It is intended to be a community effort. Oh, and there is really good food at the potluck we all share after the morning’s work.

Crop Mob Las Cruces arose after Eric Luther, Fairlight Community Gardens coordinator, read an article about a similar group in North Carolina. There, groups of volunteers gathered on small, sustainable farms and offered their labor to help growers complete large-scale projects. Essentially inspired by this group’s enthusiasm and dedication, Eric roped in Community of Hope coworker Maria Doria and decided to try out the same concept here in Las Cruces, and a local Crop Mob group was born. Las Cruces is just one of the latest Mob spots in this growing movement.

Here in Las Cruces and the surrounding areas there is a certain disconnect that exists; a separation of mind and body from the farm. No, not The Farm, the gigantic onion, chile and cotton farm; rather, the family farm – all those small farms that provide food to hundreds of local citizens via farmers markets, CSAs and (a few) local food stores.

In our area, where growing is dominated by big farm ideas, the small farm, often practicing sustainable methods, needs our support. Crop Mob offers an opportunity to lend extra hands to farmers and growers, who are often literally doing it all themselves, but also to lend moral support. Joining a long tradition of neighbor cooperation farming, Crop Mob is a modern spin on this old idea. While supporting local growers and, more broadly, a localized food system are Crop Mob’s main goals, the group hopes to accomplish much more than that. It wants to remind people that food grows from the earth, not on grocery store shelves. It encourages people to get in the dirt and grow their own food, reconnecting them with the earth and urging them to appreciate and respect that which nourishes them.

Part of the beauty of the mob is the simplicity; volunteering at a farm, lending a hand – or many hands – to a task. But the richness of the mob, the complexity, is about connection or reconnection. Finding out not only how to harvest lavender or plant a seed but why we do it and who it is that is doing it the rest of the time. Quietly building a network of ideas and experiences that bring us together as a community; sharing the bounty of the harvest if even for one afternoon.

On one Saturday morning every month, volunteers assemble at a local small farm or community garden, and then they “mob” it. Participants do whatever is most useful to the grower at that time. In May they planted lettuce, in June they harvested lavender, and in July they pulled weeds. In exchange for all this free labor, growers are asked to participate in at least one other mob session. As “mobbers” work side by side, they learn about one another and from one another; some have been gardening all their lives and others are getting their hands dirty for the first time.

After laboring in the sun for a few hours, volunteers finally rest in the shade as they share a potluck lunch that inevitably reflects the participants’ commitment to healthy, quality, and local food. This group is loosely organized; notice of the next mobbing spreads mostly by e-mail and word of mouth. Participants don’t have to RSVP, and attendees vary from month to month. Individuals of all ages and levels of gardening experience are welcome to attend, and the only qualifications are an eagerness to learn and work.

If you’re interested in learning more about Crop Mob or hosting a Mob session on your farm, contact cropmoblascruces@gmail.com or ask for Eric or Maria at (575) 523-2219.

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