Sovereign Soil Farm Startup Fundraiser
Hi, we are Dominic and Holly and we are the co-founders of Sovereign Soil Farm.
Who are we
Dominic is a Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Italian person. He is a poet, writer, photographer, Aboriginal health educator and co presenter of the ASH Podcast. Holly is a settler of Greek, Irish and English descent. They are a gardener, social worker, tutor & offline gamer.
We both grew up in rural communities and in conversation in early 2019, realised that we shared a dream of building a small community and justice oriented fresh produce farm. Over the past year we have been germinating Sovereign Soil Farm.
We have secured a site in Two Wells Kaurna Yerta and now we are seeking your support to help with startup costs. 
What we are going to do
We are turning an old olive grove into a market garden that grows Indigenous and conventional food, herbs & flowers. This is where most of the startup costs are needed. We need to build the infrastructure to grow, wash, process, pack, refrigerate and sell the produce we grow.
We are joining other food justice farmers in making sustainable and ethical food accessible to marginalised community members. For example; We will do this by paying workers properly, using a sliding-scale/solidarity pricing system, and ensuring our market stalls and community events will be accessible. We will collaborate with community groups to support and/or co-facilitate community workshops and events on a range of food and justice related issues.
Sovereign Soil Farm will always be majority Blak and queer owned. We will mentor, employ and work with people who might otherwise feel cautious about entering food, gardening & farming spaces. Currently our organisational structure is a business partnership and we are exploring what will be the most equitable and just options for future coworkers.
Challenges
COVID-19 has heightened the importance of building resilient and just communities. Our local community’s response to COVID-19 has provided hope for the capacity to build strong local communities. We have seen a surge in interest in local food security and the importance of just public health systems.
Essentials Goal $25 000
$25 000 will provide us with many of the essential materials & tools to get going. This includes items such as farming hand tools, seed and irrigation through to a walk-in fridge for cooling and storing produce.
Ideal Goal: $54 295
$54 295 will set us up with specialised machinery that will make farm activities quicker and put less strain on our bodies. This includes a walk-behind tractor, power harrow, flail mower, a paper pot transplanter system, a quick cut greens harvester and a dedicated on farm nursery.
For more detail on the items we are fundraising for, click the following link.
https://sovereignsoilfarm.com/2020/08/11/fundraiser-info/
