Our Smart Farms
Providence International’s primary goal is employing the unemployed and providing an onramp to a future with hope, both internationally and domestically. In Northern California, Providence Smart Farms achieves this goal by clustering land and human resources, creating fair-wage, entry-level opportunities.
By creating opportunities for individuals in new and existing markets, Providence offers a replicable, scalable, and sustainable business model. By planting seeds, so to speak, both globally and locally, the organization is providing full-service support systems and technologies. Please click here to view and download a PDF outline of the smart farm program.
Providence leverages every resource possible to “seed” a global people movement in creating local and affordable healthy and clean food, water, renewable energy and housing to serve people in entry level job opportunity and placement.
Providence Smart Farms & Gardens Division creates healthy ecosystems using the best regenerative organic practices, latest state of the art technologies, affordable products and services to assure year round local healthy food production and security for every home, school and jobs for small and entry level farmers.
Healthy local organically grown food assures healthy people, communities and planet.
Benefits of Smart Farms & Gardens engagement
Food Hub and Year Round Online Farmers Market
Challenges & Solutions
Challenges: Supply Chain Reliability, Cyber and grid interruptions, Clean Water availability, Soil regeneration, carbon sequestration.
ProvidenceSmartFarms.org has established proof of concept in using sunlight, air, water, soil restoration and waste conversion management solutions to accomplish carbon sequestration and net negative greenhouse gas emissions and healthy soil restoration to assure a future with hope with food security.
Three Solutions
While not simple, the solutions integrate the local community, private assets, and public assets into a system of localized prosperity focused on farming and food heritage.
- Clusters:Enabling agriculture and enterprise clusters with a value chain coordinator
- Capital: Using a social enterprise model, bolster the food and farming economies via public and private resources
- Metrics:Evaluate novel distribution, production, and marketing models, measuring and reporting on their collective impact
Seven Opportunities
- Expanding Markets: As food production increases, markets expand.
- New Jobs Created: Expanding markets create new opportunities.
- Healthy Food Produced: Fresh, local, and sustainably harvested food.
- Value Added to Relationships: As people trade, relationships expand.
- New Dollars for Shasta County: With commerce, comes new resources.
- Productive Land and Human Resources: Utilizing nature and people.
- Increased Participation from Area Donors: More activity, more donations.
““Institutional food purchasing should be framed around the formation and maintenance of resilient locally-based, socially-affirming, professional business networks.”
— Ken Meter & Megan Goldenberg, Crossroads Resource Center
Contact
Robert L. Hancock, Founder & President, Providence International | providence@charter.net | phone 530-243-3373 | cell 530-949-4199
Kyle Dall, Providence Smart Farms and Gardens Director kyle[@]providencegardensofhope.org | phone 530-722-8349
Shannon Burke, Providence Chief Technology Officer tech[@]providencesmartfarms.org
Steve Clester, Domestic Director
Miranda Wallace, Permaculture and Gardens Director
Logan McMaster, Public Relations Director
Resources
Ken Meter: Mount Shasta/Mount Lassen Region Local Farm and Food Economy, July 12, 2012. Crossroads Resource Center.
Dr David Gatewood, Shasta College Dean of Economic and Workforce Development and Providence Advisor
Dr. Erick Houk: The Contribution of Agriculture to Northeastern California’s Economy in 2014, A Report by The Agribusiness Institute, College of Agriculture, California State University, Chico, June 2016.