Source:  Julian Martin, eatdrinkandbe.org, 3/10/10

Small farms in North Carolina are getting a boost from a volunteer group dedicated to supporting sustainable farming.

Through monthly events — dubbed “Crop Mobs” — dozens of landless farmers and agricultural enthusiasts descend upon a local farm to sort food, clear land, weed and build greenhouses.

The idea is to help small farmers work land that would be far more labor-intensive than industrial agriculture, said Rob Jones, a founder of Crop Mob, to the Los Angeles Times. This happens all while supporting sustainable farming and inspiring people to get their hands dirty and grow something.

Crop Mob volunteers include farm interns, massage therapists, office workers and backyard gardeners. Participants are notified of Mob events largely through Facebook and Google.

Since the organization was first formed in 2008, it has grown from a group of 19 young farmers to more than 400. Volunteers have contributed more than 2,000 hours in helping small farms through 15 Crop Mobs around North Carolina.

In exchange for their work, farmers are only required to feed participants. Lessons and demonstrations on sustainable farming techniques are also occasionally provided.

"It's fantastic -- these people love working the land, but they don't have their own farms, and I could definitely use the help," said Jason Oatis, whose Edible Earthscapes farm in Moncure, N.C., was Mobbed in February, to the Los Angeles Times.

The success of Crop Mob can be linked to a surge of new small farms in the Triangle area of North Carolina (comprising Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), according to the organization’s Web site.

One of the main issues facing sustainable agriculture is that it’s “way, way, way more labor-intensive than industrial agriculture,” said Jones, to the New York Times. “It’s not sustainable physically, and it’s not sustainable for people personally: they’re working all the time and don’t have an opportunity to have a social life. So I think Crop Mob brings that celebration to the work, so that you get that sense of community that people are looking for, and you get a lot of work done. And we have a lot of fun.”