Farm Hack is a part of the National Young Farmers’ Coalition dedicated to problem-solving for sustainable farms. Farmers work with engineers, architects and designers to share ideas for appropriate technology.

In many cases, Farm Hack has already accomplished what it is trying to do. Before World War II, most agriculture was done on a local scale. Farmers had fewer acres in cultivation but more diversity in what they grew.

Small farmers are looking for human-scale tools and designs to make their operations as productive and profitable. They value the quality of their products and the health of people and the environment.The technology to make this kind of agriculture happen exists, but it is not readily available.

Commercially available farm equipment is out of the price range for many small and start-up farmers. The equipment caters to farms that are thousands of acres instead of dozens or just one or two acres. Maintaining and fueling commercial equipment also presents costs that are too great to bear for the size of many farms.

The standard has been to cobble together do-it-yourself solutions, but this has limitations. Farmers may not have access to the equipment or skills necessary for certain fabrication techniques like welding, metal working or advanced carpentry. Designing and building their equipment is also time-consuming and takes away energy from farm production.

Farm Hack intends to fill the gap by creating a community for sharing ideas, designs and products for community scale agriculture. The heart of the community has been design charrette events in which designers and farmers are able to meet face to face and brainstorm ideas for tools and designs.

This is an amazing place where the agroecosystems and human ecosystems interact. Making the right tools available serves a specific niche of farmers feeding local people around them. It facilitates farming practices that protect the environment by returning nutrients to the soil and putting faith in diversity instead of monocultures.

Online, Farm Hack’s blog reports on innovations happening inside and outside the community. There is also a forum that facilitates conversations about tools, the design process and how to bring projects to fruition.

Most designs have not been developed further because Farm Hack events have been one-time occasions. Now, the online forum brings together teams to discuss designs. This may help create a standardized method to communicate designs online. These designs will help farmers replicate small-scale equipment manufactures. Appropriate compensation for Farm Hack design participants is an ongoing conversation.

The latest and greatest Farm Hack design is Fido, a greenhouse monitor that sends the farmer a text message whenever it gets too hot or too cold. It is designed for farmers to assemble by themselves from off-the-shelf parts. It is great for farmers who do not live where they farm and can’t check the temperature themselves.

The next Farm Hack event is this weekend in Burlington, Vt., and Essex, N.Y., So if you’re looking to get out of Syracuse this weekend, there will be farm tours, design sessions and excellent food.

Leanna Mulvihill is a senior forest engineering major and environmental writing and rhetoric minor. Her column appears every Tuesday. She can be reached at lpmulvih@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @LeannaMulvihill. 

Published on April 23, 2012 at 12:00 pm