Abylene Vargas-Leon is a CCOF Future Organic Farmers Grantee.
Abylene Vargas-Leon is a second-year farm apprentice who intends to buy land for growing mixed vegetables and flowers. She comes from a long line of farming family members, including her grandparents, parents, and brother.
“My earliest appreciation for Mother Earth’s generosity sets us back to 2007, when I was six years old helping my father in our garden,” says Vargas-Leon. “Joy spread ear to ear as I observed my strawberry patch show signs of a soon-to-be harvest.”
She is pursuing her forester certification and neighborhood conservationist certification, becoming involved with organizations like Keep Growing Detroit, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, and Project GreenER. “I plan to couple these skills with agriculture as a blueprint of what it means to be a steward of land,” she says, “and spotlight our partnership with Mother Earth.”
“Not long ago, a relative asked me why I went to college, if I was going to end up working as a farmer,” Vargas-Leon recalls. “As if tending to my sacred relationship with Mother Earth was such a bad thing.” She hopes to acquire land in the next three years, envisioning a “third space where people can spend time getting to know themselves and their connection to Mother Earth…a place to learn resulting in tangible plans of action, empowering communities to grow their own food.”
With the help of the Organic Farmers Training Program (OFTP), Vargas-Leon is developing a finalized business plan. “OFTP is making my goals as an entrepreneur a reality by providing a shared space with like-minded individuals,” she says. The program offers her the opportunity to visit successful farms and participate in hands-on learning. “As I work toward completing my neighborhood conservationist and urban forester training, along with my participation in Project GreenER, I am steadily becoming more equipped to be a steward of land,” Vargas-Leon says. “Understanding and observing the relationships between the different forms of life help me navigate and understand the needs of my crops. Knowing what native plants work best in certain areas, how to identify invasive species and to properly remove them, knowing when and how to partner with the land.”
Vargas-Leon has big plans for the future. “I see my presence in the organic sector in many forms. At my most daring, I envision myself in a government position, advocating for policies that uplift and support urban growers. Working alongside public schools to create and support educational gardens—where students are empowered by the gained experience and knowledge of growing their own food.”
“Organic farming isn’t just a practice to me,” she says. “It’s a way of remembering what we’ve always known.”
The CCOF Foundation is proud to support producers like Abylene Vargas-Leon with the Future Organic Farmers grant, which provides $5,000 scholarships to college and vocational students training for careers in organic.
If you would like to contribute to the success of Future Organic Farmers grantees like Abylene Vargas-Leon, please contact the CCOF Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Shawna Rodgers at srodgers@ccof.org to learn more.
