Root Cause Farm was started in late 2014 on a former lawn owned by the West Sacramento Housing Development Corporation. Approximately 1/2-acre in size, the farm grows fruits and vegetables naturally, without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Root Cause Farm is located in the Broderick neighborhood of West Sacramento. Access to affordable, healthy food is an issue for local resident
s, many of whom have low incomes. Root Cause Farm aims to serve as a source of affordable produce right in the neighborhood.
2015 marks the farm's first season of production. Spring crops will include lettuce mix, baby arugula, carrots, beets, swiss chard, kale, and potatoes. Summer crops will include cherry tomatoes, red tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, summer squash, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Fall crops will include pumpkins and winter squash. The farm is managed by one full-time farmer. Aside from a walk-behind rototiller to prepare the ground for planting, all work on the farm is done by hand. Volunteers who want to get their hands dirty are welcome to join Farmer Aimee in the field for an hour or a day of work. Common volunteer tasks include weeding, harvesting, and washing produce. Root Cause Farm is a participant in the West Sacramento Urban Farm Program and Center for Land-Based Learning's California Farm Academy farm business incubator. The mission of the incubator program is to grow farmers, in part by providing land, infrastructure, ongoing support, and mentorship to new farm entrepreneurs. Root Cause Farm is additionally supported by the City of West Sacramento, West Sacramento Housing Development Corporation, Wells Fargo, and Bayer Crop Science.
