Despite the fact that small farmers have been relying on unpaid volunteers, interns and apprentices to keep their farms up and running for decades, the state Department of Labor has started cracking down on this practice in California. Farms in Marin and Santa Cruz County have been fined thousands of dollars in the past couple of years and many organic farmers are being forced to find new ways to stay competitive without the extra hands they're accustomed to. (See a recent article in the Marin Independent Journal).

But maybe there are some alternatives to traditional unpaid farm labor that might give these regulations a run for their money? On a recent visit to North Carolina I found out about "Crop Mob" : groups of people working for no money that have been helping out local farmers since 2008. The idea is based on the exchange of willing labor from landless aspiring farmers in exchange for knowledge and a good meal. The goal is to build interdependent strong communities through farm work. Small sustainable farms are ideal recipients of this effort because most grow diversified crops on small acreage with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers and very little mechanization, making them more labor intensive than conventional farms, but also more fertile learning grounds.

The "mobs" can be 10 people or 50 and the tasks range from building compost piles to mulching to harvesting. The group descends on a farm for one day and usually accomplishes more than the farmer could do alone in a month. Now there are more than 30 Crop Mobs around the country, including a burgeoning group in California. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/California-Crop-Mobs/357393926702).

So is it a wacky experiment in neo-agrarianism or just good old-fashioned "barn-raising"? Probably a hybrid of the two. And in that way, it reflects the sustainable food movement as a combination of back-to-the-land traditional farming methods with non-traditional farms and farmers. The question is: can innovative trends like Crop Mobs get around laws and regulations that, perhaps, aren't evolving as quickly?

by Ariana Reguzzoni

Calendar Buzz

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission St., San Francisco
Thursdays, Jul 15, 22 & 29 6:00-8:00pm
TASTE! returns to YBCA this summer with a DIY take on gourmet eats and drinks, with Ritual Roasters, Bernal Heights' Wholesome Bakery and featuring The Ministry Of Approximate Travel, a project by Bay Area-based artist Jenny Odell.

Home Grown Marin Market
Marin's Underground Market Premier
Saturday, July 17th, 3PM-9PM
Studio 333 Caledonia St.
Sausalito, CA.

Hayes Valley Farm
Tuesday, July 20 at 7:00pm
450 Laguna Street (at Fell), San Francisco
Farm Film Night featuring Botany of Desire

18 Reasons: Edible Perfumes with Yosh Han
593 Guerrero Street, San Francisco
July 21st, 7-9PM
Aromatic treats to fuel learning include: cardamom-rose-vanilla scented whipped cream with lavender shortbread cookies and rosemary, lavender and sage dipping salts paired with summer melons.