For many farm workers in Northern California's Salinas Valley, ALBA Organics is a chance to take control of their life. ALBA Organics leases out land to farmers, provides them with fertilizers as well as irrigation tools, and trains them in organic farming. They then buy the produce from the farmer and sell it at nearby stores. ALBA Organics enables a farmer to take responsibility of their farms.

ALBA Organics Says Farming Is Not All That Easy

Often dubbed as America's salad bowl, Salinas Valley is famous for lettuce, spinach, and celery. It also brings in a lot of opportunities for farm workers whose whole life is spent picking these herbs from dawn to dusk.

ALBA Organics has successfully trained more than 50 farmers and are now in the process of coaching the next batch of 50 farmers. In the training programs, farmers are leased land at subsidized rates for a few years, until they are independent enough to start out on their own.

However, the land rates are still very high and the ALBA graduated farmers will have to risk it out if they want to invest in a farming land before they start harvesting. So, there is a possibility that though these farmers have the know-how of organic farming, they may still be forced to work for others.

Agricultural work is very demanding and farming is a risky business. Though ALBA Organics teaches farm works to be farm owners, they also face the challenge of language. Many workers come from rural Mexico making it difficult for them to communicate with anybody. But North Carolina has seen an increasing demand for local produce in the last few years. If the farmers employ more workers on the leased farms, they will be able to break through barriers. In addition, even though the economical benefits are slow through ALBA Organics, farmers prefer it as they learn business skills in the trade off. They are also getting a chance to establish their lives.

Best Use of Eco-Friendly Promotional Items by ALBA Organics

Through the knowledge and skills that ALBA Organics imparts, farmers learn the importance of eco friendly promotional items. While trying to break even, many of them do not lose touch with reality. Aware that their dreams of owning a farm and selling produce may not turn into a reality, farm workers also keep backup plans.

Some farm workers prefer going back to picking the herbs for other farm owners and earn a decent wage. There are others who prefer taking off from what they learnt at ALBA Organics. They go to study further so that their education can help them provide services to farmers. As a result, they will be able to earn and buy their own land in the future.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/31/207028894/farm-laborers-get-a-foothold-with-their-own-organic-farms