Hungry World Farm focuses on regenerative agriculture The farm’s residents grow food while restoring the earth and promoting fellowship Story and pictures by Shannon Serpette
Stephan Rauh, the lead produce farmer at Hungry World Farm, stands next to the produce garden he dug with a shovel.
This is one of the rabbits tended to by Dave Bell at Hungry World Farm.
Those who live at Hungry World Farm have access to fresh produce even on cold, snowy days.
While sustainable agriculture has been embraced for decades now, regenerative agriculture is a growing movement. One of the champions of holistic, regenerative agriculture in Bureau County is Hungry World Farm, located in rural Tiskilwa. Karla Detweiler, who was working as a Mennonite pastor in Iowa, moved to the 175acre Hungry World Farm with her family in June 2020. Hungry World Farm is a working farm and ministry that dedicates itself to food production and consumption. Those who live on the farm, like the Detweiler family, want to educate and inspire people to care about having healthy food, fields, and bodies while they care for the planet. “I’ve had a dream for a long time of having a community that cares for the earth,” she said. She loved the idea of a farm where the focus wasn’t on sustainability but on regenerative agriculture. “It’s a way of growing food that prioritizes soil health and ecosystem health,” she said. Regenerative agriculture nurtures the microbes in the soil, partly from disturbing the earth as little as possible. This style of farming isn’t about just sustaining – it seeks to improve. “It has the potential to heal
and regenerate the soil,” she said. “It’s going back to what it was originally supposed to be.” Hungry World Farm spreads the word about regenerative agriculture and healthy living in various ways, including educational outreach efforts. The Farm Learning Center, which is used for educational purposes and sits in the same section of the farm as the residences, is undergoing renovation right now. “By spring, it will be brand spanking new,” Detweiler said. The center is used for hosting farm learning days. One of the farm learning days was on the topic of food insecurity. The guests are generally a mix of people from different backgrounds. There might be farmers or concerned adults – they welcome anyone who wants to learn more and be part of the solution. The farm residents would love to see more kids on field trips visit the property to learn about farming and caring for the earth. “We want to be considered a service organization in the community,” she said. Those living at Hungry World Farm are working on making improvements or additions, such as having a commercial kitchen geared toward baked goods and eventually growing Heritage grains on the property, Detweiler said. The long-term plan for the farm includes
12 – Winter 2021
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