Many of our readers are already familiar with Gentle World’s agricultural project that we call VeganLand. Since we acquired the land in 2017, these 34 beautiful acres have made it possible for us to provide assistance to two animal rescue operations, in the form of much-needed grazing space. In 2020, VeganLand welcomed five dairy refugees rescued by Magical Creatures (now happily grazing back at the sanctuary,) and more recently, dozens of horses rescued one at a time from last chance auctions.
Our longer-term vision for VeganLand is for the land to offer a workable model of how locally-produced plant foods can replace the hugely inefficient and grossly inhumane system of animal farming.
Thanks to the gracious contributions of our supporters, and with a tremendous amount of volunteer time and effort, we’ve been able to take some significant steps toward our larger aims, including the clearing of 2.5 acres from invasive species, freeing up valuable space for gardens and orchards.
The clearing of invasive guava was the foundational step in preparing the ground for what has now become VeganLand’s very first garden: a trial crop of kabocha squash, and we’re excited to share the news that it has produced prolifically, providing our volunteers and rescued animals with close to 250 pounds of beautiful veganic squash!
With the increased interest in organically-grown food, it has never been more important to raise awareness about the feasibility of veganic farming methods, which do not use animal inputs for soil fertility. While there is no questioning the importance of organic foods for both human and planetary health, it’s a sad fact that traditional organic growing relies heavily on the animal industry, and provides a market for the waste that animal farming produces in the form of manure, feather meal, blood and bone meal, slaughterhouse sludge, and fish emulsion, which consists of the fluid remains of the bodies of fish used for fish oil and fish meal.
Over our multi-decade history, Gentle World volunteers have been among the pioneers in veganic growing, and our center in New Zealand already demonstrates the viability of veganic plant-foods farming, with its extensive gardens and orchards. Our veganic gardens in Hawaii have offered hands-on education to countless visiting volunteers, and in early 2023, our Hawaii veganic growing efforts enabled us to provide weekly donations of nutritious, garden-fresh produce to families visiting our local food bank.
Our hope for VeganLand as the next phase of our outreach is that it will become a center for education about vegan living and growing, and a source of inspiration for those seeking greater connection with the world of nature beyond ourselves, and the deeper nature within.
