Bridget Duffy

 Holding nox(the kitten) in the tropical plant tunnel after a downpour at Plantation 

 

After finishing my second official week of my internship, I can safely say extension work is one

thing after another. Each day that I come into work, I’m not exactly sure what the day will hold.

Field work is unpredictable, you never know who you’ll meet, and new people are going in and

out of the office throughout the week. There is always a new person to talk to or a new

experience to reflect on. And I couldn’t imagine a better internship. It really keeps you on your

toes in excitement. One of the biggest events from this week was our visit with our mentor to

Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm. I have never seen anything like it, or met people quite that

amazing before. I truly had no idea what I signed up for when I agreed to go on a farm tour, but

an enchanting mix of old and new, of crumbling and restored, was not my expectation. The

owner, Farmer Chippy, truly loved the work that he did and the people that he did it for. Every

youth in the community that he supports, he treats like his own children. He has so many visions

for the farm in the future, and is quickly hurtling towards them. I have had plenty of experience

with community growing spaces, farms and farmers markets, but the sense of community and

welcoming that I felt on that visit blew me away. When it started pouring rain, they sat in the

tropical high tunnel with us, and gave us the most amazing soup I have ever eaten in my life.

We got to see weeks old kittens that they take care of just because, and all the adult cats they

feed and care for as well. The more work I end up doing with Baltimore growing spaces, the

more I realize the people involved are just as if not more amazing as the work that they do with

these spaces. Sure they’re repurposing abandoned lots, and making some row beds. But

they’re also providing boxes of fresh produce to food banks, offering classes to nearby schools

and youth programs, teaching work ethic and skills to the next generation, and fighting for the

ability to be seen as farmers by the state and federal government. The people I have met and

the people that I have been given the privilege of working with, are some of the most selfless

human beings I have ever interacted with. And they don’t even bat an eye at all of the amazing

programs they pour themselves and their time into. And no, not every day is perfect and things

often go wrong, but everyone is there to uplift those around them through it, and smile their way

to the next task. I have never felt as privileged as I do now to be able to have such a work

environment. I don’t see the future weeks going anywhere but up from here.

Photo:  Harlem Park Farm, where we did our first mapping procedure for our ongoing research project, with Sally, the owner.