Folks up in Sandy Ridge know how to recognize a good thing. When they held their first Local Sustainability Festival this past November, it was such a big success that they knew they had to plan part two—as soon as possible. The second part is scheduled for Saturday, January 17, from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Hare Krishna Temple off Moir Farm Road in Sandy Ridge. There is no charge for the event.

January’s festival will focus on increasing local food production. Festival organizer Mitra explains, “The target is to produce all the food we need right here in our own county. We will discuss different strategies to make this a possibility. . .The surface had been just barely scratched [at the previous festival]. . .many more such meetings must be planned to actualize our goals of sustainability in our area.”

He sees the festival atmosphere as a “forum of old farmers sharing their secrets.” He adds that the older generation will have “the chance to pass on their wisdom, and the younger generation will benefit from it, too.”

The lineup this Saturday includes several local speakers. At 11 a.m., Ken Bridle of the Piedmont Land Conservancy will speak on ways this organization is helping to protect farmlands from Development. Bridle is also a good resource for questions regarding edible landscaping, fruit trees, solar anything, composting and the Stokes Stomp Festival.

At 11:30, Pat Bush will make a presentation on seed keeping. Festival participants are invited to bring seeds they’ve saved from crops that performed well, for the purpose of sharing or trading. Mitra notes that seeds from crops grown in this region will be more acclimated to local conditions.

The noontime speaker is Tony McGee. He will talk about Stokes Core, which is a government-sponsored agency to help farmers find alternative crops since the decline in the tobacco industry.

At 12:30 p.m., the topic will be “Rainwater Harvesting and Storage and Year-round Harvest Without a Greenhouse.” The presenter is Kirby Wilkinson of Reidsville who designs and installs solar electric systems for homes. He gets by with a small system on his own house, using very little electricity. He’s been collecting and irrigating with rainwater for some time now and claims to be still eating fresh tomatoes from his garden.

During the lunch break at 1 p.m., music will be provided. The meal is offered free of charge and will consist of fresh, locally-grown food. Mitra and friends are developing a short hiking trail, perhaps a half-mile long, along the creek nearby. If the weather allows, participants are welcome to stretch their legs and take in the sights.

The next seminar at 2:30 is called “Farming with Draft Animals-Is It Just an Expensive Hobby?” John Hartman and his wife Kay have been farming with horses for many years now. They will give an honest assessment of their experiences.

At 3 p.m. comes Michael Hylton, Stokes County’s Horticulture Agent and Interim Extension Agent, who will speak on innovations in small farms in this area—what’s working and what’s not.

The 3:30 seminar is a question and answer format and is entitled “How to get the most from your garden.” This consists of a panel of experienced farmers from the area who will share the wisdom and experiences they’ve gathered while farming here. Festival-goers are advised to bring a notepad to record the good advice and ideas. On the panel will be Leonard Hicks, a retired Stokes County agricultural extension agent.

Mitra explains his views on the focus of the festival, “Our basic needs are food, shelter and energy. All three of those needs can be easily met with the natural resources of our county. If we consider the knowledge and experience of the residents of our area in these fields, I see no reason that we can’t accomplish our goal of being a self-sustaining community. I’ve been very impressed with the people of Stokes County.”

The festival organizer feels the first step in making sustainability work is finding a way for farmers to make a decent living by growing food. He says that seminar presenter Tony McGee told him of some farmers growing sweet potatoes and making better money per acre than they did when they were growing tobacco. “I like to see more land being used for growing food. If the economy fails, you can’t eat tobacco,” Mitra rationalizes.

He suggests that festival participants bring socks that they would wear in public, since they will be leaving their shoes outside during the seminars.

For more information on the festival, go to mygreenearthfoundation.com.