the self made billionaire effect by mitch cohen and john sviokla
“Here’s what I wanted to do,” said DeJoria. “Step number one was I would pay for seeds, fertilizer, equipment, as well as agricultural extension educators and volunteers to actually go out there and teach people how to farm. The goal of phase one was, you will feed yourself, your family, anyone destitute around you and be able to can for the winter so you can have food year- round.
“Here’s what I wanted to do,” said DeJoria. “Step number one was I would pay for seeds, fertilizer, equipment, as well as agricultural extension educators and volunteers to actually go out there and teach people how to farm. The goal of phase one was, you will feed yourself, your family, anyone destitute around you and be able to can for the winter so you can have food year- round.
Phase two is you grow more vegetables— now you know you can
do it— so you’re taken care of, your family is taken care of. The extra you
grow you can sell at farmer’s markets or to local grocery stores as locally
grown produce. Now you have some income, all right? Phase three is, once you
have an income, teach someone else to do what you did. I’ll buy the extra seeds
and inputs and all that and you pass along what you learned to others. If I
have fifty thousand families I could affect directly and each of them teach two
others, that’s a hundred and fifty thousand people getting to be self-
sufficient and eventually making enough money off the gardening and the produce
where they don’t need the food stamps anymore.”
Grow Appalachia launched
officially in 2010. In its first year, the venture grew 120,000 pounds of food
for more than 2,800 people. In the second year those numbers expanded, despite
a difficult growing season, to 134,000 pounds of food for 3,694 people, and
created a total of more than seventy full- and part- time jobs. In its third
year, 2012, Grow Appalachia produced 320,000 pounds of produce for 9,000
people. From nothing to 320,000 pounds is an impressive feat, the result of
Empathetic Imagination made real by a Producer who had the original vision and
a Performer collaborator with whom he is helping him execute.
Dale Quaker
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