The farmer’s buoyant tone was like a proud parent cheering their baby on as they took their first steps.
“You want one?” EliYahu Ben Asa asked the reporter, holding out a plump, bronze-colored muscadine he’d just picked from a vine on his farm.
They stood among rows of fruits and vegetation lining this family-owned farmland in Ellenwood. Asa’s duck-brown dickie overalls, damp with dew, stood out. With elation in his eyes, he scanned the vines, picking out recently bloomed muscadines, eating a few more before offering me some again.
The reporter, hesitant to eat crops straight from the ground because of “chemicals,” was reassured by Asa.
“Don’t worry, these are safe to eat,” he said.
Biting into one of the muscadines, the sweetness quickly greeted his taste buds. The freshness was immediately apparent.
Although all the crops grown at Atlanta Harvest are washed and cleaned before selling, eating them straight from the ground or vine without worry of sickness is something only a select few farmers can boast about. According to USDA data, less than 2% of the nation’s farms are sustainable and non-conventional.
For Asa, 30, owner of Atlanta Harvest Farm and Market, sustainable eating and agriculture have been a way of life for more than two decades.
“All organic, we’ve never been conventional. We never will be,” Asa said about his family-owned farm.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, conventional farming is the use of seeds that have been genetically altered using a variety of traditional breeding methods
At a time when many consumers believe organic produce is too expensive, Asa’s farm shows that buying sustainable isn’t just about health or freshness — it’s also about educating and strengthening the community.
A kid from the city farming…
Typically, many children raised within the agricultural world come from rural areas surrounded by large parcels of harvestable land. But for Asa, it was a different story. Growing up in New York City, his only farming knowledge came from a small horticulture farm in his childhood Bronx basement and caring for his grandmother’s yard plants.
It wasn’t until Asa was 13 years old that his father purchased 50 acres of land more than 800 miles away in Dublin, Georgia. Asa was told he would help cultivate the family’s newly purchased land.
For some kids, moving from the bustling city life to rural farm life might be a challenge they’d resent. But Asa had a different outlook.
“I was very happy to do it,” Asa said. “My dad and I have a very tight relationship, so whatever my dad is doing is what I was going to do.”
Throughout high school, Asa attended school in New York City but spent every break in Georgia helping his father on the farm.
Asa mentioned that reviving the raw land was a process he and his dad built from the ground up. From building shelter to creating a water system, they learned bit by bit.
“As a kid, it felt like camping — living off the land, getting used to the surroundings, exploring, working to build shelter, and making the place our own.”
This experience, Asa said, made him more aware than many of his peers back in New York.
In 2017, after noticing a lack of sustainable fresh produce in Ellenwood, Asa and his family purchased Atlanta Harvest Farmers Market. Atlanta Harvest supplies Atlanta with fresh, locally grown produce.
Much of the produce sold at Atlanta Harvest is grown on the farm or by nearby farms throughout Georgia and the Southeast using sustainable, organic practices.
But… organic just costs too much
Despite Atlanta Harvest and a few other organic farms nationwide that avoid pesticides, many consumers believe organic produce is simply too expensive.
Asa admits some organically grown produce might carry a higher price tag than conventionally grown counterparts.
One reason for this price difference can be attributed to economies of scale.
Economies of scale can be defined as the cost advantage companies gain as they increase production or sales volume. Prices tend to decrease with increased production because fixed costs — such as salaries and equipment — are allocated over a greater quantity of goods.
When smaller organic farms like Atlanta Harvest charge more for some produce, “we aren’t trying to price gouge,” Asa said. The price increase helps cover the lack of demand so they can still pay employees and afford necessary upkeep and maintenance.
Although chains like Aldi and Walmart might offer lower prices, it’s hard to compete with their distributors who mass produce and distribute products, Asa said. “I actually make the compost and test the soil by hand, so it takes work.”
To help make fresh produce more affordable, Georgia’s Fresh for Less program provides a 50% discount on fruits and vegetables for SNAP recipients at select markets and grocery stores, and Atlanta Harvest is one of the participating markets. Programs like this help make sustainable eating a bit more accessible.
Health benefits… It’s bigger than that
Based on numerous scientific studies, it’s difficult to say that organic produce is definitively healthier. Some research suggests its possible benefits, such as decreased cancer risk, while others find no noticeable health differences.
However, certain crops, such as blueberries, have a short shelf life. Buying them locally grown and freshly picked can offer a longer shelf life compared to grocery store blueberries shipped across the country over several days, explained Dr. Laurel Dunn, a Food Science and Technology professor at the University of Georgia.
Beyond freshness and potential health benefits, buying organic and sustainable supports the local economy.
“Your dollars go right back into your community. I think that is the biggest benefit — you’re paying and supporting your neighbor, which impacts the community,” Dunn said.
Atlanta Harvest hires people living in metro Atlanta and even gives volunteers the opportunity to learn farm management.
Local sustainable farms like Atlanta Harvest serve as communal hubs for food knowledge, a characteristic many billion-dollar conventional farms can’t claim.
“We’re just trying to grow food for the community and educate them on eating and making nutrient-dense foods more accessible,” Asa said.