Tending the Farm, Sustaining the Farmer — Generating Income from Your Therapeutic Garden or Farm
Does your urban farm or garden struggle with financial sustainability? Are you interested in expanding your urban farm's or garden's offerings into agritourism and hosting events?
Join us for a virtual Lunch & Learn session to discover how Healing Gardens, a Los Angeles-based and Farmer-led online venue directory, can help you diversify your income and be protected while doing it! In this conversation, founders Farmer Rishi and Meadow will share how gardens and farms on their new platform are creating sustainable economic models by offering events, experiences, and venue rentals.
This is an opportunity to hear directly from fellow LA urban farmers who are supporting their mission-oriented work and nourishing the community, all while generating income. You’ll gain insight from successes and challenges from hosts already using the listing platform. Guest speakers include:
Maryam Hosseinzadeh of Arlington Gardens Pasadena
Jessica Handy of Sandalwood Farm & Sanctuary
Neil Davey, Hollywood film location scout
Mike Garcia of Enviroscape LA and investor in Healing Gardens
After hearing from our speakers, we’ll take questions from participants and explore how the platform can best fit your unique needs.
More about our speakers below!
Maryam Hosseinzadeh — HG Host, Development and Programs Director at Arlington Garden in Pasadena
Maryam is Development & Programs Director at Arlington Gardens. She has a background in studying land-use and historic preservation, and now works to bring community and programs to Arlington.
IG: @arlingtongardenpasadena
https://www.healinggardens.co/gardens/arlington-garden
Jessica Handy — HG Host, LAFPC Working Urban Ag Group Chair, Farmer at Sandalwood Farm & Sanctuary
Jessica Handy is a registered dietitian and farmer at Sandalwood Farm & Sanctuary. She works at the intersection of soil health and public safety. She co-founded the DENA Soil Project to provide testing, education, and remediation for neighborhoods affected by the Eaton Fire
IG: @sandalwoodfarm_iehttps://www.healinggardens.co/gardens/sandalwood-farm-and-sanctuary
Mike Garcia — CEO of Enviroscape LA, Healing Gardens Investor, LAFPC collaborator
Mike is CEO of Enviroscape LA, a reknowned ecological landscaping and aquascaping company. Mike is also an avid environmental advocate, and supports a number of environmental organization and projects across Los Angeles.
IG: @environscapela
Neil Davey – Location scout for major Hollywood studios
Neilkanth Dave is a Sundance Award Location Manager and Scout based in Los Angeles. He has scouted for creators like Steven Soderbergh, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, to Sam Levison (Euphoria). Since 2021, the majority of his work has been for the Ryan Murphy family. To honor his South Asian background, he is heavily involved in lifting up fellow creators of South Asian descent.
Agenda
Will this session be recorded?
Yes! This session will be recorded and made available for growers interested in joining the Healing Gardens platform.
Who is recommended to come to this event?
If you are a farmer, urban, or rural, this event is for you. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn from one another and get to know others in your space.
Data Collection Notice
Thank you for registering for the Cultivating Farmers workshop series. As part of our commitment to equity and impact, we are collecting information to better understand who we’re reaching and how we can improve our programs.
Your responses will be used by the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) for reporting and program evaluation purposes only. This helps us ensure that our workshops are accessible, relevant, and responsive to the needs of farmers and food growers across Los Angeles. All questions are optional, and your responses will remain confidential and anonymized in any reporting.