A farm for all.
Our story
Empower Farms is a certified-organic farm located in Florida City, FL that was founded in 2014 with a mission to create a working farm that also served as a sanctuary for people with disabilities. We started small, selling our first crops at farmers markets and serving the disabled community through field trips to the farm with local partners. We are proud to have grown to currently employ 19 people with disabilities, provide our local community with fruit and vegetables through our CSA program and à la carte online store, and sell some of our products online nationwide. This journey has always been rooted in permaculture principles and our mission to serve the disabled community is directly tied to our other objectives like regenerating the soil, reforestation, and of course, producing fresh, organic, healthy food for our community.
The Farm
At our small but intensively managed farm we grow vegetables, fruit and other crops like turmeric; produce potted plants in our nursery; care for a beautiful flock of egg-laying chickens; and have dedicated strategic parts of our land to reestablishing and protecting native plants and trees like the South Dade Slash Pine that used to cover most of Miami-Dade County.
Our diverse range of crops and fruit trees allows us to produce food year round in the sub-tropical, South Florida climate all the while employing folks with disabilities.
We grow a variety of vegetables throughout the winter growing season that we deliver directly to our customer’s doors along with seasonal fruit and the option to add on eggs.
A safe haven for people with disabilities that happens to grow amazing food
What does it mean to practice Permaculture?
Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people — providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms. The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.
Our guiding principle: care for people
We believe in the importance and healing power of being close to nature. We believe that everyone has potential to live a productive and fun life. We aim to provide a safe haven, where our Teammates can feel connected to and proud of their surroundings and can see and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We want to empower our Teammates to live their best lives.
