Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage

Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage was started in northern Arizona in 1994 by Global Community Communications Alliance as an effort to introduce and integrate sustainable practices to community living. Presently the gardens and farm are located in Tumacacori, Arizona, south of Tubac, Arizona in the Santa Cruz Valley. The ecovillage grows vegetables, fruits, and herbs and provides meat and dairy products for over 100 residents year-round. This service extends to their local neighbors and the community beyond through their Community-supported agriculture (CSA) program.

History and Vision

Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage is a close neighbor of the Mission San José de Tumacácori, (Tumacacori Mission), started by Father Eusebio Kino in 1691. In 2007, the ecovillage moved to the Potreros Ranch in Tumacacori, a 165-acre ranch land cradled in a fertile river valley. This land was previously farmed for many centuries, and members of the ecovillage honor this tradition and plan on annually increasing its beauty and quality. Their goal as an ecovillage is to become increasingly self-sustaining. They currently house over 80 agricultural workers and plan to extend their facilities and housing to accommodate visiting WWOOFers, resident agricultural workers/students, and workshop participants.

Being a spiritual intentional community as well as an ecovillage, their efforts to live in harmony with nature are rooted in their spiritual walk and recognition of life’s interconnectedness. And food is grown, and plants, animals, and people are nurtured on this basis.

Activities and development

Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage works with neighbors and local community members to continually learn and develop sustainable practices that benefit the earth. This cooperation and outreach include tours, classes, workshops, and training.

Organic gardening

Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage has 25 years of experience in organic gardening. Although the farm and gardens is not a nationally certified organic producer, only natural fertilizers and pesticides are used. They have developed methods for growing nutrient-rich foods that are chemical-free, pesticide-free, and toxin-free. Their Community-supported agriculture (CSA) program is the first established in the state of Arizona, feeding over 100 people since 1995.

Community Supported Agriculture

Members of the ecovillage encourage community-supported agriculture by buying locally-grown food as it reduces the impact of long-distance travel for food supplies. Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage grows and offers arugula, basil, pole beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, kale, collard, kohlrabi, okra, onion, parsley, parsnips, snap peas, sweet and hot peppers, radishes, summer and winter squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, and a variety of melons. The crops are grown as the seasons permit using natural and environmentally safe methods, and no genetically modified seeds are used.

Water harvesting

Situated in desert climate, the ecovillage acknowledges the importance of conserving and reusing water. Through the greywater system, water is harvested from washing machines, indoors and outdoors showers, and house sinks and basins. This water is then used to water garden beds, trees, and plants. Rainwater harvesting is also used to collect rain from rooftops. Thousands of gallons of run-off rain water are directed, captured, and stored to water plants around the homes, food forest, and high water use trees.

Rain water harvesting has become very much significant, in view of the realization that water has become very much scarce and it is going to be very critical problem in due course of time or perhaps very shortly. Rain water harvesting has become the talk of the town in big cities.In big cities, it is being made compulsory for large size residency to have rain water harvesting system. For the present, drains are being constructed with conventional materials such as brick/stone masonry, and R.C.C. side drains are being constructed. Rain water is made to flow through these drains to centralized water storage tank. From this tank, the water is expected to be used for the nondomestic and gardening purposes. The water storage tank is of brick masonry or R.C.C.The drains for flow of rain water and the tank for storage of rain water is best constructed using Ferrocement technology, which is far superior, durable having least maintenance, least self weight and most tidy. The ferrocement drains are machine made precast products about 2.4 to 5 metres long with covers with perforations of the same length about 25 mm thick. The surfaces of these drains are very strong and not eroded by flow of water. The bottom and sides of the water storage tanks consist of ferrocement plates with space frame. These plates are about 25 mm thick, waterproof, strong, durable and have least maintenance.

Energy-efficient building

The ecovillage uses sustainable, renewable, and recycled building materials whenever possible in their building and construction projects. Paper and cardboard products are reused by blending them into a fiber pulp that is mixed with cement, poured into molds, and dried. These papercrete blocks are used as building material for walls, benches, flower beds, and other types of structures. Sustainable dwellings at Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage include but are not limited to earth domes and monolithic domes.

Sustainable transport & sharing resources

To reduce their ecological footprint, noise and air pollution, the folks at Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage carpool, group-transit, bike, walk, and use other means of sustainable transport. Assigned shoppers buy food and supplies in bulk, and designated shuttle drivers make daily pickups and deliveries for over 100 people.

Residents of the ecovillage share resources like vehicles, washing machines, and other household appliances to make the most and best use of them. Bio-friendly products are used to avoid water contamination.