Small Farms, Big Impact: A Conversation With Organic Grower Jean-Martin Fortier, author of "The Market Gardener"

Join the Duke Campus Farm for a conversation about what it takes to build smart, small farms and a more sustainable food system with a special guest: Jean Martin Fortier, a young and highly successful organic farmer, and acclaimed author of The Market Gardener. Jean-Martin (JM) is a farmer, writer, and educator passionate about demonstrating how small farms can provide good lives and livelihoods for farmers and their families, help tackle big problems like climate change and food insecurity, and rebuild a broken food system. On JM's internationally recognized micro-farm in Quebec, Canada, Les Jardins de la Grelinette, careful cultivation of 1½ acres grosses more than $100,000 per acre with operating margins of about 60 per cent, enough to financially sustain his family. While the mantra of agriculture in North America has long been "Get Big or Get Out," the focus at la Grelinette has been to grow better - not bigger. Jean Martin will discuss his recent book, The Market Gardener, the story of one young couple's journey into a decade of financially and ecologically successful organic farming.Please RSVP using this Google Form at this link (copy and paste into your browser):https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13OOpkhIH0rKPWddAwKGeN-9Q-6okVuDlm-xyVVEPP4Y/viewform **Please feel free to bring lunch -- you are welcome to eat during the event.**