Zava Ranch is a family-owned chemical-free sustainable veganic orchard in California, specializing in growing citrus, avocados, herbs, and succulents on 20 acres in Somis, Ventura County, Southern California, USA.
What does it mean to be chemical-free sustainable veganic orchard?
Sustainability:
The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society’s needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
For this reason practitioners of sustainable agriculture seek to integrate three main objectives into their work:
- a healthy environment
- economic profitability
- social and economic equity
We encourage you to learn more about sustainable agriculture.
Chemical Free or Natural Farming – Moving Beyond Organic:
Natural farming goes beyond what is currently known as “organic” farming.
“It is based on a nature free of human meddling and intervention. It is a way of farming in step with nature: no tillage, no fertilizer, no pesticides, no weeding, and no pruning.”((Fukuoka, Masanobu. “The Natural Way Of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy.” (1975).))
At Zava Ranch we practice natural farming. We don’t use any chemicals of any kind, regardless of whether they are labeled synthetic or organic.
Instead of relying on chemicals, Natural Farming relies on natural principles like biodiversity and composting to produce healthy, abundant food.
We are following the accumulated wisdom and tens of centuries’ forth of knowledge of “natural” gardeners, stepping back from the control-crazy chemical garden practices that have become “conventional” only very recently, over the course of the last hundred years((Ogden, S. Straight-Ahead Organic, Chelsea Green Publishing Company)).
Learn more about what it means to be a sustainable organic orchard in California.
Veganic Farming:
Ironically, not all fruit and vegetables are truly vegan.
Because organic farming can not rely on “synthetic” chemicals, it often relies heavily on “organic” chemicals which are animal products or by-products, such as blood meal, bone meal, feather meal, fish meal, fish emulsion, shrimp compost, and manure.
Instead, veganic farming uses plant-based techniques for soil health and improved yields, such as mulch, vegetable compost, green manure, chipped branched wood, crop rotation, polyculture, and other techniques that are sustainable and do not rely on the exploitation of animals.
At Zava Ranch we practice plant-based “veganic” agriculture without any animal-based inputs or by-products of any kind.
Ethical Cultivation:
We are committed to ethical cultivation of our crops and partnering with nature to grow and harvest the most nutritious, delicious, and healing foods that our land is willing to share with us.
As opposed to chemical-induced commercial agriculture, we don’t control, we cultivate.
To control means to dominate, to subdue, to master, to dictate, to restrain, to curb, to hold back.
To cultivate means to foster the growth of, to improve by care or study, to develop, to refine, to perfect, to promote, to encourage.
At Zava Ranch we cultivate. We work with nature and follow its lead.
California has many different microclimates. Our land gifts us fields of rosemary, sage, oregano, lavender, roses, geranium, hibiscus, and succulents. With some additional irrigation, it produces an abundance of lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and avocados.
We are constantly amazed how many medicinal and healing plants grow on this land that might appear to the naked eye to be dry and infertile.
Shortening the Path:
As a chemical-free sustainable veganic orchard in California, we are on a mission to shorten the path from the land to your table by shipping directly to you on the same day that we harvest.
We pack your order on the same day that we harvest it and ship via Fedex 2Day Mail, shortening the journey to 2-3 business days and ensuring that you reap the most nutrients and healing benefits from the foods you enjoy.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us and ask us any questions about Zava Ranch or how to create your own sustainable natural orchard!
We look forward to hearing from you.