CASE STUDY: OUR FOCUS ON BIOCULTURAL REFUGIA The Beach Company is making farming a key feature of the Kiawah River development. Select farmers are provided farmland at no cost in exchange for agreeing to sustainable farming practices that maintain the health of the land and Kiawah River ecosystem. The farmers also participate in the Kiawah River CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and sell their produce and products in local markets. Every member of the farm plays a role: the donkeys protect the goats; the pigs keep the farm clean and reduce risk from horn flies and other potentially harmful pests; the goats and cows help clear underbrush and nourish the soil in other areas. Meanwhile, bees from the adjacent Kiawah Farm apiary pollinate the cover crop, grasses, and flowers that help feed the goats, and the bees’ honey in turn sweetens the goat cheese. The science of ‘refugia’ is not trying to control nature but letting nature take its role when there’s a holistic, harmonious balance among diverse plant and animal species. Each makes the other stronger and healthier, and that balance includes the human neighbors, whose health and well-being is improved by eating fresh, local food.
Kiawah River, SC
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