Sprout is committed to promoting Sustainable Agriculture which is the practice of using techniques and resources that are not harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources while allowing for continual re-use and thus ecological balance. Examples of sustainable agriculture usually look very similar to how things grow and thrive naturally and would involve ecological soil management, water conservation, complimentary planting, natural vs. chemical fertilizers, and other “green” practices. One practical example of complimentary planting comes from the practices of some Native Americans who planted corn, beans and squash in the same hole over a fish. The corn stalks provided support for the beans which in turn provided nitrogen for the corn. The corn also provided shade for the squash which in turn provided ground cover preventing weeds and spindly spines to ward off predators wanting to reach the corn.
In employing these practices to make farming as efficient, affordable, effective and environmentally-friendly as possible, Sprout also has the additional desire to train local farmers in these techniques as well. Our methods must be reproducible and affordable but also profitable for these neighbors. In sharing together with one another whatever knowledge and resources we may have, we hope to provide long-term sustainable solutions for this community bringing benefit and blessing for years to come.
Sprout is committed to Innovation by using the latest techniques and sustainable agriculture practices but integrating these with old thoughts and natural ways of farming that have proven successful and environmentally beneficial over many millennia. In fact, we are finding that most new thoughts are actually just old thoughts with newer science applied as to why farming was done “organically” thousands of years ago. For example, Sprout is employing a Fruiting Wall orchard design for all of our fruiting trees, having seen the benefits of this system for conserving land and water usage, increasing nutrient absorption and lowering labor risks and costs during picking season. This system should also make the “self-pick” part of our orchard more accessible and fun for our guests!
Sprout is committed to Community Development, stemming from our deep commitment to the peoples and villages of Yunnan and specifically the Lijiang region. They are why we are here! Community Development is defined by the United Nations as “a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems.” Sprout not only rents land in the villages of Lijiang but Sprout’s President and his family also live in this village, collaborating with neighbors on a variety of projects and enjoying life together. Water sourcing was one issue defined by two different communities where Sprout’s orchards are located. In partnership with these neighbors, together Sprout with workers from these communities dug two wells. Sprout was also able to design, fund and install solar-powered irrigation systems using low-cost, locally sourced supplies replacing the bucket-and-pour system previously used. These wells will remain with these communities, serving their water sourcing needs for years to come
Sprout is committed to Integrity in all that we say and do knowing that trust is the underlying factor in all of the relationships we build, most importantly with our customers who wish to enjoy our products. We pledge to be honest, transparent and responsible in our relationships with our customers, our employees, our suppliers and with local officials. We know there are many items out there marketed as “organic” or “green” but we want you to know and trust that our claims are trustworthy, our promises are true and our products are healthy and delicious. We promise to let you know what you are enjoying and how it was grown or where it was sourced. We pledge to bring only the highest quality products to market, those that are packed with flavor and nutrition and bring the “Wow!” factor back into enjoying delicious fruits and vegetables. We also highly value sharing what we learn with others in an open and transparent way, believing that if others may benefit from what we have learned (usually through mistakes!) or what we have done, then the community benefits, customers benefit and sustainable agriculture in general benefits.
Sprout is committed to Protecting the Environment rooted in our philosophy that it is man’s responsibility to take better care of the Earth and specifically the parts of the world with which we interact. Agriculture has a major impact on the earth, for good and for ill, and so Sprout takes seriously our commitment to protect and promote the land and its resources from which we benefit.
Highly intensive farming practices are the norm worldwide but we believe this is not sustainable. Sprout seeks to be different and train those around us to be different in implementing sustainable, ecological and reproducible agricultural practices that rejuvenates the soil, and protects it for our children's use and their children's after that.