Mission
Sponsored by Earth Ethics Institute and Center For Community Involvement, Community Rooted Organic Produce Service (CROPS) goal is to offer the MDC community fresh, high-quality, primarily locally grown, chemical-free (certified organic) and environmentally responsible food at affordable prices.  Making organically grown food more physically and economically accessible will enable people to live healthier lives, thus easing health disparities in our community and reducing the impact of our lifestyles on the Earth by supporting sustainable farming practices and local economies.

Miami Dade College students, participating in service-learning internships with CROPS, are at the heart of our mission.  We aspire to create empowerment by offering opportunities for hands-on, discipline-specific explorations of environmentally sustainable food solutions.  CROPS is committed to diversity and equality and seeks to create a welcoming environment for all.
 

Center for
Community Involvement

Service Learning Opportunities in Collaboration with CROPS

Faculty
Discipline-Specific
Service Learning Projects

Students
Nutritional Guides
Recipes

CROPS Newsletters

CROPS Organic Food Buying Service
Applicants can sign up for full shares or half shares. Full shares are meant to feed a family of three or four who consumes a lot of fruits and vegetables. For smaller families or families that do not consume a many fruits and vegetables, half shares are also available. Members will pay for their next share on the day of grocery pick-up.

Frequently Asked Questions and Cost Comparison
Become a Member
 

Buying Local
CROPS is committed to purchasing produce that is as local/regional as possible. That means choosing food from Florida and Southeastern farms whenever possible.  For example, we would choose to buy peaches from Georgia over California. 

Conventional food systems involve long lines of producers, buyers, manufacturers, and distributors, and require your food to travel an average of 1500 miles before reaching your plate.  Local or regional food systems, on the other hand, shorten the distance traveled by your food, thus reducing the ‘carbon-footprint’ and creating a more direct relationship between farmers and consumers.  Local farmers receive a larger cut of the profit and prices stay low for consumers.

CROPS at MDC strives to bring its members fresh, organic, locally and regionally grown food.  During the peak of our winter growing season, the majority of the food in a share will be from certified organic farms here in Florida.  Outside of our peak growing season, we try to stay as local as possible by prioritizing food grown in the Southeast United States.  

We provide information about regional farms and farmers to CROPS members to help them be more connected to their food source.

See resource links below for more information on local food:
http://yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=3332