Kaima’s sustainable growing policies

What is organic farming?

Organic farming is a holistic growing system that avoids or largely excludes the use of fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones. Organic farming, instead, relies on crop rotation, off-farm organic waste, select crop-protection methods, biodiversity, and recycling.

Is Kaima an accredited organic farm?

While Kaima adheres to all organic growing practices referenced above, we do not have an official tav teken certifying us as an organic farm. We discussed the topic at length and concluded that the costs involved in certification and ongoing inspection were unreasonable.

What other standards does Kaima adhere to?

We believe in maintaining a trusted relationship with our growing community of satisfied CSA partners. When you order from Kaima you can expect a top-quality product grown by our unique multi-generational farming team and delivered to your home within hours of harvest. By the way, everyone is welcome to visit the farm, meet our farmers, and see firsthand how to grow our vegetables in simple, straightforward conditions.

Where do Kaima Beit Zayit's vegetables come from?

We grow vegetables in several locations:

In our open fields. Vegetables grown in our open fields are naturally cultivated without inorganic pesticides. We only use fertilizers approved for organic farming and nitrogen-rich plants to enrich the soil, rotate crops, and rest the earth (shmita). In combination, these are radical agricultural practices. And while we lose a significant amount of produce to pest damage, we prefer not to harm the natural environment.

In our greenhouses. Kaima operates two greenhouses: the first (300 m2), is located in Beit Zait; the second (1 acre), is located at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and is based on detached bedding. For most of the year, we use the greenhouses to raise peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers--all crops which are difficult to cultivate in open fields. In the winter we grow mainly greens. In both greenhouses, we use organic compost (approved for organic farming), and organic sprays (certified for organic farming), the latter only sparingly.