Find Your Corner

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,” the writer of Ecclesiastes declares in the wisdom literature portion of the Hebrew Bible. A couple of thousand years later, Garth Denton-Borhaug ’13 is doing just that.

Denton-Borhaug is the manager of post-harvest and distribution at Coastal Roots Farm, a nonprofit community farm that integrates sustainable agriculture, food justice, and ancient Jewish wisdom.

Founded over a decade ago, Coastal Roots Farm encompasses 67 acres in San Diego County, including 17 acres of vegetable fields, gardens, chicken coops, and compost operations. The farm grows more than 80,000 pounds of organic produce each year.

“We’re not a religious organization, but we are guided by Jewish agricultural wisdoms,” Denton-Borhaug says. “And these wisdoms revolve around sustainability—growing food with regenerative as opposed to extractive techniques.”

In addition to its emphasis on the here and now, Coastal Roots Farm has a firm focus on the future.

“Most of the food we grow we donate to socioeconomically disadvantaged folks who lack access to fresh, locally grown food,” Denton-Borhaug says. “But we also have a robust education department for local K–12 students that includes field trips, a farm camp, and an ‘After School on the Farm’ program to educate the next generation and get them interested in and excited about agriculture.”

Denton-Borhaug, an environmental science major, started on the path to his current work when he had the opportunity to be part of a delegation of Moravian University students that attended the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference as civil society observers in Cancún, Mexico, in 2010.

“I never experienced anything like that before,” Denton-Borhaug says. “I got to see nonprofit leaders, politicians, governmental officials, and private sector leaders from all over the world coming together to work on this collective issue.

“It was incredibly inspiring and uplifting, and it really felt like this is my calling,” Denton-Borhaug adds. “It was a very pivotal moment in my life and definitely contributed to me doing the work I’m doing today.”

Another source of inspiration for Denton-Borhaug’s work comes from his mother, Kelly Denton-Borhaug, professor of religion and co-director of the minor in peace and justice studies at Moravian. Her advice to her son mirrors that of the writer of Ecclesiastes.

“Find your corner and dedicate yourself to it. That’s something my mom would always say to me. It’s just great advice because I think so many of us feel powerless and helpless considering the sheer scope and magnitude of the many crises we find ourselves in today.

“The work that we’re doing here at Coastal Roots is really important,” Denton-Borhaug adds. “We’re working to transform our food systems and to educate and inspire the next generation about agriculture, while teaching the values of compassion and empathy, especially for our poorer neighbors.” —Steve Neumann ’94, G’18