The Farm Team

In the broadest sense, the farm team includes the many hundreds of people who give of their time, talent, and financial support each year to sustain the community project which is Alemany Farm. They are too numerous to name here, but without them the farm would not thrive. The Friends of Alemany Farm (FOAF) core volunteer advisory board comprises a group of volunteer leaders that works closely with paid staff members.  The team works collectively on all aspects of operations, including crop planning and planting, volunteer workday coordination, finance and fundraising, communications and outreach, and more. We also wish to acknowledge our close working relationship with our partners in San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department.

Abby Bell, Farm Director • Abby (she/her) has been working at the intersection of sustainable agriculture and social justice since 2005 and is dedicated to using food as a catalyst for community empowerment and social equity. She is the co-founder of “FoodWhat?!,” a non-profit youth empowerment, job training, and food justice program for low-income and “at risk” teens. She joined FOAF in 2017, and in her current role she supervises the horticultural production and produce distribution of the site and manages the Farm’s educational volunteer days, internship and apprenticeship programs, and public workshops. Abby is passionate about growing an equitable food system, nourishing our farm neighbors, cultivating culturally appropriate food through ecological methods, and building community through farm work. She has over 15 years of experience and a successful track record of managing and administering organizational projects and programs both at FoodWhat?! and at Alemany Farm.

Vanessa Lieu, Farm Manager • Vanessa (they/them) is an earth tender and educator, and is deeply passionate about nurturing networks of relationality with the land and all her beings. They bring over 10 years of experience in urban agriculture, public health, healthcare, and community education to Alemany Farm. Vanessa’s agro-ecological knowledge, commitment to food sovereignty and decolonial land justice, and experience in fostering change from the ground up bolsters their operational roles in farm production, produce distribution, volunteer days, our apprenticeship and internship programs, public workshops, social media management and grant administration. As a settler working and living on unceded Ohlone land, they recognize that land and liberation are inseparable, and they are so honored to care for the land and community at Alemany Farm in ways that fortify us to liberate all our peoples and lands from imperial oppression. 

Sutara Nitenson, Farm Manager • Sutara (they) comes to Alemany Farm after a few loops and spirals through sustainable aquaculture/mariculture, commercial oyster farming, and working in the non-profit sector to help increase access to the Ocean for the queer/trans community and communities of color. The throughline in their life has been ecological and community health and wellbeing. After seeking education in non-contemporary medicine and herbalism, they washed up at Alemany Farm. Sutara completed the Alemany Farm Apprenticeship and is continuing into the Alemany spiral as a steadfast supporter of food as regenerative medicine for the Land, and the Land’s beings. They believe (and know) that the work being done at Alemany is a tool in fighting and dismantling the systems of oppression that impact our neighbors and loved ones – while keeping us fed! 

Tati Vasquez, Farm Assistant • Tati (she/her) is an alum of our paid apprenticeship program and is currently Alemany Farm’s beloved farm assistant. She brings an infectious joy to the responsibility of tending land and believes that this work is fundamentally about justice. Farming means that we feed delicious and healthy vegetables to our family and generations of neighbors for free, while also caring for the soil and all plant and animal life, while also teaching others about what it means to see the world in this way. Her favorite farm plant is pericón (Mexican mint marigold), favorite vegetable is arugula, and favorite creatures are butterflies. She is so grateful and thankful for the farm, and hopes to share the experience of the farm with everyone!