Our Mission

Learn More About HarvestHand CSA Software

Our Vision

Our vision is to create new media solutions that strengthen regional food systems' ability to succeed in value oriented approaches to production, distribution, consumption and community.

Our Mandate is to:

  • Improve the profitability of Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) farms through the ease and functionality of HarvestHand CSA Software Platform
  • Create localized and fairly paid employment opportunities in rural communities
  • Make it easy for citizens to locate, join and remain a member of a CSA farm
  • Create a space for exploration of ideas, identification of problems and creation of solutions related to local food systems
  • Build out best of regional food tooling

We Value:

  • Ecology
  • Localism and Interdependence
  • Moral Economics
  • Community - Regional - Identity
  • Healthy Food
  • Collaboration over competition

Who We Are

HarvestHand New Media Communities is registered in Nova Scotia Canada as a three way partnership with Mike Caplan, Duncan Ebata and Patricia Bishop.

 

Michael Caplan has been active as a web application developer and web designer for 16 years, working in the non-profit, university, retail, and dental industries. He has built custom systems to service small organizations, as well as large scale platforms servicing thousands of users. More recently, Mike founded Refresh Annapolis Valley, a New Media professional association to help grow the Valley’s technology industry. Through Refresh, Mike organized F5://Food- 48 Hour Idea Lab that brought together 79 developers, designers, farmers to ignite new media solutions focused on food. Mike has also been involved with CSA farms for well over a decade as an avid member. His love of all things geeky is well paired with his love of regional food systems.

Patricia Bishop Patricia Bishop is an eight­h-generation Annapolis Valley farmer from Port Williams, Nova Scotia and the co-founder of Taproot Farms with her husband, Josh Oulton, and their three children. Patricia is passionate about promoting locally­ grown foods and preserving agricultural lands and she has built awareness around some of the most important issues affecting the future of farming: food security, land use, and the viability of local farms. In 2010, she and Josh were recognized as Atlantic Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers. TapRoot Farms is a certified organic and transition-to-organic farm in Port Williams, Nova Scotia with one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in Canada, with over 500 members.

Duncan Ebata is a marketing and social media advisor who works with people to build food communities online. Duncan values good food, sustainability, entrepreneurship, an active lifestyle, and continuous learning. He serves his local community by working with the Acadia Entrepreneurship Centre fostering entrepreneurial culture, with Farmworks Investment Co-operative helping to raise investment for farms and food producers, and with Shift! Mobile marketing local food businesses.