Farmer Profile: Nasrin Morovaty

Friday, August 23, 2013 // Hannah Sobel

Even though her background might not be ensconced in food or agriculture, Nasrin Morovaty is a typical farmer in that she loves caring for the Earth and growing food. She has worked in retail as a salesperson, in the beauty industry as an esthetician, and is now going back to school for accounting. However, she has also been gardening for the past seventeen years, and over that period has cultivated a desire to learn more about the herbs and other vegetables she grows. After becoming an empty nester and watching a documentary about the lack of biodiversity causing the disappearance of bees, Nasrin was motivated to take her gardening into a new direction. Growing herbs more seriously, eve n if just a small act, would be something she could do to help the Earth and biodiversity.

This has been Nasrin's first season of farming, having graduated from New Entry's Farm Business Planning Course this spring, and it has not been without its challenges. She cites two W's as her biggest challenges: weather and weeds. Getting to know the soil, learning to organize herself a little better, and attempting to grow more salad greens have presented a steep learning curve. However, she is very thankful for New Entry for helping her business. She has been glad for New Entry's support in helping her write a business plan, which she recognizes as being absolutely essential to her operation. She has benefited from the opportunity to begin her farming endeavor on New Entry's incubator training farms in Dracut, Mass. She has also learned a lot about providing for her customers' needs and keeping to a growing schedule to deliver her products on time. Nasrin says that the biggest rewards she gets from farming is the knowledge that what she grows makes her customers and other creatures happy.

Nasrin is selling many different types of herbs to New Entry's World PEAS CSA, including lime and Thai basil, sage, mint, oregano, and summer savory, as well as other crops like beets, salad greens, and eggplants. Nasrin is also pursuing restaurant accounts as well.

When she's not busy running her garden or finishing her accounting degree, Nasrin can be found reading, especially if it is a history or biography book. She also enjoys travelling. Despite a challenging first season, Nasrin has the passion for growing food and taking care of the planet that will come in handy for pursuing her ambitions. We wish her best of luck as her first season winds down and she starts preparing for her next!