ORONO – A little more than a year ago, Ritsuko Kato visited Maine for the first time.

After spending the past 10 years behind her computer, Kato, 54, said she was captivated by the “greenness” of the state.

So Kato moved to Maine, and this fall will be enrolled in the University of Maine’s sustainable agriculture program while she searches for a farm of her own.

“I’m not looking for a profitable farm,” she said, “just one that can sustain me.”

Last week, as one of 10 Black Bear Food Guild workers, Kato was on her knees in the dirt of the university’s Rogers Farm, spooning fish meal and crushed oyster shells into holes where tomatoes would be planted.

The Black Bear Food Guild was developed by students, who manage vegetable gardens – 2 acres under vegetable production, 1 acre under cover crop – and another plot for a cooperative seed company.

The program is one of the few at the university that is self-sustaining – its operating capital is from the sale of membership shares.

“The members of [the guild] are not professional farmers,” Kato said. “This is a students’ autonomous organization and [provides] space for students to learn sustainable agriculture. I think the shareholders are wonderful people helping young students who will shoulder the agriculture in the future.”

The guild also serves the farmers market.

“It is a great example of consumers’ participation in sustainable agriculture,” she said.

For several months now, guild members have been busy starting seedlings, preparing the greenhouse and acquiring shareholders. The guild provides 65 shares, each of which serves a family of four or five, from May to October, said Marc Kline, a guild member.

“This is a way to give students actual agricultural experience, beyond the textbook,” Kline said. “It is also a great way for students to test the waters and see if a life of agriculture” is the one they want.

“We feel that through their involvement, [program participants] and local, organic produce consumers express an understanding of the strong interdependence of the growers, consumers, community, and their environment,” Kline said. “They are themselves well-nourished, while the livelihood of the farmer and their local economy is supported.”

The Black Bear Guild has been operating for nine years as an organic farm. Some of the guild members receive college credit while others occupy paid positions.

Among their annual offerings are: tomatoes, basil and other herbs, squash, broccoli, peas, peppers, onions and flowers, to name a few.

Bending back to her rows, Kato said, “This is such rewarding work. Working outside in the sun is so much better.”