VALLEY CENTER -- Inside a warm, white-topped greenhouse in Valley Center, former Marine Sgt. Colin Archipley and some other veterans are working on the future.

The recycling process Archipley uses to grow bio-hydroponic organic basil may be part of the future of farming, especially in Southern California, where water is in increasingly short supply.

But for the men working with Archipley last week, their future is much more personal. The workers are part of a unique program coordinated by the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer a second chance, as well as a peaceful environment, to vets.

"I get a sense of peace just being able to stand here and do repetitive hand labor, where I can basically meditate," said Olaf Hansen, 65, a Navy veteran who served from 1967-69.

A down-on-his-luck architect whose business is in bankruptcy, Hansen was referred to Archipley's farm, Archi's Acres, through a VA psychiatrist he had been seeing for depression. Today, he is one of the first six veterans to have worked at Archi's Acres in the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training program.

Archipley, 28, said he never imagined his small farm could help fellow veterans when he started the project in 2006 after returning from three tours in Iraq. Then again, while growing up in Northern California, he never thought he would be farmer.

"I didn't have any background," he said about farming. "My wife had an itch to move to Italy a couple of years ago, and I didn't want to move out of the United States. But a friend said if you like Italy, you should check this place out."

The rolling, open hills surrounding his farm looked enough like Tuscany for the couple, and Archipley and his wife, Karen, moved onto the property and began selling their avocados and basil at local farmer's markets.

Farm life agreed with Archipley, who said he couldn't imagine taking a high-pressure job dealing with customers after returning from Iraq. One night, while attending a San Marcos town hall meeting organized by the VA, Archipley passed his card around and told other veterans that he found farm work therapeutic, and it might be something they should consider.

A director from the VA happened to be in the room, and he passed Archipley's card on to Jeff Scanlon, a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the department.

About 18 months ago, Scanlon and Archipley created the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training program. Veterans are referred to the program by the VA, which is paying their salary in its pilot phase.

"It's something that we're definitely going to retain and grow," Scanlon said.

Archipley said he would like to see the program duplicated around the world, and he sees it having great potential for veterans returning from urban wars.

"Take an Iraq vet or an Afghanistan vet, where every roof was a potential danger," he said. "What do you do? Come back and work in an urban environment? You can't just put them in Wal-Mart and expect them to greet customers."

The first six veterans through the program have been older than the typical Afghanistan and Iraq vets, but the program already has its own success stories. One of the first two men in the program was a homeless Desert Storm veteran, who now is employed by Archipley and living in a mobile home on the farm.

Rod Krause, 59, served eight years in the Navy and then worked for the Postal Service for 23 years. With his back in constant pain and feeling stressed out, one day he walked off the job. He spent the last five years unemployed and on painkillers until physical therapy got him off the pills. He's been at Archi's Acres for seven weeks.

"Since I've come here, my physical endurance is building again," he said. "When I got off my medication, things got brighter. Narcotics for pain dulls the senses. It's good to be back to life again."

Krause said he would like to teach sustainable farming to others after he completes the 90-day program. For the first time in years, he said, he is thinking about his future.

"I know as we get older, if we lose our purpose, we don't feel like sticking around," Krause said. "And I'm going to live a long life."

Hansen said he's not sure what he will do for work after leaving the program with his new skill. At the very least, he said, the experience has taught him that organic food "tastes a heck of a lot better."

Scanlon said that as the pilot project is reviewed, it probably will be funded like other participants in the VA program, with Archipley paying the VA, which in turn would pay the workers' salaries. Looking ahead, the Archipleys have scheduled a May 17 fundraiser at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park.

For more informational on the VA's health, psychological and vocational programs, veterans should call (858) 642-6284 or (858) 552-7523.

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.

Archi's Acres produce can be bought each week at four farmer's markets

Escondido: 2 - 6 p.m. Tuesdays.

Poway: 8 a.m. - noon Saturdays

Solana Beach: 2 - 5 p.m. Sundays

Hillcrest: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sundays

Benefit information

A benefit for Archi's Acres will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. May 17 at the World Beat Center, 2100 Park Blvd. in San Diego's Balboa Park. The evening is scheduled to feature author and actress Mimi Kennedy ("Dharma & Greg"), music, dance, art, dinner, drinks and a silent auction. All proceeds will go to Archi's Acres' Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training project. The suggested donation is $100 per person. For more information, call (800) 933-5234 or watch the Web site ArchisAcres.com for more details.