What is a community farm?
A community farm is a farm run by and for the community, not a private owner. In our area, most community farms are run by nonprofit organizations. Most of these farms raise crops and run educational and environmental programs on publicly-owned land, paying rent to the town and supporting their work through produce sales, tuition, and fundraising.
There are several community farms in neighboring towns; see the Local Farms page for a complete list.
What’s the difference between a community farm and a community garden?
A community garden is a site where individuals or households can rent small plots for their personal use. A community farm is a place where people work together to grow food for other people–enough food to feed communities, not just themselves or their families.
Community farms may have a variety of missions besides simply growing food, including leading educational programs for children and adults, providing food for hunger relief, using land sustainably, preserving historic structures and local traditions, and maintaining open space.
Lexington has two community garden sites, one at Idylwilde conservation area (between Middle and Lincoln Streets) and one at the Dunback Meadow conservation area (near the Allen Street entrance). For more information on community garden plots, contact Lexington’s Conservation Commission.
Where is the Lexington Community Farm located?
We don’t actually have a farm yet–we need your help and support to establish one!
Why should Lexington have a community farm?
A community farm can provide many benefits to Lexington, including:
- fresh, local produce
- educational programs where adults and children can learn about how to grow food
- a place where children and adults of all abilities and backgrounds can work together
- a beautiful landscape
- a sense of our town’s history
- healthy food for local food pantries and hunger relief
- a way for youth to learn to work in collaboration, not in competition
- a community meeting place
Who would run a community farm?
In our area, most community farms are run by nonprofit organizations which rent land from a town or state agency.
What’s the point of a community farm when you can buy produce at any supermarket?
Well, first of all, community farms aren’t just food sources. These farms often have a variety of missions besides simply growing food, including leading educational programs for children and adults, providing food for hunger relief, using land sustainably, preserving historic structures and local traditions, and maintaining open space.
Secondly, all produce is not created equal! The majority of supermarket produce these days is shipped hundreds, if not thousands, of miles over land, sea and air to our stores. Along the way it’s losing vitamins, losing taste, and consuming vast amounts of energy. Community farms supply fresh produce with exceptional flavor and nutrition. And the varieties of fruits and vegetables grown don’t have to be selected based on their ability to stay “fresh” for long periods of time after picking. For example, the Green D’Anjou pear is arguably the least tasty of the many pear varieties. So why is it nearly ubiquitous in American supermarkets? It makes more sense when you consider the D’Anjou is bred for a storage life of a staggering 90-150 days.
Lexington and many surrounding towns already have Farmer’s Markets and Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) that supply local food for those who want it. Why do we need a community farm too? Wouldn’t a community farm compete with the Farmer’s Market?
There is overwhelming demand for local produce. Local CSAs typically sell out their shares in two weeks in January, months before farms can start harvesting food! We simply don’t have enough farms to fill the demand for fresh, locally-grown food – through CSAs, at Farmer’s Markets, or anywhere else.
Most farms in Lexington were made into house lots years ago. Shouldn’t we let the market decide whether there are farms in our town?
If the market decided all local land use, Lexington wouldn’t have any parks, playing fields, a library, or a swimming pool. The purpose of public land is decided by the community for the benefit of its residents.
The Lexington Community Farm Coalition (LCFC) believes that a community farm would benefit a wide swath of our community – from children who learn about nutrition and ecology, to customers who would have another local source of fresh, nutritious produce, to local nature-lovers who could observe wildlife that use farm fields.
How can I donate?
Please see the instructions on our Donations page.
How can I get involved?
If you want to help the Lexington Community Farm become a reality just fill out the form on our Get Involved page!
2 Comments until now
This is a fantastic idea. It will preserve Lexington’s open space, provide wonderful educational opportunities, and enrich the local community. It makes me wish I lived in Lexington! Is there any way a Cambridge resident can get involved?
I also recommend you talk to the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/training/index.html). They may be able to help you with your efforts.
Good luck!
[...] was recently bought by the town of Lexington, which can make any use of the land that it wishes. Many residents would like to see it turned into a community farm, run by a non-profit. Like Waltham Community [...]
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