Full-spectrum farm planning envisions a new community agriculture enterprise on threatened farm land.
Farm Planning, Dracut, MA
Regenerative Design Group was hired to facilitate a comprehensive farm planning process to revitalize a 27-acre family farm. The vision was to develop a community-based agricultural enterprise that engages the public through educational programming and agritourism. The plans included information about establishing regenerative agricultural practices, producing food for local markets, and providing farm training opportunities to members of surrounding communities.
For this project, RDG facilitated communication between The Trustees of Reservations and the clients in order to develop a farm planning document that met everyone’s needs. Located in an area of New England where farmland is under constant threat of development, some of the goals for this project included engaging the community in the farm landscape, establishing a commercial kitchen, and creating a viable business model to contribute to regional farm development.
The final product included detailed site plans for new farm infrastructure and a 25-page illustrated report with project goals, GIS site analyses, a phased implementation plan, and a detailed enterprise budget with six-year projected income for diversified farm production.
Key Features
- Gathering spaces
- Soil management plan
- Mushroom production area
- Pollinator strips
Services Provided
- Facilitation with multiple stakeholders
- Long-term visioning
- Site and market assessment
- Phased implementation plan
- Infrastructure assessment and farm funding research
The Trustees [of Reservations] believe that access to land, for all that it offers us, is essential to a good quality of life. We work to protect and sustainably steward important farmland, putting the land to good use by providing healthy food for local communities; nurturing the next generation of farmers; education, exciting, and inspiring consumers; and promoting the multiples benefits of local food and farms to create a strong local food system inclusive of all people.
TTOR Agriculture Vision, October 2013
