conservation edible


From a simple ambition, a bountiful harvest


Special programs put the farm to work for the whole community, providing hunger-relief garden plots, subsidized CSA shares for low-income families, and donations of fresh produce to the local soup kitchen.


northampton community farm, florence, massachusetts


When the trust for public land helped a group of locals protect 121 acres in western Massachusetts for farming, we knew the land was fertile. But now, three years later, we’re still marveling at all that has grown there. “As we round out our third season, every acre is spoken for—either in production or rotation,” says Lilly Lombard, executive director of Grow Food Northampton, the nonprofit that owns and manages the land. “Our farmers are meeting or exceeding their business goals. For folks to be able to make a living raising food in a world dominated by big agriculture is remarkable.” A diverse mix of green thumbs now call Northampton Community Farm home, including Crimson & Clover—a 37-acre food farm that sustains a popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program; Slow Tractor Farm—which grows organic grains for malting into beer; and the Florence Organic Community Garden, a 400-plot community garden where neighbors nurture everything from pumpkins to sunflowers. But the land’s most valuable commodity is the spirit of community it fosters. “It’s such a glow-


ing example of successful citizen activism. Folks had a vision, they worked hard, and they real- ized it,” says Lombard. “People still almost can’t believe that we did it—we got our farm.”


18 · LAND&PEOPLE · FALL/WINTER 2013


jerry monkman


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68