Blending Tradition with Innovation
Our vision is to bring together time-tested land stewardship and carefully chosen innovations that help small farms do more with less. By honoring traditional growing practices while exploring modern tools and systems, this community will look ahead—without losing what has always mattered.
Alongside soil-based farming, the vision includes opportunities to explore lower-footprint technologies such as modular growing systems, tunnel greenhouses, agrivoltaics and other efficient production methods that can extend seasons, conserve resources, and increase resilience. These approaches are intended to complement—not replace—healthy soil, thoughtful land use, and hands-on farming.
This hybrid model of innovation and tradition is about expanding options—giving resident farmers the ability to choose tools and systems that fit their land, goals, and capacity, while remaining rooted in responsible growing practices. At the same time, the community will be a place where university and research partners can engage directly with the land—offering students hands-on learning opportunities and practical exposure to real-world farm systems.
This shared environment allows knowledge to flow both ways, supporting farmers with relevant insights while grounding research in
everyday farming realities.
Real World Impact
At Project Farmland, real-world impact means practical improvements that small farms can see, use, and sustain over time.
The research, partnerships, and hands-on learning that happen here are intended to help farmers make better decisions with fewer risks—whether that means improving soil health, using water more efficiently, diversifying crops, or finding ways to remain productive and profitable on limited land.
Over time, this work is expected to help small farms:
- Strengthen soil and long-term productivity through regenerative, low-disturbance practices that build fertility and resilience
- Reduce dependence on costly or fragile inputs by identifying systems that are efficient, adaptable, and appropriate for small acreage
- Increase resilience to weather, market shifts, and land pressure through diversified production and thoughtful farm design
- Expand viable growing options—from soil-based systems to complementary lower-footprint technologies—without sacrificing land stewardship
- Improve economic sustainability by pairing shared infrastructure with practices that support consistent yields and reduced waste
Rather than offering one prescribed model, Project Farmland is designed to support many paths—allowing farmers to choose the tools, systems, and approaches that best fit their land, goals, and capacity.
The long-term impact we’re working toward is a set of practical, adaptable examples that demonstrate how small farms can remain productive, resilient, and rooted—while protecting the land for generations to come.