Growth That Protects The Land
The unprecedented growth of the Treasure Valley over the past decade has brought opportunity—and with it, important choices. As communities expand, decisions about how land is used matter more than ever.
Productive farmland is increasingly converted to higher-density development. In many cases, topsoil is scraped and reused elsewhere—but the land itself is permanently altered. Once ground is compacted, covered, or fragmented, it no longer functions as living soil that supports food, habitat, and natural cycles in place.
Project Farmland’s vision is rooted in stewardship. By thoughtfully integrating small-scale farms, shared infrastructure, and open working landscapes into a growing region, the project explores how development and agriculture can coexist—rather than replace one another.
This approach recognizes that growth doesn’t have to mean paving over farmland. With care and intention, new communities can be designed to work with the land instead of against it—preserving what makes this place special while still allowing it to evolve.
Keeping Skills and Curiosity Alive
Just as important as protecting land is preserving the
knowledge tied to it. Many of the everyday skills that once connected people to their food and environment—growing, preserving, building, repairing—have slowly faded from daily life. Not because they lack value, but because modern life has left little space for them to be practiced, shared, or passed on.
Project Farmland exists, in part, to create that space again.
Here, learning is hands-on and rooted in real experience. Children learn by doing. Adults rediscover skills they may have never been taught—or had the chance to try. Neighbors learn from one another, and visiting experts help deepen understanding while honoring practical wisdom that already exists.
This vision is about more than nostalgia. It’s about helping new generations develop curiosity, confidence, and a sense of connection—to the land, to their communities, and to one another.
By encouraging shared learning and intergenerational exchange, Project Farmland helps keep practical knowledge alive—while inspiring new ways of thinking about how we live, grow, and care for the places we call home.