Sustainable Agriculture
The goal of agriculture at the Somers Farm is to uphold the three pillars of sustainability; to ensure that production is environmentally friendly, economically sound and socially acceptable.
Agriculture here is part of a larger mission to preserve open space while retaining its productivity. This includes demonstrating the best management practices that complement the goals of ecological restoration by improving soil health and protecting water quality.
At the Somers Farm, we encourage best management practices based in science. Agriculture is a risk-laden industry, and a changing climate will intensify these challenges. Ecosystems services, including the benefits of efficient water management, healthy soils and biological diversity, are important resources for farmers. We encourage best management practices seeking to protect and leverage these services in order to minimize risk and expensive inputs in order to make farm enterprises more resilient and sustainable.
Local farms are an important piece of the sustainable food system, but land access can be a challenge for small and/or beginning farms. At the Somers Farm, our goal is to co-locate small farm businesses. We foster relationships centered around open space, food production and natural resources to build a stronger neighborhood network for protecting and sharing these resources.