Our Projects - Orangetown Community Farm

What is the mission of the Orangetown Community Farm Initiative?

The mission of the OCFI is to provide fresh food, grown and sold locally with environmentally safe and sustainable practices, to be accessible to the community for their involvement and education.

Why establish a community farm in Orangetown?

To provide Orangetown residents access to locally grown produce, educational and agricultural programs, summer camps and special events. A community farm has the potential to provide hundreds of local families, schools, and businesses with fresh food and educational opportunities through a variety of programs and partnerships.

In the 1920’s, Rockland had over 900 active farms. Today, there is only a handful. As more of our county’s open space is turned over to residential and commercial development, we put our soil and water at risk. We restrict our capability and capacity for local food production. We limit the opportunities for our children to know where their food comes from, to learn from the outdoors and to be active in the natural environment. With the support of the Rockland Farm Alliance, an organization committed to bringing farming back to the county, we plan to connect the farm to local organizations and schools to provide hand-on learning opportunities about the importance of local food systems, nutrition, and environmentally safe agricultural practices.

What is Community Supported Agriculture?

Orangetown residents will receive fresh produce and participate in farm operations through membership in a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). Members of the CSA would pay a yearly fee that entitles them to a weekly basket of produce grown on the farm for the duration of the growing season and regular opportunities to work on the farm to plant, care for and harvest the crops.

Farm operations and programming will be managed by a full-time farmer and a farm administrator, volunteers, and CSA members. CSA membership dues, grants, partnerships and additional fundraising efforts would cover the farm’s operation costs.

History of the Project:

When Orangetown purchased over 300 acres of the former Rockland Psychiatric Center from New York State, the sale stipulated that more than 200 acres must be designated for open space use. A parcel of former farmland is located within the open space acreage. A community farm based on this parcel would meet the criteria for open space use. In December of 2009, Orangetown residents and the Rockland Farm Alliance made a presentation to the Orangetown Town Board, with a proposal to establish a community farm on the Center’s grounds. The Board voted 4-1 in favor of continued development of this proposal.

ORANGETOWN COMMUNITY FARM INITIATIVE
in association with
THE ROCKLAND FARM ALLIANCE

JOIN THE ORANGETOWN COMMUNITY FARM INITIATIVE!
Email: orangetownfarm@verizon.net
Initiative updates and information: www.RocklandFarmAlliance.org