Our Mission

To ensure the future of local farming and build a healthier community through a resilient and equitable food ecosystem.

The business of farming has changed significantly over the past two decades. Our established farmers are aging out and seeking successors.

The economics of farming have changed with the rising costs of everything; land, housing, equipment, supplies, and labor.

Climate change has necessitated changes in crops and how they are grown.

Covid changed our landscape and the way we purchase and consume things. More people are working from home and not leaving the island.

Children are now bigger drivers of their parents’ food decisions than they were for boomers. All of these reflect a new reality for small-scale, local agriculture.

Likewise, Friends of the Farms has changed over the years -- mission, board and staff makeup, our relationship with CoBI -- and must adapt its work to meet the needs of our farmers and community.

To equip ourselves to meet the needs of local farmers and the communities we serve, we embarked on a "Listening Tour". As we gained essential feedback from our farming community, key stakeholders, and the community at large, four goals emerged for our work in 2025 and beyond emerged:

1. Create interest, investment, and pride in local agricultural businesses and our rural landscapes so that they are part of the everyday fiber of our communities.

2. Foster year-round, dynamic connections among our farmers, businesses, and communities.

3. Bring awareness of and respect for small-scale local agriculture to ensure a thriving future, where farmers are valued and farmland is conserved for future generations.

4. Ensure that farmers, farm workers, and interns can live in the communities they serve.

In January of 2025, Friends of the Farms will announce our new programs.  Stay tuned!