Whole Systems Research Farm
A resilient and regenerative land-based infrastructure system, where ideas meet the land in real time.
Location
Mad River Valley, Vermont
Year
Ongoing
Services
Site Assessment
Master Planning
Sustainable Systems
Research & Development
Education
Our homestead and farm is a proving ground where ideas meet the land in real-time. The site is now two decades into building soil, slowing and storing water, and growing food and medicine. The goal from the start was to create a resilient and regenerative land/infrastructure system that would be adaptive and responsive to peak oil, climate change, price increases, and environmental toxicity/human health decline.
Over the years, the site has been home to a variety of species uncommon in the Northeast: we’ve developed both seaberry groves and rice paddies on our close-to-bedrock Vermont hillside. We’ve developed, refined, and ditched a variety of systems — from greenhouses to ponds to compost piles — and explored what works best within the constraints of our site. We bring this first-hand experience to our clients, and to our students.
Read more about the project in our book, A Resilient Farm & Homestead.