Mission

OUR MISSION:

Common Ground Farm supports and engages our community by fostering access and connection to fresh food and local agriculture through farming, education, and farmers’ markets.

Our beliefs:

We believe that access to fresh, sustainably grown food is a human right.

We believe in the vital importance of supporting people to form connections to their food through education and engagement activities.

We believe that community farms have the power and responsibility to create a more just and equitable food system.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

Our work is rooted in service, action, and accountability:

  • We are motivated beyond our own self interest--we are committed to the success of our community and motivated by impact. We are thoughtful and respectful, humble, caring, service-oriented, and curious.

  • We are resilient, adaptable, and take initiative.

  • We are both optimistic and realistic.

  • Our practical actions are rooted in our shared and deeply held beliefs.

We cultivate a culture of equity and anti-racism:

  • We engage in active inclusivity, respect, and support for all people from all walks of life.

  • We are anti-racist, gender inclusive, and respect people of all ages of all incomes.

  • We exhibit clarity around how to use language clearly, thoughtfully and well. 

  • We work to bring people to the table and represent voices of people who are not in the room.

  • We reflect on the painful history of agriculture in the United States, and our role in the continuum.

  • We acknowledge privilege and how our actions directly and indirectly impact our community.

We work towards a positive and clear organizational culture:

  • We offer respect for each other as a staff and organization; we engage in active listening, empathy, vulnerability, and flexibility for personal circumstances. 

  • We consider power-dynamics in our decision making within the organization.

  • We aim to contribute calm, positive energy for our interactions and gatherings in order to cultivate welcoming spaces. 

  • We act with an open heart and with capacity for forgiveness, kindness, and empathy. 

  • We acknowledge our mistakes and we allow for mistakes to happen.

  • We engage in a process for continual reflection and improvement and prioritize growth; we move forward in our processes rather than getting bogged down in semantics.

  • We work to set up clear precedents for future employees--developing systems, expectations, and roles that are transferable.

  • We acknowledge that conflict can be generative: different points of views are an opportunity for transparency and learning.

We strive to be stewards of the earth and leaders within our community:

  • We aim to be a reliable and consistent presence to the people who count on us for food and programming. 

  • We support, nurture, and grow partnerships and collaborations that benefit the community.

Our statement of Diversity, Equity, Accessiblity, and Inclusion:

Common Ground Farm is committed to actively working to promote diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusionary practices in our staffing, leadership, and community programs.  We recognize the fraught history of agricultural practices, in particular the seizure and occupation of Native lands, the brutality of forced labor of enslaved Black people, and the exploitation of poor and immigrant workers. While we cannot rectify past wrongs, this statement signifies our efforts to work toward a more equitable path forward.