Our Network Structure

Roles

Anchor Farmers are the network organizers, offering support to all other roles in the form of education, consultation, administrative work, systems thinking, and maintaining the collaborative agreements between the Land Hosts, Site Managers, and Participants.

Site Managers act as educators, organizers and leaders at their respective farm sites. They are responsible for guiding and organizing the Participants, facilitating educational opportunities, and planning daily operations and events at the farm.

Land Hosts provide a venue for CPA projects to take root. Generally, Land Hosts contributes monetarily to material infrastructure that will remain on the farm if the CPA project were to change location, or cease to operate. Land Hosts can also act as a Participants.

Participants are the heart of the CPA model. Each person or family invests money and time on the farm while learning how to grow food both on a large scale, at the farm, and on a smaller scale, at their home.

Participant Benefits

At OCPA, our approach is simple—joyfully learn from every mistake, dive into doing with curiosity, and own every bit of the process from soil to supper. With an abundance mindset, we all benefit from the program in the following ways:

Education: Our farms are vibrant learning laboratories, teeming with curiosity and experimentation. Hands-on education is paired with theory for a full picture of the food production cycle—planning, growing, processing, preparing, and savoring!

Community Connection: Our community-building flourishes with intergenerational cooperation at its core. Our all-ages events—soup cook-offs, communal potlucks, cider pressing, kraut-making, and more—are more than just activities; they're catalysts for connection. Sharing food, stories and laughter, we forge stronger ties and celebrate our collective efforts.

Cultivating Wellness: OCPA taps into the twin therapeutic benefits of being outdoors and forging deep community relationships. This initiative isn't solely about growing food—it's about fostering a deep, communal appreciation for the natural world, for each other, and for ourselves.

Land Stewardship: Participants learn to align with natural cycles, thinking beyond immediate surroundings toward a renewed sense of belonging. Plants become our teachers—linking us back to the land that nourishes us and weaving together our relationships with each other.

Abundant Harvest Share: The harvest share is a tangible celebration of your contribution to the farm. Your farm crew will equitably share the divvy, underscoring the direct connection between your efforts and the delicious, nutrient-rich foods you will eat and share with family and friends. Evolving with the seasons, your divvy will offer a spectrum of flavors from the peak abundance of summer to the preserved riches of winter. This cycle supports our aim to sustain ourselves year-round on locally grown or foraged food.

Participant Contributions

In our program, each Participant contributes time and money to ensure the success and vibrancy of their farm crew. These responsibilities represent an opportunity to deepen connections, empowerment, and camaraderie among the crew. Here are the details for the 2024 growing season:

Time Contribution: 3 hours per week (12h/mo)

Our contributions of time and energy are the heart of our participatory growing program. The more we put into the garden, the more we will get out of it in terms of produce bounty, deep learning experiences, community building, and connection with the land. Additionally, one of the greatest benefits of growing food in community is that we each have some flexibility and freedom in how we contribute our labor and time.

Financial Contribution: $350 per year

OCPA Participants contribute financially to cover hard costs such as seeds and tools, as well as contributing to network shared assets such as specialized equipment and propagation materials. In the spirit of community, we strive to level the playing field of financial investment in the program. For returning Participants, please note that this is an evolution of the program—in response to crew feedback, we will no longer be distinguishing between full and half shares.

Scholarships

Full and partial scholarships are available if the standard contribution presents a barrier to participation. The process is simple and we encourage you to ask if it allows you to join us! Contact Laurie, our OCPA Participant Liaison, for more information.

Network donations

While Participant contributions are essential to the success of each farm crew, the true cost of running the OCPA program is significantly higher. We rely on generous donors, grants, and time volunteered by our staff to keep the network alive and growing. Your donation allows us to provide scholarships to Participants, pay our hard-working staff a living wage, and enhance our educational offerings. If you’re interested in making a donation, please visit our donation page for options.

Network connections

The CPA model incorporates the Permaculture principle of zoned farming, in this instance on a community scale. The “Zone 2” and “3” crops, which need ample space but less day-to-day, meticulous attention, are the primary focus at the CPA farm site. Whenever possible, the Anchors will help Participants set up their own appropriately sized “Zone 1” (kitchen) gardens at home, focusing on those crops in need of more consistent attention. Further down the line, members may engage in efforts to provide food storage facilities (pantry, root cellar, etc.) at each home site. Additionally, each farm site in the network can support and be supported by all other sites.

Growing high quality, nutritious food locally while educating the community cannot be done for free. The CPA model has some inherent advantages for working towards economic sustainability over the longterm. First, the generosity of the Land Hosts provides each CPA farm with a long-term, free lease to grow food on their property. The Host is rewarded on many levels, including improved soil tilth and fertility, built infrastructure, community involvement, and possible property tax breaks under the Current Use (CUFA) Program. Second, Participants contribute money on a monthly basis to cover the seasonal expenses involved in food production (seeds, soil amendments, tools, etc), as well as providing financial contributions to the stipends received by the Anchor Farmers and Site Managers. Additionally, a CPA team may decide to grow niche market crops to be sold at the local Food Co-op or farm stand, and offer workshops open to members and the wider community. Finally, given the fundamental goal of education and empowerment, OCPA will seek grants and community benefactors to help support the livelihood of the Anchor Farmers and Site Managers.