non-profit urban farm growing healthy food and fostering community in North Portland
Farm Principles
A proper community, we should remember also, is a commonwealth: a place, a resource, an economy. It answers the needs, practical as well as social and spiritual, of its members – among them the need to need one another. The answer to the present alignment of political power with wealth is the restoration of the identity of community and economy.
Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace
Sustainability
We grow food that is healthy and regenerate the soil in the process with the help of animal manure, compost, and no-till practices.
Community
The farm is sustained through the work of volunteers. Farm plots occupy neighborhood yards and gardens. Community members water, weed, plant, harvest, and feast together. Food grown on the farm feeds neighbors and folks experiencing food insecurity, both directly and through partnership with other local non-profits.
Education
We provide farm education opportunities to a local school, and host reading groups and discussions on topics relevant to agriculture and community.
How We Work
Farm Process
01
Distributed Farm Plots
Mustard Seed Urban Farm is made up of small farm plots in neighbors’ yards. They donate the use of the space, and provide water for plants. They are welcome to eat from the produce of the farm plot.
02
Pay-It-Forward
When you buy food from the farm, you have the option of paying double in order to provide the same quantity of food to someone who cannot pay. Information about how much has been donated is publicly available.
03
Feeding the Hungry
Some of the farm’s produce is purchased at a suggested donation, which sustains the ongoing operation of the farm. The rest is given to members of the community, feeds volunteers, or is donated to local non-profits that feed the hungry.
Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating. The food he grows will be fresher, more nutritious, less contaminated by poisons and preservatives and dyes than what he can buy at a store. He is reducing the trash problem; a garden is not a disposable container, and it will digest and re-use its own wastes. If he enjoys working in his garden, then he is less dependent on an automobile or a merchant for his pleasure. He is involving himself directly in the work of feeding people.
-Wendell Berry, Think Little
Success
Meet the livestock
4
chickens
2
goats
Have Questions?
Frequently Asked
Questions
Why is the farm a non-profit?
Non-profit status allows us donate a greater amount of our produce to members of the community in need, and facilitates community members lending their land. We are a registered Oregon non-profit, and are pursuing 501(c)3 status.
Where can I buy produce?
Once we have gotten started, we intend to have on-farm sales of produce. If sufficient produce and volunteers are available, we may also participate in farmers markets.
How do I volunteer?
Fill out the contact form on the Volunteer page, and you will receive emails when volunteer opportunities are available. Don’t live in Portland but want to support our work? You may be able to help with social media, and you can always support us with a donation.
Is the farm organic?
While we do not have (and are not pursuing) organic certification, the practices of the farm are organic. No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides have ever been used on the farm.
How many farm plots do you have?
We currently have three farm plots, all located on N Farragut Street in the Piedmont neighborhood of North Portland. While we hope to expand to other plots, this will depend on proximity to dedicated volunteers.
How do I donate?
You can contribute on Venmo, write a check payable to Mustard Seed Urban Farm, or contribute cash. We also sometimes accept in-kind donations of equipment such as drip irrigation supplies.
Still have questions?
Our phones are currently monitored by the chickens. The goats handle our emails, and are usually more responsive.