What It Takes for a Local Farm to Flourish

6 Ingredients of a Healthy Farm

What does it take for a local farm to thrive? In addition to land, they also need the people, infrastructure, and resources that make local agriculture possible. From reliable water and worker housing to pathways for the next generation of farmers, these six ingredients help keep our region’s working lands productive, resilient, and rooted in their communities.

Land

Finding affordable farmland is one of the biggest challenges facing local farmers. As development pressures continue to drive up land values, purchasing or leasing farmland can be out of reach for many agricultural producers.

One time-tested way to help farmers: create opportunities for local agriculture to thrive by protecting prime soil lands and then leasing that protected farmland to qualified farmers at affordable rates. 

Here at POST, we use a “buy, protect, sell” approach. We purchase farmland, permanently protecting it with an agricultural conservation easement. This removes the development rights and often requires that the land stay in agricultural production. Eliminating the option for development significantly reduces the value of the land, making it possible for us to sell it to local farmers (like Jose Ramirez and his family) who commit to caring for it. The net result is that  we ensure these working lands remain affordable, productive, protected, and in the hands of good stewards for generations to come.

Farmworker Housing

Farms depend on skilled, dedicated workers. That’s why safe, affordable housing is non-negotiable when it comes to helping farms thrive. Out on the San Mateo coast, POST has had ongoing partnerships with farmers, San Mateo County, and other organizations to make shared investments in agricultural workforce housing.

Since 2015, these partnerships have helped create 11 units and 30 bedrooms—that’s housing for nearly 50 farmworkers—and their family members across POST-protected farms. By supporting projects like those at Fifth Crow Farm, Blue House Farm, R&R Fresh Farms, and Cloverdale Ranch, POST is helping strengthen local agriculture while ensuring the people who care for the land have a stable place to call home.

Water

It goes without saying that you can’t grow flourishing crops without water. But this resource can be scarce along the San Mateo County Coast, where many farms rely on surface water or small local streams to irrigate their crops. During dry summer months, streamflows can dwindle, causing farmers to struggle to water their crops. It also puts pressure on local creeks and the wildlife who depend on them. During the dry season, farms and endangered fish like coho salmon and steelhead trout rely on the same limited water supply.

That’s why POST invests in water infrastructure that benefits both farms and nature. By partnering with farmers and the San Mateo Resource Conservation District, we’ve helped develop groundwater wells and build off-stream reservoirs and to improve water storage so farms can capture water when it’s plentiful and rely less on nearby creeks during the dry season. These investments strengthen farms, improve drought resilience, and leave more water in local streams when fish and wildlife need it most.

Buildings

Healthy farms need healthy buildings. Barns, packing sheds, workshops, and storage buildings provide space to repair equipment, prepare crops for market, protect supplies from the elements, and support day-to-day farm operations. This vital  infrastructure helps farms succeed for the long term. 

At POST-protected Blue House Farm, we restored a historic barn to support farm operations before transferring ownership to Ryan Casey, the farmer who has worked on and cared for the land for years. It’s one example of how investing in farm infrastructure—and in the people who steward the property—helps build resilient farms that can thrive for generations.

Soil

Healthy soil is the foundation of every thriving farm. It stores water, supports biodiversity, captures carbon, and produces nutritious food. But building healthy soil takes time, which is why longer-term access to farmland is so important.

Luckily, our region boasts many farmers who invest in the future of the land through practices like adding compost, planting cover crops, and improving soil health over time. At Cloverdale Bluffs, for example, Brisa Ranch is restoring fields that sat fallow for years before planting crops. It’s a solid investment that benefits both the farm and the surrounding ecosystem.

Markets

Producing great food is only part of the equation. Farmers also need reliable ways to get it to the people who want and need it. Strong local markets help small farms build resilient businesses while increasing access to fresh, locally grown food.

POST supports farmers who are strengthening regional food systems in innovative ways. Through the farmer-led Coastside Local Food Hub, nearly 20 local farms are supplying schools, hospitals, grocery stores, and food banks across the Bay Area. By working together, local farms can reach more communities, reduce logistical barriers, and make healthy, sustainably grown food more accessible.

Here’s to Healthy Farms

While bucolic and scenic to look at, healthy farms don’t happen by accident. They depend on healthy soil, reliable water, hardworking people, and communities that value local agriculture.

By protecting farmland and investing in the people and infrastructure that keep it productive, POST is helping ensure that our local farms continue feeding our communities, supporting wildlife, and preserving the landscapes we all love.