Common Good City Farm’s Certificate Program in Regenerative Agriculture

Commodities

• Vegetables: carrots, cucurbits, greens (leafy), okra, tomatoes

Practices

• Crop Production: no-till, nutrient management, pollinator habitat
• Education and Training: mentoring, other
• Farm Business Management: business planning
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement, soil stabilization
• Pest Management: biological control, row covers (for pests), soil solarization, weather monitoring
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, other
• Soil Management: composting, organic matter, soil microbiology
• Sustainable Communities: food access and security

While Washington D.C. may not be instinctively associated with agriculture, it is currently a blossoming environment for city-based farming, supported by a network of growing operations across the district (EESI 2014). City-based farming communities in DC center learning and agricultural skill development as essential pillars to affordable fresh food access. Our farming community is small-scale, mission-driven, and deeply rooted in neighborhood resilience. We operate in school yards, reclaimed vacant lots, rooftops, and indoor growing facilities, cultivating productive food projects with small footprint systems. Our community of city-based farmers faces challenges unique to city-based environments such as soil contamination, limited land tenure, restrictive zoning laws, the heat city-based island effect, and infrastructure constraints. These conditions require technical knowledge and regenerative practices tailored specifically to dense city-based areas.

Mayor Bowser has recognized that a robust local food system is the best defense against fragile global supply chains, viewing city-based farming as a cornerstone of the city's future success (DC Office of Planning & DOEE, 2021). However, to scale this local agricultural economy, the city requires a workforce of highly skilled, technically proficient city-based farmers.

Research by Whittinghill and Sarr (2021) identifies that success in city-based farming is dictated by an individual's access to resources, tools, and, most importantly, specialized education. Papanek (2023) further emphasizes that a lack of technical expertise often leads to ecological inefficiency. Many city-based growers struggle with low-quality soil, complex irrigation, and pest management, frequently turning to social media sources that are rife with misinformation (Solis-Toapanta et al., 2020). Without high-quality, evidence-based training, new city-based farms risk failing before they can become productive.

Common Good City Farm's Certificate Program in Regenerative Agriculture addresses environmental sustainability by training farmers at the early stages of their careers. This free, seven-month program teaches regenerative techniques, including crop rotation, and no-till bed preparation, tailored specifically to small city-based plots. Participants also gain essential knowledge in land access, business planning, and agricultural entrepreneurship. To ensure long-term impact, Common Good tracks participants' subsequent adoption of regenerative practices through longitudinal surveys conducted at six and twelve-month intervals. As the most financially-accessible program of its kind in the region, we remove the limitations that often preclude new farmers from getting the skills needed to succeed in a city-based environment.

The applications we receive provide concrete proof that early-career farmers in the DMV feel under-equipped regarding these practices. As one applicant noted, they joined the program to "strengthen [their] technical skills in regenerative farming, expand [their] knowledge of soil health and ecosystem-based management, and learn how city-based farms can function as sites of education." Our program ensures these farmers have the scientific foundation necessary to sustain both their crops and their communities.

The primary objective of the Certificate Program in Regenerative Agriculture is to expand the District's agricultural capacity by certifying a new generation of growers in high-impact, regenerative practices. We ensure DC's green expansion is led by skilled city-based farmers who prioritize both food production and ecological restoration.

City-based farming success depends on specialized education. Without evidence-based training, growers often struggle with poor soil and complex irrigation, leading to "ecological inefficiency" and high failure rates. Common Good closes this "expertise gap" by teaching non-extractive techniques that feed the soil while producing food, equipping farmers to transform underutilized city-based spaces into productive sites.

We are also addressing a workforce crisis. While the national average age of a farmer is 58, our program targets the next generation; all of our students are between the ages of 18 and 40. As the only DC-area program that is both free and provides a stipend, we ensure socioeconomic status is never a barrier to entry. Common Good serves as the essential link between the community's demand for local food and the professional expertise required to sustain it.