Mission: To create a bountiful and sustainable urban agriculture project producing super-local, nutritious and organic produce for neighboring families and businesses, while learning and teaching how to manage a successful urban farm.

 Proposal: At this OSALT site, the vested community members will partner with Cycle Crop Farms, a working urban farm.  Together, we will grow and maintain a productive urban agricultural learning center.  In our first year, we aim to produce five CSA memberships for trade to working community members.  We will also offer monthly educational work events at the farm, using urban farming and homesteading curriculum.

Structure: Shortcut Farm will provide working member CSA shares to neighbors in exchange for time committed to farm work.  Cycle Crop Farms will oversee the production and management of the CSA farm.  They will facilitate the creation of a farm plan for planting and harvesting, providing direction to the working member share holders, as well as present the educational curriculum to neighbor volunteers.  In exchange for their leadership and management of the community farm, Cycle Crop Farm, a for-profit business, will sell a percentage of produce as CSA shares to neighbors and businesses.  As the farm grows in capacity and productivity, the project will equally expand both CSA shares for sale and work trade.  The CSA members, OSALT Liaison and Cycle Crop farmers will together create a decision making body to determine farm matters such as: membership expansion, events, division of labor and large work projects.

Education: The urban agricultural learning center project will host monthly educational work parties.  These events will offer working members opportunity to learn urban farm skills and homesteading while contributing to their working membership and the production of their family’s produce.   These events are intended to provide working knowledge to the greater community for the creation and growth of similar farm projects, as well as backyard gardens. Cycle Crop Farms will develop and present the urban agriculture learning center curriculum in conjunction with support from vested members of the project. Educational events will also offer the project opportunity to recruit and select potential working CSA shareholders.

Research: This collaborative project seeks to research and implement a viable model for an urban farm, both as a community resource, and a for profit business.  We intend to determine the balance between serving the educational needs of the larger community, providing a service to working members and building a successful business for an urban farmer.