Reframing Farming How a small community farm is fighting for sustainability in farming

Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - Wide shot of Lexington Community Farm. Here, you can see the barn, the learning center, and one of the greenhouses. Lexington Community Farm isn’t too big for a farm, only spanning about 5.5 acres. Photo by Sean Perry.

Lexington Community Farm is a small 5.5 acre farm located in Lexington, Massachusetts. It was bought by the Town of Lexington in 2013, and has since become a staple in the Lexington community. In an industry dominated by giant commercial farms with thousands of acres of disposable land, Lexington Community Farm likes to do things a bit differently– they want to bring sustainability back to farming.

Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - One of the alpacas at Lexington Community Farm, Bambi. The alpacas, sheep and goats all have their own individual areas on the farm. The animals are open to the public and love to be pet and groomed. Photo by Sean Perry.

President of the Lexington Community Farm Board of Directors Mary Rose Scozzafava works hard to spread the word about how commercial farming harms the environment. “So much of commercial farming is one way,” she explained. “You basically bring in all your inputs, like fertilizer and pesticides and herbicides and seeds, and you grow everything, and then you take it all away and you leave the soil depleted.”

She earned her spot on the board by participating in some of the outreach programs offered by the farm. She explained, “I just came here and started, signed up for a CSA, right? And I really, really loved what they were doing. And they asked me, ‘Do you want to get involved in the board?’” That was 10 years ago– today, Scozzafava is informing the direction of the farm.

Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - An informational board at Lexington Community Farm. The board highlights each of the animals on the farm while also providing perspective on how much the farm has developed over the years. Photo by Sean Perry.

Lexington Community Farm chooses to engage in farming methods that preserve the land. This includes limiting plastic use in favor of cover cropping, not using pesticides or fertilizers, and using soil instead of dirt to farm.

Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - Shot of the farmland at Lexington Community Farm. The farm prioritizes sustainability above all else, working to combat harmful agricultural practices that are commonplace on big commercial farms. One of the ways they do this is by using soil instead of dirt to grow crops; big commercial farms like to use dirt to farm, as it is cheaper and they’re able to flood the dirt with pesticides and fertilizers. Photo by Sean Perry.
Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - The herb garden at Lexington Community Farm. The farm engages in a practice called “cover cropping,” which allows them to fight off diseases without using pesticides or other chemicals. Many big commercial farms place plastic barriers between rows, but cropping is a good plastic-free alternative to this method of disease control. Photo by Sean Perry.

They work hard to spread the word about sustainable farming through their community outreach programs, which teach people how to farm in environmentally conscious ways.

Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - One of the greenhouses at Lexington Community Farm. The greenhouses allow the farm to grow crops year round. Since it’s an old greenhouse, it doesn’t have internal temperature regulation— the crops have to be covered at night in order to keep them warm. The greenhouse facilitates many of the educational programs run by Lexington Community Farm. Photo by Sean Perry.
Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - A geodesic dome currently being constructed at Lexington Community Farm. The dome is being built so that programming can still be done at the farm during cold or inclement weather. Photo by Sean Perry.
Lexington, MA: December 9, 2024 - The learning garden at Lexington Community Farm. The learning garden is the epicenter of community outreach and programming at the farm. Here, community members learn the basics of farming and planting in sustainable ways. Photo by Sean Perry.

Lexington Community Farm partners with local farms like Silk Fields Farm to create outreach programs, with animals being a big draw for many participants. Terry Donovan, a part-time farmer who works with Silk Fields Farm, expressed appreciation for the kids he works with in outreach programs. “The farm program kids named the sheep,” he noted.

Lexington, MA: November 16, 2024 - Terry Donovan, a farm worker, taking care of the animals. Donovan lets visitors pet and groom the farm animals, having brushes ready and available for all community members. He has a huge collection of animal photography online. Photo by Sean Perry.
Lexington, MA: November 16, 2024 - One of the goats on the farm being observed by a visitor. The farm animals are a big draw for visitors, which in turn helps more people develop interest in the farm and it’s mission towards sustainability. Photo by Sean Perry.

Two college students at Berklee College of Music, Ewan Bourne and Javier Alvarado, found themselves at the farm on a whim. “It’s great to be out in nature. We don’t get out here a lot, because of school. It’s a nice way to reset,” said Bourne.

Lexington, MA: November 16, 2024 - Two college students, Ewan Bourne and Javier Alvarado, brushing a sheep named Marshmallow. Bourne and Alvarado had never been to the farm before. Photo by Sean Perry.

Lexington Community Farm continues to educate local residents on the importance of sustainability. They have a farm stand set up where they sell all of their produce, encouraging visitors to shop local instead of giving their money to big commercial farms. “If you just look at really hardcore commercial farming it's really an industry. It's not this barn on the hill sort of thing,” Scozzafava joked.