Our food system, as we know it, is deeply in need of repair...

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one-tenth of the global population went hungry in 2020; and currently, not a single country is on course to meet 2025 global nutrition targets.

• According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), obesity in children has more than tripled since the 1970's and 1 in 3 adults are overweight or obese.

• As presented at the COP26, the global food systems is responsible a third of the total human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

• According to the World Resources Institute, the agriculture industry alone contributes 15% of climate changing gasses - making it the second largest emitter of GHGs.  (Note, agriculture is second only to the energy sector, which includes both power generation and transportation.)

• As reported by U.S. News and World Report, the United States has lost 4 million of its 6 million family farms since 1940 and the average age of America's farmers is now 58.3.  (Note, farmers rank second in age only to motor vehicle operators, who's average age is 59.2.)

​

Any one of these problems is cause for concern, but what is most alarming is the loss food and farming knowledge that has occurred within one generation.  This knowledge loss is one of the greatest threats to the resiliency of our food systems.  

 

It is time that we re-connect with the land.  Similar to a neighborhood park, a neighborhood farm encourages people to get outside - but unlike a neighborhood park, a neighborhood farm encourages people to interact with the soil and plants in more intimate and participatory ways than simply walking along a trail or playing on a court or field. 

​

A nonprofit neighborhood farm provides the space, recourses, and expertise that empowers communities to build better local food systems.   People, especially people in cities, should no longer be thought of as a drain on the food system, but rather a source of power and innovation for building the smarter, safer, more equitable and more sustainable food system of our future.

​

Since our founding in late 2018, CKC has created opportunities for Silver Spring residents to  grow healthy food for their community (see our Volunteerships),  build healthy soil (see our Community Composting program), steward the land (see out Workshops & Events), feed their children fresh local produce (see our SNAP/WIC Benefits and Food Donations programs), and teach the next generation to feed themselves (see our Internships and Field Trips programs)

 

Agriculture, as we know it, is in its third (some say fourth) major revolution of just the past 100 years. However, if there is any hope for an agricultural revolution that is rooted in sustainability, resiliency, and equity, people must have time to observe, experience and appreciate their food, their land, and their neighbors ... this is why CKC exists.