by Willow Summer
Three Springs Community Farm, located in Sonoma County, California, was founded in 2017 by a group of Waldorf teachers as a productive Biodynamic learning farm and retreat for the students, families, and faculty of Bay Area Waldorf Schools.
Since 2019, the Three Springs Vegetable CSA has provided hard-to-find Biodynamic produce filled with vital nutrition to families throughout the Bay Area. The farm’s community seasonal farm celebrations on the land reconnect families to the earth that nourishes them, and, through fostering reverence and awe, to the elemental and spiritual beings of nature that long for recognition from human beings.
The Farm is a classroom without walls, where regenerative agriculture and nature connection lead to true learning and empowerment. School class field trips to the farm provide children and youth with opportunities for outdoor education, learning, nature connection, and respite from technology. Class trips are organized according to Waldorf pedagogy and tailored to the age and developmental stage of the students, with real-world work projects centered on the important tasks of growing our own food and stewarding the land.
Many children, especially urban dwellers, lack a way to live life within the cycles and environments of nature. They also often lack opportunities to develop the manual skills and nature-based knowledge that was a given for prior generations. At the farm, the “forever learning” of the true interdependence of all beings happens naturally in the daily rhythm of farm life–through caring for livestock, plants and each other.
The world our children are inheriting is complex, but the answer is simple: connection to the earth. In a time of rising climate anxiety and screens, children need real, visceral experiences to form a lasting bond with the natural world and gain genuine confidence.
Over 400 children visit the farm each year. Through immersion in the farm, students go from being anxious to feeling empowered. They find peace and purpose by discovering their strength by working the soil, harvesting healthy food, and patiently connecting with animals. Students become calmer and more engaged, finding peace in the farm’s ancient redwood forests and witnessing the diverse species of birds, reptiles, and insects that the farm’s regenerative practices support. Ultimately, by participating in Biodynamic, regenerative farming, children learn that they can actively heal the earth, making them feel less anxious and more empowered about their future.
Three Springs Community Farm also serves as a training ground for adults aspiring to become Biodynamic farmers & homesteaders by providing season-long residential farm internships. Interns participate in a foundational study of Biodynamic and Anthroposophical principles while practicing hands-on skills as part of day-to-day farm operations. Farm Interns are also important leaders in their own right, helping to mentor school group visitors and volunteers. Living and working in community in an intentional way brings the possibility for fun and laughter, self-growth, and forging connections with new friends while building the skills for a new vocation in farming, so the next generation will have the skills so many of them seek in order to heal the earth and build our world of tomorrow to be healthier than that of today.
What Three Springs Community Farm models on a small scale has massive global potential. Leading research suggests that if regenerative practices were adopted on a wide scale, more than 100% of the world’s current annual CO2 emissions could be sequestered in the soil, solving the world’s climate crisis. Supporting the next generation of land stewards and Biodynamic farmers through farm-based education is essential to achieving this hopeful and achievable goal. (Source: Research supported by the regenerative movement, including the Rodale Institute and Kiss the Ground.)
How You Can Support the Farm
Three Springs Community Farm is proud to be a vital resource for more than 15 regional Waldorf schools. To ensure that this transformative experience remains accessible to every student, we invite you to grow with us.
Your tax-deductible support helps us ensure that no child is ever turned away. If you are moved to give, there are two easy ways to contribute:
- Give Online: Visit threespringscommunityfarm.org/donate to make a secure gift.
- Give by Mail: Please send checks payable to: Three Springs Community Farm Foundation PO Box 44 Bodega, CA 94922
This post was originally published in the Holiday 2025 Newsletter