For generations, Fairview Gardens farm, one of the longest continuously operated agricultural operations in the Goleta Valley, has fed the urban population that now surrounds it, educated and inspired young people about food and farming, trained numerous successful farmers, and provided a gathering place for music and cultural events.
This one hundred and twenty-five year-old farm also galvanized an entire community to save it from development and protect it under one of the country’s first active agricultural conservation easements.
Now, Fairview Gardens is re-imagining itself again and launching a campaign to re-build its aging infrastructure.
The structure, built in 1895, is situated in the heart of the farm. It will be restored as our main gathering place with a commercial kitchen, indoor/outdoor dining and meeting areas, and offices. We will retain the building’s historic character while upgrading to accommodate current program needs.
This well-loved high-profile community store will be re-constructed to accommodate the demand for our fresh fruit sand vegetables. The store, our most prominent face to the community, is one of the only remaining “on-farm” retail stores in a valley that was once the home of many farms and farm stands. The farm stand not only distributes thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables annually to our regional neighbors, it also is where we tell our story, educate and connect eaters to new ideas about food and farming, and inform the community about programs and events on the farm.
Surrounding the farmhouse, the demonstration teaching garden will model high density food production growing methods and systems as an alternative to lawns and traditional landscaping.
Fairview Gardens is an agricultural island floating in a suburban community. Our hope is to empower urban and suburban dwellers with the tools, visible examples, and training to give them greater self-sufficiency and food security, improve nutrition, reduce water and fertilizer use, and limit the use of fossil fuels that are required to manage lawns.
Fairview Gardens has a long and productive history of providing exceptional educational opportunities for children. It is rare to find any local family who has not been touched by the incredible programming the farm has offered for young people over the last fifty years. As part of our re-design, we are working with a team of landscape architects and educators to create a one-acre child’s world within the farm that can provide the opportunity for children to immerse themselves within a dynamic multi-dimensional edible sensory landscape.
The seasonal creek that runs through the farm is a laser straight ditch developed with pipe and wire revetment when the land around us was developed. We plan to remove the pipe and wire and re-establish a meandering creek zone complete with rocks and native plant vegetation along its full length. The current ditch floods on a regular basis, with this restoration we hope to slow the velocity of the flow and allow the water to spread and sink supporting water table recharge and reducing downstream flooding. These improvements will also provide much needed native plant habitat for creatures large and small.
This detailed long-term plan will encompass crops, infrastructure, operations, and programming. It will include a farm management manual and monitoring mechanisms to provide a solid roadmap for the future.
In order to provide a buffer to the economic fluctuations of farming, educational programming, and annual fundraising, we have included an endowment fund in the broader campaign to help stabilize the organization’s programs and activities. Reflecting on our long history providing unique farm and food programming for Southern California and beyond, we have realized the critical importance of creating a fund that will insure greater financial resilience for the organization. The interest generated from this fund is not intended as a replacement for farm and program income, but it will provide real concrete economic insurance for the organization going forward.
Conditional Use Permit Issuance • Fall 2025
Building Permits Issuance • Spring 2026
Climate Resilient Farm Planting • Spring 2025
Energy Installations • Spring 2026
Service Barn Construction Complete • Winter 2026/2027
Retail Store Construction Complete • Summer 2027
Teaching Garden Installation • Fall 2027
Interactive Kids Garden Installation • Fall 2027
Restoration of Historic Farmhouse Complete • Spring 2028
“A revitalized Fairview Gardens provides the rare opportunity to learn from the past, improve on the present and dream for the future.”
Judy Stapelmann — Campaign Co-Chair
“It is a privilege and an honor to be back on land that I farmed for over two decades. The agricultural model we created so many years ago was an early inspiration for the new agrarian movement that is taking hold today. Now we have the opportunity to create a new vision; one that addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our time.”
Michael Ableman—Farmer, Author, Founder of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens
