Round the Bend Farm
Join us in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts for a week of farming, learning and building community, with a focus on integrated food-energy-water systems. This week-long farm experience is part of the Climate Farm School learning program.
About the Farm
The Property
Round the Bend Farm (RTB) is situated along the Farm Coast of southeastern New England, on the ancestral lands of the Wampanoag people. It is a non-profit educational farm devoted to its mission of valuing diversity, modeling nature, and redefining wealth. The farm hosts annual vegetable production, perennial crops and animal husbandry, in partnership with independent “agripreneurs” who own and manage most of the animals on the land. The farm also employs an eclectic range of practices, in order to grow the most health-sustaining soils and nutrient-dense, bioactive food and medicine possible.
- South Dartmouth, Massachusetts (USA)
- Part of Terra.do's Climate Farm School
- roundthebendfarm.org/
Farm Team
Nate Sander, Education Manager at Round the Bend, will be the primary point of contact for course participants. Nate has a background in teaching and education as well as farming, having worked in Seattle Public Schools prior to moving to the East Coast and working at RTB. Participants will meet other members of RTB farming staff and the “agripreneurs” through the course of the week on the farm.
Glimpses from the Farm
Hands-on activities
Prepare to get your hands dirty with a wide range of activities offered at the farm
Farming and Forestry
- Vegetable cultivation following permaculture principles
- Visits to local farms and food justice/food sovereignty projects (e.g. Sharing the Harvest at Dartmouth YMCA, Brix Bounty Farm)
- Soil carbon workshop and on-farm ecological restoration with local conservation and ecology groups
- Participate in local seed saving and seed sovereignty initiative
Food and Cooking
- Harvesting and group meal preparation using farm-fresh produce
- Daily farm lunches with farm team
- Food preservation in the commercial kitchen
- Special meal prepared by local chefs for course participants and other invited guests from the local food + farming community
Pricing and expected commitment
*Pricing varies based on lodging. For this course, the range is $2200-2600. Exact details are provided in the application form and follow up communication to applicants.
Cohort starting Jul 17, 2023
On farm dates: Jul 29 – Aug 5
Hear from Climate Farm School Fellows
Caroline Santinelli
Climate Farm School should be required coursework for every generation.. I've learned that it doesn't matter if you work in the climate or agriculture industry; as humans, we are a part of, not apart from, the agro-ecosystem, and we owe it to ourselves and our planet to understand the complexity of our food systems.
- Consulting Engagement Director, Soil Centric
Varsha Uthappa
The week spent at Climate Farm School was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had.. This course has given me so much knowledge, insight, perspective and hope.. The course material combined with all the people associated in making it what it is makes it so unique and like nothing else out there.
- Business Consultant at Coldwater Canyon Provisions
Accomodation and other FAQs
Participants will camp at a group campsite set up on the farm around a fire pit, with picnic tables and bathroom/shower facilities close by. Participants can bring their own tent and camping gear, or a limited amount of gear will be available onsite (ask about this in your application if you’d like to borrow gear). There will be composting toilets and a bathhouse for showering, as well as a commercial kitchen and dining space and indoor meeting space for participants to engage in discussion, store belongings, etc. Additional lodging is available nearby via Airbnb or in surrounding towns, if participants prefer to find their own lodging rather than camping on the farm.
The course theme is integrated food-energy-water systems. This means that in addition to the core course content, we will feature guest speakers and create dedicated discussion time for delving into topics related to sustainable living systems that comprise water conservation, local food production, onsite energy generation, and waste/nutrient recycling. Note that this is not a course location that will focus on production farming or commercial farming with profit and yield as the primary goals. As a non-profit farm, Round the Bend is committed to exploring and experimenting with new methods of sustainable farming and food production that reflects its core values. RTB is actively partnering with other local, mission-aligned organizations and the local Wampanoag tribe to advance their work of rebuilding a healthy, equitable, accessible local agroecosystem.
The weather at Round the Bend has heavy coastal influence, as the farm is in close proximity to the Buzzards Bay coastline. In the summer it can be hot and humid with regular rain or thunderstorm events. Come prepared with sun protection, rain gear, breathable layers, and warm clothes for cool coastal evenings!
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