Locavore Activism: Busa Farm in Lexington

Today, I visited Busa Farm in Lexington. Located just over the border from the Arlington Reservoir, Busa Farm is 7.85 acres of severely neglected farmland. When we visited, it had a tiny farm shop which supplemented the farm's produce with eggs from Chip-In Farm, honey and preserves from McClure's, and fruit from California. I did buy an enormous zucchini for only 25 cents that I intend to stuff for dinner (tonight, homemade pizza with locally made fresh mozzerella).

Outside, the flats of perennials, annuals, and patio tomatoes showed that Busa Farm has definitely fallen on hard times. The paths were overgrown with weeds, all the seedlings showed signs of stress, and the tomatoes were dying in their pots. The greenhouses were missing many of their panes of glass, and not by design, and these, too, were overgrown with weeds. Of the three greenhouses we saw, two had been abandoned to nature. The buildings other than the farmstand were in various states of disrepair, and the chicken coop we spied down the road looked forlorn and empty.

Which is why, in May, the City of Lexington purchased the land from its owners. The owners will continue to run the farm and maintain the property until at least Dec. 31, 2010 while Lexington figures out what to do with it. Lots of ideas have been floated: recreational parkland, community gardens, affordable housing, community farm.

Yes, you read that correctly. A group of citizens is pushing to turn the space into a community-run farm. Apparently, this model has precedent. Newton bought Angino Farm in 2005 and operates it as a community farm. During the summer, much of the farm is maintained by volunteer middle and high school students from Newton.

Our mission is to preserve and improve this historic open space site for the benefit of the community, to provide local, sustainably grown produce, and to educate the public about sustainable use of land and other natural resources.

This sounds like a fantastic option for Lexington. I'd be contacting the Lexington Community Farm Coalition right now, offering to get involved and start raising awareness amongst my neighbors... if only I lived in Lexington. If you are a Lexington resident, I encourage you to contact your local representatives and urge them to preserve Busa Farm as an educational, community resource. Also see the web site for other ways to help this worthy cause.