What Happens When We Gather on the Land?

By Fabiola Greenawalt, Senior Program Lead, The Russell Family Foundation

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to attend Climate Week on the Farm, hosted by Climate Farm School and Carnation Farms. Like many participants, I left feeling inspired, educated, and hopeful. More importantly, I left with a deeper appreciation for what becomes possible when farmers, educators, scientists, chefs, funders, and community members come together around a shared commitment to caring for the land and strengthening our food system.

At The Russell Family Foundation, our Food for Climate Solutions program is grounded in the belief that healthy communities depend on healthy ecosystems and resilient regional food systems. Spending a day at Carnation Farms brought that connection to life in a tangible way. The conversations centered on soil health, ecosystem restoration, regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, and regional food systems, but they were ultimately about people. They were about learning together, asking questions, sharing knowledge, and building relationships that can
help us meet the challenges facing agriculture and our communities.

Carnation Farms has been serving as a working farm for more than a century and today operates as a certified organic nonprofit farm and community hub dedicated to strengthening regional food systems through regenerative agriculture. As the largest farm in King County, spanning 818 acres, the organization is using its land as a living laboratory to test, learn, and share practices that support soil health, biodiversity, animal stewardship, and community well-being.

What stood out to me most was Carnation Farms’ commitment to learning in public. Regenerative agriculture is often discussed as a destination, but Carnation Farms embraces it as a process of continuous observation, experimentation, and adaptation. Their work includes reducing fertilizer use, integrating livestock into pasture management, expanding rotational grazing, increasing crop diversity, and measuring ecological outcomes through soil health and ecosystem monitoring. The farm openly shares both successes and surprises, recognizing that regeneration does not follow a simple formula.

That spirit of learning was also reflected throughout Climate Week. Participants explored how healthy soils can improve water retention, support biodiversity, increase resilience to drought and flooding, and contribute to climate adaptation. We discussed how soil functions as a living ecosystem and how practices such as maintaining soil cover, minimizing disturbance, increasing diversity, keeping living roots in the ground, and integrating animals can strengthen ecological health over time.

Beyond its agricultural work, Carnation Farms is building a community around food and farming. In 2025, the farm welcomed more than 19,000 participant engagements through classes, workshops, dinners, markets, tours, retreats, and educational programming. The farm hosted trainings attended by regenerative farmers, chefs, and food system practitioners, creating opportunities for peer learning and collaboration across the region. Programs such as rotational grazing workshops, FARMpreneurs training, chef education programs, farm dinners, and
seasonal markets help connect people to where food comes from and cultivate a
stronger regional food economy.

As a funder, I am increasingly interested in organizations that do more than deliver programs. I am interested in organizations that build capacity, strengthen networks, foster learning, and create conditions for long-term systems change. Carnation Farms is doing exactly that. Whether through farmer education, chef training, soil health research, community gatherings, or direct engagement with consumers, the organization is helping strengthen the infrastructure needed to
support a more resilient food system in Washington and throughout the region.

This work also highlights an important connection between our Food for Climate Solutions and Environmental Education programs. Experiences like Climate Week on the Farm demonstrate the power of place-based learning. When people can walk the fields, talk with farmers, observe healthy soils, and better understand the relationship between food, climate, and community, learning becomes personal and lasting. These opportunities help cultivate not only knowledge, but also stewardship and a sense of responsibility for the future.

As I reflected on the day, I kept returning to one simple idea: solutions grow through relationships. Carnation Farms is creating space for those relationships to develop between people and the land, between producers and consumers, and between organizations working toward a healthier future. In a time when climate challenges can feel overwhelming, places like Carnation Farms remind us that change often begins locally, through shared learning, trusted partnerships, and a willingness to cultivate something better together.

I am grateful to the team at Climate Farm School and Carnation Farms for creating such a meaningful experience and for their continued leadership in advancing regenerative agriculture, soil health, and resilient regional food systems. Their work offers an inspiring example of what is possible when we invest in the people, practices, and partnerships needed to help both communities and landscapes thrive.