Climate Farm School
A hybrid 4-week program combining online sessions with getting your hands dirty on a working farm. Learn about the climate impact of food systems and the solutions within them. For tech, business, and sustainability professionals, entrepreneurs, farmers, and others passionate about food and climate.
Application deadline for summer courses:
August 13th, 2022
- Hybrid online and on-farm course
- 3+ on-farm days with lectures and experiential learning
- Global regenerative ag network
- 4 weeks online, including one week on-farm
- Create your food systems climate action plan
- Work alongside farmers to unlock climate solutions
Get a hands-in-the-soil view of climate solutions in food systems
Learn from farmers, soil scientists, chefs, & local food policymakers
Mitigating and adapting to climate change in complex food and ag systems requires a variety of stakeholders collaborating effectively. Hear from a diversity of them in order to understand where your skills and interests can plug into enabling and scaling climate-friendly food systems.
Expand your food systems and farming network
Build relationships with a global network of farmers, food system advocates, and like-minded peers who will support you in doing climate-positive food systems work. This community is open to you forever and will keep growing with future cohorts. We host community events even after the program.
Take professional and personal action
The Climate Farm School mission is to facilitate the conversion of millions of acres of farmland globally to regenerative, carbon sequestering, locally-controlled agroecosystems via climate educational experiences on farms. Map out how you can contribute to systemic change in food and ag, and start taking action!
UNMATCHED FACULTY
Learn from the best in the field
Dr. Laney Siegner
Course Creator
Climate Farm School Director, Terra.do
Laney recently completed her Ph.D. at the U.C. Berkeley Energy and Resources Group. She researches sustainable, agroecological food systems and climate change education, and completed several summers of sustainable agriculture work while researching for her dissertation.
She has published book chapters on teaching climate change in U.S. K-12 classrooms and on conducting participatory agroecology research. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as a middle school teaching fellow for 2 years in Boston, MA as part of an AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellowship.
When she’s not teaching or learning, she enjoys being outside for a variety of physical activities – farming, worm composting, trail running, bird watching, or swimming in the ocean. Originally from the East Coast, she now lives in Sonoma County, California. She helped build the off-grid tiny house that she now lives in with her partner, as part of the first-ever California Tiny House Competition.
Ryan Peterson
Course Facilitator
Our Host Farmers


Aubrie Maze
Farm and Land Manager, Green Valley Community Farm + Mill (USA)


David Bill and Faith Van De Putte
Co-Owners, Midnight’s Farm (USA)
David and Faith are the co-owners of Midnight’s Farm on Lopez Island in Washington state. They raise grass-fed, rotationally grazed Murray Grey beef and heritage pork, grow a bit of produce, and sell compost made in the only Department of Ecology-certified compost operation in the county. Values of stewardship, community, education, and climate resilience guide their management decisions. Faith grew up working with her family in the commercial fishing industry in Alaska and never thought she would return to Lopez and become a farmer. David grew up on Lopez and had a career as a salmon fisherman in SE Alaska before returning to Lopez and starting up Midnight’s farm.


Elizabeth and Paul Kaiser
Co-Owners, Singing Frogs Farm (USA)
Our Guest Speakers


Clea Chandmal
Permaculture Farmer, Foyts Farm (India)


Gary Podesto
Chef and Consultant, Chez Panisse (USA)


Riley Starks
Founding Partner, Lummi Island Wild Co-Op (USA)


Wanda Stewart
Program Director, Victory Garden Foundation (USA)


Natalia Pinzon
Co-Founder, Farmer Campus (USA)
Glimpses from the Farm
Our Farm Locations
On-farm dates: July 23 - July 31
On-farm dates: Aug 20 - Aug 27
On-farm dates: Sep 10 - Sep 17
On-farm dates: Oct 23 - Oct 30
On-farm dates: Sept 24 - October 1
A passionate community
Our alumni have accomplished careers in industry, policy, and more, and have all made a commitment to focusing their career on sustainability and decarbonization. Expect a similarly accomplished peer set from the world of food nerds, ag-tech entrepreneurs, aspiring farmers, and the like.






















The week living at Midnight’s Farm through the Climate Farm School was a special combination of insights, in-field learning, intellectual nourishment, and fun. During my time, I studied soil science, helped rotationally graze cattle, thinned trees in the forest for wildfire mitigation, visited five farms, heaved compost, and reflected on the food system at large. I highly suggest this program for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of regenerative agriculture.
Mitch Rubin
Director Of Innovation, Elemental Excelerator (USA)
Course breakdown
Sign up to get a detailed syllabus in your inbox, or check out a week-by-week outline below.
Explore curated online food/climate resource library (videos and short readings) in prep for farmstay
Attend live orientation Zoom session
Engage in 1-2 live Zoom lectures on regenerative agriculture basic theory, principles and practice
On the farm: live, work, learn
Morning farm activities (e.g. learn how to prepare and transition a bed of annual crops, seeding, watering, weeding, harvesting, learn to milk a cow, set up irrigation and electric fencing, intro to herbalism, forestry and fire mitigation work)
Afternoon “barn classroom” time. Sample topics: soil health principles, soil health practices and building soil carbon, farm business models, water resource management, models of transformation, food justice
Farm to table group meals plus evening guest talks, culinary explorations with local chefs, and film screenings
Field trips to other nearby farms
Back at home, content summary and wrap up. Sample topics: collective action to scale models of transformation such as food sovereignty and agroecology movements, applications to urban and home-scale gardening, the future of farming, technology, and food systems
Online group debrief, final food and farming climate action plan presentations
Set up collaborations for ongoing project work (optional)
Get started on your regenerative agriculture journey
Personalized and expert instruction
Our world-class faculty bring not only farming and soil science expertise but also trained techniques in teaching and facilitation. Think of them as your personal coaches as you explore climate solutions in food and agriculture.
Facilitated discussions
Before and during the farm stay, you will join in small group discussions for:
- Farmer-led presentations and Q&A on farm plans, Carbon Farm Plans, and more
- Discussions on regenerative farming and food systems challenges and opportunities
- Networking to find your future farm/food collaborators and co-founders
Hands-on farming + applied projects
In addition to working alongside farmers , you will be presented with real-world projects defined by local food system stakeholders. Sample projects include:
- Modeling GHG reduction impact of various regenerative farming practices
- Creating a “Farm Resilience” map that highlights climate risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities
- Develop new climate-informed business models or communications materials for host farm(s)
Special events
While you are on the farm, you can look forward to the following special events and activities:
- On-farm meal prepared by famous local chef followed by Q&A
- Local wine tasting OR salmon fishing OR crabbing
- Farmer’s market exploration plus cooking lesson (source and prepare a 100% local and seasonal farm-fresh meal)
Pricing and expected commitment
US$ 2200 / 4 weeks
or 3 installments of $733/mo.
APPLY TO Green Valley Farm + Mill
- 13024 Green Valley Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472, United States
- On Farm Dates: July 23 - July 31
APPLY TO Midnight's Farm
- 3042 Center Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261, United States
- On Farm Dates: August 20 - August 27
APPLY TO Round The Bend Farm
- 92 Allen Neck Rd, South Dartmouth, MA 02748, United States
- On Farm Dates: September 10 - September 17
APPLY TO Hawthorne Valley Farm
- 327 Co Rd 21C, Ghent, NY 12075, United States
- On Farm Dates: September 24-October 1
APPLY TO SPANNOCCHIA FARM
- Localita' Spannochia, 167, 53012 Chiusdino SI, Italy
- On Farm Dates: October 23 - October 30
8-Day Farm Stay
Includes food and lodging for an 8-day farm stay.
Hybrid Program
Hybrid in-person and online, with opportunities for live interaction with farmers, soil scientists, and talented chefs.
Exclusive events
3+ guest lectures from farm experts, also available for later viewing.
Online Content
Online content and community accessible to you forever.
Our fellows say it best...


Tim Falls
The Terra.do community has been a consistent source of support along my climate journey. Since my Monarch days in the inaugural Learning for Action cohort, I've participated in the Climate Justice Workshop, Terra Studio, and Climate Farm School. I've mentored and found mentorship. Terra fellows have joined and helped co-create the Climate Friends community, which was inspired by my experience as a Terra student. Terra.do is creating a fully circular community, and I'm grateful to be in the loop.
- Founder, Climate Friends (USA)


Aneri Parikh
As I explore regenerative ag myself by setting up a small farm I can only vouch that it is truly rewarding beyond what I'd imagined. To be able to share the experience with a larger community and hopefully get more people on board would be a superb undertaking.
- Beginner Farmer, Kharif Farms (India)


Lori Kozlowski
This year I joined Terra.do's Climate School as a fellow to learn more about climate change, climate justice, policy and actions to preserve biodiversity and transform our planet. One of the best things I've done this year. Can't say enough good things about the climate scientists and experts teaching these courses.
- Editorial Director, Shondaland (USA)


Faith Van De Putte
It has been exciting to jump into this global community alive with innovation, energy, urgency, and smart and passionate people actually “doing” stuff, hence the “dot do.” ... We are utilizing this platform to look at our operation and recommit to an ethic of stewardship.
- Co-Owner, Midnight Farms (USA)
Who is this program for?
An on-farm view of climate solutions makes the program perfect for both farmers wanting to develop a stronger climate knowledge base and non-farm folks like business professionals, tech workers, policymakers, entrepreneurs... anyone interested in connecting with agricultural ecosystems and hands-on exploration of nature-based climate mitigation.
Already involved in farming
Aspiring home gardeners, homesteaders, and small scale farmers.
Passion for Regenerative ag
Land owners or land stewards seeking ways to make a living on the land while regenerating natural ecosystems for climate mitigation and resilience.
Hands-on Experience
Those wanting to explore and experience day-to-day life on a farm.
Time Commitment
Working professionals with sufficient time (at least 1 full week on the farm) to dedicate to the program.
Full-Time Commercial Farmers
You want to become a full-time commercial farmer, and want a comprehensive “learn to farm” program (these kinds of programs exist, and are typically 6-9 months in duration).
Too Busy
You don’t have the time to commit to at least a week’s farm stay right now (you can always apply for later cohorts).
Frequently asked questions
This program is designed for current and aspiring food system professionals of various backgrounds, from farmers to chefs to entrepreneurs, policymakers, marketers, nutritionists, educators and artists. It is for those seeking to contribute to climate solutions via food and agriculture systems. The hands-in-the-soil work component makes it also valuable for those seeking to develop personal sustainable livelihood skills like home-scale food production and composting. See the course description and syllabus for more details.
- If you cancel 2 months ahead of the course start date, you will receive a 100% refund.
- If you cancel less than 2 months ahead of the course start date, you will receive a 90% refund
- If you cancel in less than a month but more than two weeks ahead of the course start date, you get a 75% refund.
- Unfortunately, if you cancel within two weeks of the course start date, we will not be able to offer you a refund.
As long as you’re able to take at least 1 week off from your job for a farm stay, you will be able to participate in the full program. There is WiFi available at the farm and the in-person schedule is designed to be flexible so that if you do have to check in on work or take an important meeting, you can do so while living, learning, and working on the farm. If you can’t take time off, there is an all-online version of the course content coming soon in Spring 2022.
The host farm sites have comfortable, rustic farm house bedrooms with shared bathrooms. There will be clean sheets and towels available, and basic bathroom products (shampoo, conditioner, soap). There are indoor and outdoor showers, and indoor bathrooms as well as composting toilets. Camping on the farm is available for a lower per-night rate at most host farms, and tents and sleeping bags are provided. Specific lodging details for each farm host site are available upon request and often available on the farm’s personal website.
Pricing options are as follows: $1900 for 4-week course with 8-day farmstay camping option (where available), $2200 for bedroom accommodation option, and $2400 for premium accommodation (where available). This is noted on the application form for relevant farms.
We want this program to work for learners of all stripes, regardless of individual or organizational ability to pay. Please apply—we will make every effort to accommodate the circumstances of qualified students with scholarship funds, within the limitations of ensuring that hard costs of running the program and making payment to farmers are met.
Several organizations have learning or professional development budgets for their employees. We encourage you to enquire about and utilize this budget to attend the course. Terra.do will help you get reimbursed for the course by providing an invoice, a certificate, and any other documentation you need. If you have approval from your company, we can also arrange for your company to pay directly.
You will receive a suggested packing list upon payment/confirmation of your spot in the course. Comfortable clothes for working outdoors, suitable footwear, and sun protection are key items to bring.
Yes! We expect to run more cohorts given ongoing demand for this course. New course dates and farm host sites will be announced on the website as they are confirmed.
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