Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3322
Date of Award
6-2026
Degree Name
MS in Agriculture - BioResource and Agriculture Systems
Department/Program
Agribusiness
College
College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences
Advisor
Michael McCullough
Advisor Department
Agribusiness
Advisor College
College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences
Abstract
The focus of this thesis is to create a case study on City Farm SLO, a nonprofit based in San Luis Obispo, California, that has engaged in education and regenerative agriculture on City owned land since 2013. This case study is intended for use in undergraduate agribusiness and natural resource management courses, to encourage thoughtful discussion surrounding nonprofit and regenerative agricultural systems. The case presents the nonprofit at a time of relative success, having recently secured a lease renewal, extending stewardship 40 years into the future. However, the reliance on grants and donations threatens the security of the operation going forward. Insecurity is exacerbated by competitive grants and uncertainty of continued support from historically supportive agencies. Additionally, the farm is a small nonprofit, and has access to limited resources, but must comply with lease agreements, specifically that it must advance its mission as a nonprofit. To do this, City Farm SLO must remain financially viable. The nonprofit has begun to identify strategies to diversify and reduce reliance on grants and donations. The case is developed from semi-structured interviews, a policy and economic framework analysis, and a review of all available documentation related to the farm. The case presents a nonprofit that appears highly complex and dynamic. The application of this case in classrooms will facilitate conversations of the somewhat atypical, but relevant models of regenerative and nonprofit farming.