Deep Dirt Farm Institute was created in 2011 with the aim to inspire and educate individuals and their communities in living in resilient and regenerative ways. The laboratory for the work is a 34-acre property in Patagonia, Arizona dedicated to demonstrating and teaching permaculture approaches to restoring land, communities, and people. The land offers very accessible examples of water harvesting, erosion control, native plant restoration, and food production. Activities on the farm include workshops on soil, composting, growing food organically, food forests, water, pollinator and wildlife habitat development, landscape design, blacksmithing, and adobe house building.
Using many hands and few dollars, Deep Dirt has developed a practical approach to teaching and inspiring people to care for the land through shared work and community building. Over the past 10 years, over 3,000 people (over 2,000 youth) have come to work and learn at DDFI. They have left with the knowledge, inspiration, and practical tools to make changes in their own lives and the lives of their communities.