Citizen Farmers

What Citizen Farmers does

Citizen Farmers is a US-based nonprofit organization that originated from the 2014 book 'Citizen Farmers: The Farmer D Way to Grow Healthy Food, Happy Lives, and Thriving Communities' by founder Daron 'Farmer D' Joffe. The organization frames itself as an education, storytelling, and movement-building platform focused on restoring relationships with food, land, and community through farms, gardens, schools, faith communities, community spaces, and healing organizations. It operates without a proprietary technology platform, delivering its work through content (book, The AGtivist podcast launched August 2021), youth farming and school farm programs (with Price Middle School in Atlanta as a flagship case study), learning tools, community activation, and speaker engagements.

The organization has 1-10 employees and a network of approximately 13 named team members plus a Global Ambassador (Rachel McAdams). Its business model is dual-stream: one-time book sales through Amazon, and tax-deductible donations processed via fiscal sponsor Captain Planet Foundation. Donation tiers span $25 to $1,500+, with one-time, weekly, or monthly recurring options. There are no institutional funding rounds, no paying enterprise customers, no disclosed revenue figures, and no parent company or external ownership. Marketing and distribution are content-led, leveraging the podcast, newsletter, book, and speaker engagements across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Squarespace-hosted website.

Name

Citizen Farmers

Legal name

Citizen Farmers

Website

https://citizenfarmers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizen Farmers is a US nonprofit founded by Daron 'Farmer D' Joffe that delivers community farming education, youth programs, school farms, a podcast (The AGtivist), and a book, funded by Amazon book sales and tax-deductible donations through Captain Planet Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education and Community Farming Programs

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Regenerative agriculture education
• School farming programs
• Youth farming programs
• Community gardening resources
• Sustainable farming education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattahoochee Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Citizen Farmers originated as a book published in 2014: 'Citizen Farmers: The Farmer D Way to Grow Healthy Food, Happy Lives, and Thriving Communities'. The book is available for purchase through Amazon.
2. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations are accepted through the organization's fiscal sponsor, Captain Planet Foundation. Suggested donation amounts include $25, $250, $500, $1,000, and $1,500, with options for one-time, weekly, or monthly giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Citizen Farmers is a community-centered regenerative agriculture education organization built around the 2014 book of the same name by Daron 'Farmer D' Joffe. It delivers youth farming programs, school farm projects (such as Price Middle School in Atlanta), The AGtivist podcast, and community programs serving farms, schools, faith communities, and healing spaces, supported by book sales and tax-deductible donations through fiscal sponsor Captain Planet Foundation.

Product overview

Citizen Farmers is a community-centered organization that began as a book in 2014 and has grown into a multi-platform movement. The core offerings include the 'Citizen Farmers' book (the foundational guide published by Daron 'Farmer D' Joffe), 'The AGtivist' podcast (field conversations for a regenerative future), youth farming programs, school farms (such as Price Middle School), learning tools and resources, and community programs serving various settings including farms, schools, faith communities, and healing spaces. The organization also accepts donations through its fiscal sponsor, Captain Planet Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The AGtivist: The storytelling voice of Citizen Farmers — field conversations with farmers, educators, builders, land stewards, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and community builders shaping a more regenerative future.

Products and services

• Citizen Farmers Book The foundational book published in 2014 by Daron 'Farmer D' Joffe, sold via Amazon, that serves as a 'why-to' guide for living with more agency, care, stewardship, and connection, rooted in nine lessons from the garden.
• The AGtivist Podcast A podcast featuring field conversations with farmers, educators, builders, land stewards, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and community builders shaping a more regenerative future, distributed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• School Farms Program School-based farm projects that bring working farms, outdoor classrooms, and community resources to educational institutions, exemplified by the Price Middle School initiative in Atlanta.
• Youth Farming Programs Educational programs that give young people hands-on opportunities to learn through growing, service, entrepreneurship, and environmental stewardship.

Quantifiable outcome

• Price Middle School in Atlanta established a working farm, outdoor classroom, and community resource

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Captain Planet FoundationcoreOthersCaptain Planet Foundation serves as the fiscal sponsor for Citizen Farmers, enabling tax-deductible donations. Donations made through the Citizen Farmers website are fully tax-deductible through this partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FoodCorps: National nonprofit that places service members in schools to deliver hands-on food education, school gardens, and cafeteria programming. Directly comparable to Citizen Farmers' school-farm model and youth agriculture mission, but at significantly larger scale and with institutional funding.
• Big Green: Builds Learning Gardens in underserved schools and trains educators to integrate garden-based learning. Closest direct competitor in the school-farm-as-classroom niche and an obvious comparable for Citizen Farmers' Price Middle School-style model.
• Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters, this program integrates organic school gardens and kitchens into curricula. Overlaps directly with Citizen Farmers' holistic, philosophy-driven approach to food, land, and stewardship education.
• Green Our Planet: Operates school gardens, outdoor classrooms, and conservation programs across the U.S., with a strong focus on STEM and entrepreneurial learning. Competes for similar school contracts and donor funding.
• Real School Gardens: Builds and supports outdoor learning gardens in elementary schools with measurable literacy outcomes. Direct overlap with Citizen Farmers' school-farm-as-classroom value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Captain Planet Foundation: Citizen Farmers' fiscal sponsor and a much larger environmental education grantmaker funding hands-on projects in schools. Comparable in mission around youth environmental stewardship, and a strategic dependency for Citizen Farmers via fiscal sponsorship.
• Whole Kids Foundation: Funded by Whole Foods, this foundation grants school gardens and salad bars and runs nutrition education programming. Comparable outcomes for kids and schools, with significantly larger corporate backing.
• National Farm to School Network: National information, advocacy, and networking hub for farm-to-school programs including school gardens. Overlaps with Citizen Farmers' school-farm positioning and is a relevant ecosystem player for partnerships and policy influence.

Emerging players

• Slow Food USA: Movement-based nonprofit advocating good, clean, fair food with school garden and education programs. Comparable regenerative agriculture philosophy and storytelling approach, though operating at a broader advocacy level.

Regional players

• GrowNYC: Runs school garden programs, farmers markets, and environmental education in New York City. Comparable hands-on urban agriculture education model, though concentrated in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/episode/6SB4jeAMWmcSJsBOj8EHPb?si=Gz_cY_9sQ2mCFUUQVe38Rw
• Facebookfacebook.com/citizenfarmers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizen-farmers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizen Farmers