Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy

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The mission of the Countryside Conservancy is to support community-based food systems.

The Countryside Conservancy was established in 1999 as a cooperating partner of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), and during its first four years focused primarily on rehabilitating and revitalizing the old farms still surviving within park boundaries. That project, called the Countryside Initiative, is unique in North America. Eleven rehabilitated farms were operational by 2009, and one additional farm will be offered for lease in 2009. A total of 14-15 farms will be operational by 2015 or so.

In 2004, the Conservancy established a farmers’ market in Peninsula - the first in a National Park - and a second market in downtown Akron in 2005. The Peninsula Market was moved to Howe Meadow, CVNP’s main festival field, in 2009.

In 2006, The Farmland Center became a “program center” within the Conservancy – expanding the organization’s programmatic work to include farmland protection, and geographically to include Northeast Ohio as a whole. Since, 1999, the Conservancy has developed numerous educational programs to support new farmers, as well as engage the general public. Over its first decade, the Conservancy’s work has come to include programs related to the key links in a sustainable food chain – farmland, farmers, food, and community.

The Countryside Initiative:

A partnership between the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Countryside Conservancy. The program offers rehabilitated farms in the national park to private farmers through a competitive long-term lease process.

Northeast Ohio Green Map
updated 03/2012 by Northeast Ohio