Group of people gathered outdoors at The Farm Community in Summertown, Tennessee.

The Farm Community in Summertown, Tennessee

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1970

What we do

The Farm is an intentional community of families and friends living on 1,750 acres in south-central Tennessee. Since its inception in 1971, the purpose of The Farm community has been to provide a secure, ecologically healthy, commonly held land base for its members and succeeding generations. It is a place where we can relate to each other and the natural environment in a sustainable way, draw upon the collective strength of the community, and contribute to the positive transformation of the world.
The Farm is a spiritual community but follows no specific doctrine. Founded on the principles of nonviolence and respect for the earth, there is general agreement that all world religions share essential truths that are the moral guideposts for sanity and happiness.
Over its 50 year history, The Farm community has established numerous nonprofit organizations as part of its mission to create positive change in the world. These include Plenty International (international relief and development), Kids To the Country (brings at-risk children to The Farm), The Ecovillage Training Center (sustainability education), Swan Conservation Trust (1425-acre nature preserve), PeaceRoots Alliance (global peace movement), and More Than Warmth (students creating peace quilts sent to children around the world), and many more. The Farm is probably best known for its midwifery program in which the sacrament of birth is considered as an inherent right of all women, newborns, and families. Both basic and advanced midwifery workshops take place throughout the year.
Approximately 225 residents and over 20 Farm businesses contribute to the maintenance and operation of the community. The community is managed by an elected board of directors along with a variety of committees staffed by volunteers. The Farm Education/Conference Center hosts conferences and is the umbrella organization for the Farm School, which offers alternative education to both resident and neighboring school-age students.
Note: Overnight visitors are asked to sign a hold-harmless agreement with the community.

Our Mission

Sustainable Living, Spirituality & Social Change

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Ecovillage
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers
  • Sustainability practices
  • Sustainability education and community engagement
  • Activities
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1970
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1971
  • Started living together

Video

  • 140 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
260

How to join

Visit often – Live in the community as an extended visitor – Live in the community as a Resident, usually for a minimum of 1 year. Live in the community as a Provisional Member for a second year or longer. Voted in by 2/3 of the community as a Full Member. Pay $3000 membership fee to become a Permanent Member.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We welcome scheduled visits and tours. Please write or call our Welcome Center, vi****@**************ty.com/931-964-3574 . The community is actively seeking new members and residents. Check us out! The best way to visit is to attend a Market Day or one of the other events that take place throughout the year.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

The majority of residents have lived in the community 35+ years. However, new residents are able and are encouraged to participate equally.
We use consensus whenever possible, especially in smaller committees.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $3000
Regular fees: $120
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
The 1750 acre property is owned collectively a Trust to benefit the community members. The community has an extensive infrastructure that is maintained and operated through monthly member dues. All buildings and residences are owned by the Trust, but members generate equity in their homes through personal investment.
All membership applications include a financial review.
Participation in community projects and events is very encouraged.
$3,000 per adult is requested after a community vote to become full member, after approximately a 2 year provisonal membership period.
Members and residents contribute monthly an amount ranging from $110 or more per person

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Community activities and engagement

  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish
  • Quaker
  • Sufi
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Community Land Trust or some other kind of nonprofit

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Coliving

    Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
    kitchens, dining, and social areas.

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Sustainability approach

  • Sustainability education and community engagement

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    1750 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Tennessee, United States

The Farm Community in Summertown, Tennessee

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
  • Events
3 weeks ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Need
Need
  • Communities with Openings
4 weeks ago

Heart-centered, nature-loving unschooling family seeking a community to land with for winter 2027

We’re a German-American family who left conventional life about four years ago to live in line with our values: freedom, connection, nature, and spirituality. We started out as worldschoolers, moving every month or two. That taught us a lot, including that too much movement leaves a family rootless. Since then we’ve been looking for the balance between adventure and belonging. We found a taste of it on a multigenerational farm community in Austria, and we’re now living alongside a small community in Norway. For January to March 2027, we’d love to spend a season inside a community that feels like home. What we’re hoping for A community with teenagers and a culture that welcomes self-directed learning, where unschooling is understood and not just tolerated Nature at your doorstep (forest, land, animals, or garden) Some shared meals, perhaps shared rhythms, and real relationships, not just a place to park A spiritual or reflective thread, whatever form it takes for you An opportunity to get to know your community by giving back (although we can’t do a ‘full’ volunteering program as we have the past three years – ie: Workaway- because we have meetings online that take up too much of our time to volunteer full time)  What we bring Resilience and emotional wellbeing. I’m an online resilience coach with a BA in Developmental Psychology, certified in HeartMath®, and an experienced yoga and meditation teacher. I can offer community sessions in nervous system regulation, stress resilience, and meditation, and support for parents and teens. Experience raising three children in a nomadic, family-centered lifestyle, including years of travel across Europe. Open, adaptable, and grounded. We’ve lived in many settings and adapt quickly. We show up as contributors, not consumers. Unschooling and homeschooling know-how. We’re glad to share what we’ve learned, especially for families navigating legal and practical questions in Europe. Many other shareable skills: carpentry, sourdough bread baking, food fermenting, music making, dad-joke-telling, drone pilots, cookie bakers, food preservation and much much more.   We’re looking for a mutual fit, not just a bed for the winter. If our story resonates and you have space or know someone who does, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your community: your values, your daily rhythm, and what you’re hoping for from the people who join you.
Need
  • Forming Communities
2 weeks ago

Forest Community Starting

Description: Willits, CA, Pacific Northwest rainforest system. Forest Haven is seeking forest lovers who value solitude. We have several areas in the main compound and a few tucked away in private. Space is designed for your RV / Tiny Home / +++. We will add power and water for each new Steward’s space. Land: 40 acres(17 hectares), 3ac for humans. Year-round creek at base of parcel. Heavy trees, 40 meter-ish high. Conifer mix. With a large south-facing common garden.   New forest stewards have agreed to prioritize tree health. This means each person here will have a say in whether we cut any single tree. We never cut for wood or sale.  Stewards agree to walk the forest daily as our one required 20-minute group activity.    Limit the number of dwellings to 3-5 Total. There are 8 common buildings, with 3 having flush toilets and one with a hot shower, washer and dryer. We are 100% off-grid.  We have a natural spring and solar. The full-size common kitchen is large enough to process the garden harvest and more. Remote workers and retirees’ welcome. Full online and cell service available.    Forest Haven is currently a private forest reserve.   If 2 households sign on, it will become a 501(c)(3). Each person’s “donation/rent” will be tax-deductible. This is a private forest reserve going public as a nonprofit.    Please inquire if you want to help in a small way using basic permaculture methods to improve our forest’s health, message me to learn more.

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