Partner Spotlight: Shakti Farm Design
October 29, 2025
Across Central Oregon, food insecurity and short growing seasons limit reliable access to fresh produce for families, schools, and community partners. Extreme weather—frost, heat, and smoke—disrupts gardens and small farms, while limited funds and staff capacity make it hard to keep programs going year-round. As a result, the people who would benefit most from fresh, local, culturally familiar foods and garden education often lose access after fall—and community momentum stalls.
Year-round solutions
Shakti Farm Design is addressing these challenges by building passive-solar greenhouses to expand food access while supporting education and collaboration. Their designs, recognized by the Solar Impulse Foundation, integrate permaculture principles, companion planting, and renewable energy to create living classrooms and food security systems for schools, nonprofits and communities.
“Each greenhouse hub is designed to connect schools, food access nonprofits, clinics, and small farms so production, education, and distribution reinforce each other,” said Shiv Shakti, founder and director of Shakti Farm Design. “By right-sizing structures, extending the growing season, and offering training and support, we help communities ensure reliable access to fresh, culturally familiar foods year-round.”
Shakti Farm Design installs greenhouses ranging from small (20×20) to commercial scale (96×30), provides crop calendars for 8–10 month seasons, and supports teachers, volunteers, and families with training, tasting days, and CSA/food box distribution. They also use lived-experience feedback to guide crop choices, develop multilingual materials, and track outcomes to continuously improve.
“Beyond food access, these hubs strengthen community resilience by training teachers, volunteers, and families in climate-smart practices,” said Shakti.
This work aligns with the 2025–2029 Regional Health Improvement Plan (RHIP) goals around health access & quality, stable housing and food security. By designing resilient food systems that can withstand Central Oregon’s climate challenges, Shakti Farm Design is helping ensure families—especially those most impacted by food insecurity—can count on fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant food year-round.
Looking ahead, Shakti Farm Design is exploring new partnerships to scale these hubs across Oregon — ensuring no community is left behind in the transition to resilient food systems.
See how local families are already benefiting: https://shaktifarmdesign.com
Contact: Shiv Shakti, shaktifarmbend@gmail.com