At Serenbe, we believe that the seeds of a community encompass much more than asphalt, concrete and brick. Our community is designed using the land as a foundation for environmentally-friendly buildings, in addition to valuing the land for its natural beauty and its ability to create sustenance for residents and surrounding communities. Planting the seeds of this effort is Serenbe’s new agricultural director, Farmer D, with our first crops growing this summer.

Serenbe's new agriculture director, Farmer D

Reading his resume, you would never guess that Daron Joffe, known as Farmer D, is only 27 years old. His list of accomplishments is longer than those of many people twice his age. Equal parts entrepreneur and environmentalist, Farmer D is just the right person to incorporate agriculture into life at Serenbe.

His agriculture career began 10 years ago with a simple quest – to learn how to make a sandwich from scratch. A student at the University of Wisconsin at the time, Farmer D began volunteering at local farms to learn about food production and was soon farming full time. Farmer D’s passion for organic farming has its roots in his Jewish faith, which also has inspired him to share organic farming with others. His Wisconsin years were spent owning and operating an organic farm, developing farming programs and serving on faculty for the Jewish Environmental Nature Educators, among other educational institutions. After returning to Georgia, Farmer D founded a nonprofit called Gan Chaim (Hebrew for “garden of life”) to develop interactive gardening programs at Jewish camps, schools and community centers.

Crops at Serenbe include fruits, vegetables and edible flowers

It was through his involvement with non-profit Georgia Organics that Farmer D made his first visit to Serenbe in 2003. He made an immediate connection with founder Steve Nygren while discussing the plans for the community’s organic farms. Shortly thereafter, Farmer D was hired as Serenbe’s agricultural director and took up residence in an 1890s cottage located at the entrance to the community. And Serenbe’s farming family continues to grow, with the recent addition of Laotian-born Farmer Ger and his wife Mai also in residence.

Steve and Farmer D have meshed numerous important objectives together to create a clear and purposeful vision for the agricultural community at Serenbe. This vision incorporates an active market stand and crop harvest for residents of the community as well as organic horticulture education. Eventually, the farm will also supply local restaurants with produce and serve as a local resource to farmers interested in transitioning to organic farming. The wide ranging bounty includes all vegetables ranging from asparagus to zucchini; fruit and nut trees; medicinal and culinary herbs; and a massive variety of flowers, including edible flowers.

The Serenbe information center captures the character of the community

In June, Serenbe was featured in Letters, the quarterly newsletter of Smith Hanes, Design for Beautiful Living. Smith Hanes is one of Atlanta’s foremost home and business designers and the former creative director for Bella Cucina, a line of Mediterranean-inspired products. Smith’s inspired work led Serenbe to commission him to design the Serenbe information center. The results are breathtaking. Read about his inspirations, and see the interior, which embodies the character of the Serenbe community through the use of natural materials and subtle accents.

If you haven't already, we invite you to visit Serenbe to see the information center for yourself, and hear about the many ways we are growing. Call for an appointment to visit us and learn more about Serenbe. If you would like to receive information on reserving a home site, contact us at (770) 463-9997.

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