Efficiency is traditionally associated with quantitatively determinate metrics: The maximization of production, reduction of costs, optimization of workers, etc. In companies and organizations that deal in production in some manner, these definitions of efficiency are inseparable from the economic framework in which they participate. This scope of determining improvement is too limiting and fails to accommodate the complexities of human behavior (Pirson 2010). Alternative views of efficiency, focused on more humanistic ideals and less on production-based objectives, bring forward more holistic methods of improvement that allow for greater levels of stability, engagement, collaboration, and adaptability (Pirson 2010).
LaFarm is a community farm, organized by Lafayette College through the Office of Sustainability. The farm provides food for the campus and community while integrating curriculum into its sustainable growing practices. The multifaceted nature of LaFarm makes it an ideal system to apply this idea of alternative efficiency, as it maintains a combination of production-based goals alongside social and educational initiatives. Over the years, the maximization of production has become a large focus of LaFarm. The reliance on production to determine the success of LaFarm has grown so large that internal conflict regarding the negative worker impact of overproduction is now a major point of discussion between stakeholders at LaFarm.
This pattern of increasing production efficiency has taken the focus away from the alternative efficiencies needed to sustain and grow the non-productive initiatives of LaFarm. Educational and community-based goals have not grown nearly at the same pace as production has. This in part can be attributed to cultural changes, as LaFarm is no longer a small grassroots project like it was when created in 2013. This also can be attributed to the lack of investment in developing systems that allow for the continual growth of relationships and networks needed to foster a healthy, holistic organizational environment (Lemcke 2021). The type of environment community farms should embody.
We live in a digital world. This is a fact even a farm can’t escape. Having an informative and engaging platform permits social interaction and provides educational value in ways physical production simply can not. LaFarm’s current site is one plagued by underutilization, fragmentation, and a rigid inability to foster continual development upon its social and community initiatives. Their current online structure demonstrates inefficient methods of communication that cripple organizational unity.
In this report, we will explore the struggles presenting themselves within LaFarm, alongside why something as simple as a website revamp can pave the way for a stronger, more interconnected community.