Community Spotlight: Jean’s Farm
“If you can dream it for your community, it’s possible.” —Matt Bibeau
Aerial photo of Jean’s Farm
Jean's Farm is a four-acre forest farm in Portland with a long history of communal tending and ecological education. The farm is hosting upcoming permaculture courses this spring and summer, continuing a local legacy of outdoor learning.
Native tribes from the Chinook Nation originally stewarded this area along Johnson Creek until they were displaced by colonial settlement in the 19th century. Tideman Johnson (unrelated to the Johnson for whom the creek is named after) and his family later settled in this land and regularly hosted public community events on the property. A portion of the property, now known as the Tideman Johnson Natural Area, was donated to the City of Portland in 1940 to ensure continued public use.
The remaining portion of the land was taken over by Steven Reed Johnson, his great-grandson. An environmental activist and ecology professor, Steven cleared the site of invasive blackberries and abandoned debris, transforming it into an urban agriculture and education center. He named the land Jean's Farm to honor his mother and helped start the Johnson Creek Watershed Council to protect Johnson Creek and prevent it from becoming part of a highway.
Lecture in the kitchen area. Earthen oven is on the middle right.
Continuing with ecological and community-based values, Jean’s Farm has been used for many agricultural and educational projects over the years. The land served as the host site for one of the first organic Community Supported Agriculture programs in Portland, operated by a separate farming collective. Jean’s Farm also served as the site for Portland State University’s PIIECL (International Initiative for Leadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning) program in partnership with Sunnyside Environmental School.
Currently, educators Matt Bibeau and Kelly Brown manage the farm's daily operations and programming. Kelly brings 20 years of outdoor education experience to the farm, having previously founded two Waldorf schools in Portland. She currently runs an outdoor middle school program on the property where students learn math, science, and history through hands-on, place-based academics.
Matt founded the PDX Permaculture Institute, which operates out of Jean's Farm. His work creating functional permaculture spaces is closely tied to the history of City Repair. He served as our Central Venue Event Coordinator and Director of Educational Events for 10 years. During that time, he organized Village Building Convergence events where neighbors build public gathering spaces across the city. Matt notes that many people have ideas for their neighborhoods, such as community gardens or public art, and they often just need someone to encourage them to start: "If you can dream it for your community, it's possible."
Building the earthen oven
One such example of a project dreamed and built by the community is the construction of a communal kitchen at Jean’s Farm, part of a previous Village Building Convergence. This outdoor space includes an earthen oven and a kitchen island designed for cooking large meals together.
Matt and Kelly continue to offer public programming to foster community resilience and learning about native habitats. Matt previously co-taught the Urban Permaculture Design Certificate alongside Mark Lakeman at Jean's Farm from 2014 to 2020. Currently, the farm is hosting a new Permaculture Design Certificate course from April through September, as well as a Permaculture Teacher Training from July 23 to July 26. Registration is open for both events. As part of their commitment to ongoing learning about caring for the land and accountability towards social injustices towards native people and their culture, a portion of proceeds from programming are paid as reparations to the Chinook Nation.
