Luxury Resorts Are Launching Their Own Self-Sustaining Farms

Forbes

18-05-2025

On-site farms create a more immersive and natural environment.
Luxury resorts are increasingly launching self-sustaining farms for a variety of reasons, including enhancing guest experiences, promoting sustainability and ensuring food supply. These resort farms often offer unique culinary offerings, showcase eco-conscious practices and create a stronger connection between the resort and its environment.
Guests are treated to true farm-to-fork dining as resort farms allow for the cultivation of fresh, locally sourced ingredients, thereby enhancing the culinary experience. Also, guests can participate in farm tours, cooking classes and other activities that provide insights into sustainable farming practices. On-site farms create a more immersive and natural environment for guests, fostering a deeper appreciation for nature.
Resorts are promoting sustainability and ensuring food supply.
Moncayo is a transformative 1,100-acre resort and residential community in Puerto Rico designed by Hart Howerton. The resort — located on the relatively untraveled east coast of the island — is developing a 100-acre farm with educational, retail and experiential components that will become the heart and soul of the property. The farm will serve as a leading model for sustainable, regenerative agriculture for the whole island, using clever farming techniques such as agroforestry and syntropic agriculture to offset challenges with growing food in Puerto Rico's tropical climate. The aim is to ultimately help reduce the island's problematic 85% food import dependency.
Guests and homeowners at Moncayo's Auberge hotel and residences, opening in 2027, will have a front-row seat inside this exciting mission, where they can join in on everyday operations and become a part of the journey to inspire a deeper connection between the local community and its agricultural roots. The experiences will include hands-on workshops and classes, tailored culinary programs, hyper-local farmers markets and an extensive network of trails that will connect the farm's many distinct facets. This ranges from a solar farm housing grazing sheep as a natural way to maintain the land, to a learning center, fruit orchard, tree nursery and vegetable patch dedicated to growing foods that are hard to get in Puerto Rico, like kale, lettuce and tomatoes. Farm animals like chickens, sheep and cows will also be kept on property, and there are also wild horses that explore at leisure.
Carter Redd, President of Moncayo, says, 'Moncayo is a community built on shared experiences and meaningful connection to the land, local culture and a relaxed, healthy lifestyle, so it made sense to introduce a 100-acre organic farm and plant, tree nursery on property. As the first community in the area to offer such an amenity, the farm will be a model for sustainable, regenerative agriculture in Puerto Rico and will evolve with each growing season and harvest. While the farm will be available and benefit our surrounding neighbors, there will also be exclusive offerings for Moncayo residents and hotel guests including farm-to-table dining experiences, immersive encounters and a scenic trail network encouraging adventure and meaningful engagement with the natural biophilic landscape.'
The property offers a variety of immersive outdoor experiences.
Borgo dei Conti Resort is a 40-room and suite luxury resort set across 40 acres of Umbrian countryside. The property offers a variety of immersive outdoor and farming experiences for guests to steep themselves in the surrounding landscape including truffle hunting, beekeeping and picnicking in the property's olive grove. This year the property also launched the opulent Grand Colonica Suite, with sweeping panoramic landscape views and a soothing natural color scheme.
Borgo dei Conti's General Manager, Antonello Buono, says, 'Our olive grove, vegetable garden and apiary offer guests the assurance of healthy, high-quality food sourced from a transparent and controlled supply chain. Knowing the exact origin of the ingredients they consume enhances their trust in our commitment to quality, authenticity and overarching sustainability. Our guests also value that by supporting our sustainable initiatives, they are lessening their own negative environmental impact. Beyond the culinary aspect, our olive grove, garden and apiary provide a rare opportunity for guests to directly reconnect with nature at a time when so many experiences are filtered through a digital screen. Being able to engage physically and emotionally with the surrounding landscape fulfills a growing need for authenticity, presence and improving personal well-being.'
The farm utilizes organic and regenerative agricultural practices.
The Farm at Hōkūala, a stunning transformation from an overgrown golf course, is a 16.5-acre bountiful fruit orchard and organic vegetable garden filled with everything from greens, fruits and vegetables to edible flowers, pineapples and traditional Hawaiian canoe plants like kalo, noni and breadfruit. Owners and guests at Timbers Kaua'i can make arrangements to choose their own produce to enjoy at home, help harvest ingredients for Hualani's, the on-site restaurant, or learn more about organic and regenerative agricultural practices. Beyond supporting Hualani's restaurant with fresh ingredients and providing fresh Farm Baskets to guests during their stay, The Farm at Hōkūala also aims to promote conservation and agri-education in the local community by practicing regenerative agriculture with zero input of non-reusable plastics and no reliance on fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides—serving as the cornerstone of the village. Activities include: