The Local Food Project garden was established as a demonstration site to encourage and educate the regional community and guests at Airlie on the benefits of locally growing food, whether in a backyard, community garden plot or on the farm. Conferences, workshops garden tours and events sharing best practices for organic food production have been a core focus of the Local Food Project at Airlie since its inception, covering topics from year-round food production to organic pest-management and approaches to sustaining soil fertility.

In recent years, the Local Food Project has responded to the regional need for training programs for aspiring farmers by running Small Farm Explorer courses, which connect participants with local mentors and key resources on the path to launching small farm enterprises.