In the 19th century, most of the Island was farmland. There are now about 28 food-producing farms (including aquaculture) and many other farms of five acres or more on the Island, to say nothing of smaller backyard farms. As of 2025, there was a total of about 3,280 acres of farmland, including 869 acres in food production, 617 acres in hay production, 248 acres of horse farms, 25 acres of flower and tree farms, and 781 acres that were fallow or inactive. Of the 869 acres in food production, only 336 were permanently protected under agricultural preservation restrictions (APRs).

Menemsha is among the last vestiges of an offshore fishing industry once central to the Vineyard's economy and community. The value of finfish, groundfish, and invertebrate (e.g. lobster) landings in Dukes County totaled at least $1.47 million in 2021.

Although the Island’s coastal ponds are all impaired to some extent, they are typically less impaired than other coastal ponds in the state, and support a year-round aquaculture industry, along with recreational shellfishing. Shellfish values totaled at least $3 million in 2021, with oysters and whelk consistently accounting for the highest values in recent years.

There has been great effort to preserve and revive fishing and farming on the Island, in order to provide jobs, improve the availability of local foods, and to maintain the rural character of the Island. This is reflected in part by the presence of farms along roadsides, the farmer's market in West Tisbury, and the annual Agricultural Fair.

Links and Documents

• Island Grown Initiative: IGI works to support the local agricultural community by raising consumer awareness about the importance of buying locally grown food. It runs a number of popular community programs, including the Island Food Pantry, Island Grown Schools, crop gleaning, a seed library, and others. 
• Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society: The Ag Society runs the annual Ag Fair and other events throughout the year, hosts a variety of agricultural competitions, and has an agricultural grant program.
• Martha's Vineyard Fishermen's Preservation Trust: A nonprofit that helps sustain the Island's small-scale fishing community, including via a permit bank that allows for the purchase of fishing permits and the leasing of their associated quotas to local fishermen. 
• Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group: A nonprofit that produces and distributes millions of quahog, scallop, and softshell clam seedlings to the towns, and is responsible for educational and outreach programs promoting the well-being of Island shellfish and water quality in coastal ponds.
• US Department of Agriculture
• Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
• Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership
• Agricultural Self-Sufficiency on Martha's Vineyard: A 2010 MVC study that estimated what percentage of the food consumed by Islanders was locally produced, and explores various strategies to increase farming and food production.

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