Central Virginia Agrarian Commons

The BIPOC-led Central Virginia Agrarian Commons supports BIPOC control of land for building resilient regional food systems. We are currently seeding relationships, partnerships, and collaborations that will result in our holding urban and rural farmland to address food production and aggregation/distribution needs of BIPOC farmers in the region.

Renard Turner, Central Virginia Agrarian Commons

The Central Virginia Agrarian Commons supports BIPOC control of land for building resilient regional food systems. By holding urban and rural farmland and cultivating relationships and networks with and within the BIPOC agricultural community, the BIPOC-led Central Virginia Agrarian Commons aims to address the food production and aggregation/distribution needs of BIPOC farmers in the region.

This Agrarian Commons is unique for its vision of the interdependence of rural and urban communities. Board members represent urban priorities and market opportunities, as well as rural agrarianism as a lifestyle and livelihood, and recognize the interdependence of both to build a resilient food system. This Commons is also unique in its plan to hold land for housing as well as food production, in both urban and rural communities.

Farmlands

The Central Virginia Agrarian Commons began with relationships that represent this interdependence between urban and rural communities as well as the broader interdependence between land, people, food, community, and economic opportunity. The Richmond-based Maggie Walker Community Land Trust was interested in partnering to address affordable farmland access and affordable housing. Landowner Callie Walker of Amelia County, located just southwest of Richmond, wanted to explore the potential of creating a cross-race, cross-age farm community. Walker holds a vision for the future of her land that is inspired by her faith, her connection to the land, and her commitment to increasing Black and Indigenous land ownership.

As a longtime farmer, Central Virginia Agrarian Commons board member Renard Turner is particularly attuned to the realities of Black land loss. Through the Commons, he envisions introducing people of color to vocational farming with an emphasis on sustainable, organic practices and value-added production. Rural farmland in the Commons will support BIPOC agrarians and BIPOC-owned farm businesses with secure tenure, community, and strategic distribution.

Urban agriculture is gaining huge momentum in Richmond, in part due to Central Virginia Agrarian Commons board member and visionary Duron Chavis. In Richmond, the Commons will take ownership of smaller urban parcels for food production, aggregation, distribution, and marketing. These urban lands will complement rural land in the commons, enabling rural producers to have a ready-made market for their produce while enabling urban farmers to benefit from the ability to grow right where they live and further food sovereignty within larger, racially diverse communities. Together, these urban and rural lands will create a community-centered constellation of urban farmlands that engage thousands of urban visitors along with a rural production farm that feeds thousands of residents annually, urban and rural alike. The urban infrastructure will also support rural farmers, and farmer incubation will create pathways for Richmond residents to acquire land tenure in Amelia County.

Find out more about the founding members of the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons